Opening arguments have begun in the case of Charles Graner, the accused ringleader of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. Yesterday, Graner’s lawyer compared piling naked prisoners into pyramids to cheerleader shows and said leashing inmates was also acceptable prisoner control. The lawyer, Guy Womack asked a 10-member U.S. military jury, “Don’t cheerleaders all over America form pyramids six to eight times a year. Is that torture?” Also facing a court martial is Private Lynndie England, who has a child with Graner. She is best known for the photo where she has a naked Iraqi prisoner on the ground on a leash as she smiles. The prosecution showed some of those pictures in their opening argument, including several of naked Iraqi men piled on each other. Graner’s lawyer said using a tether was a valid method of controlling detainees, especially those who might be soiled with feces. He said, “You’re keeping control of them. A tether is a valid control to be used in corrections. In Texas we’d lasso them and drag them out of there.” He compared the leash to parents who place tethers on their toddlers while walking in shopping malls. Apart from arguing that the methods were not illegal, Graner’s defense is that he was following orders. His lawyer said yesterday that Graner himself would testify.