The first time it was verified for all of us that we were not who we thought we were, was when we saw those horrendous photos from Abu Ghraib snapped as if they were staged, so awful, so casual, so matter-of-factly snapped, little mementos, trophy photos to take home and brag about. And once leaked to the press, verification that we do indeed torture. Horrifying and undeniable evidence that we do torture. And we torture those who have not been charged, and who have not been found guilty of anything more than being young, male, and Iraqi living in Iraq. In the wrong place at the wrong time.
To say that we don't torture now is a good start, but to say we will not prosecute those who torture is wrong. We did prosecute the low level interrogators (thankfully) stupid enough to snap those photos. It is a fact. A precedent has been set. What we are now saying is that we will not prosecute the low level CIA or other intelligence agency's interrogators. That's a double standard and forgets that we have international treaties which require that we prosecute these crimes at all levels, even the judicial. We need to prosecute all the way to the top. Otherwise we remain a nation of torturers in the eyes of the world. Hypocrites, liars, torturers in our standing on the international stage. We need a soul cleansing bath in the bracing waters of truth and accountability.
Dick Cheney has been taunting President Obama. This does make President Obama look weak. If we are not a nation that tortures but we have an ex Vice President constantly jabbing President Obama with the taunt of weakness because he is unwilling to continue the policy of torturing prisoners of war, then President Obama's assertion that we no longer torture seems toothless and leaves the door open for future war crimes we will neither investigate nor prosecute. We need to have the soul cleansing that is the outcome of investigations and prosecutions from the top to the bottom.
11 comments:
You have stated this situation quite well. I heard the clip over at Huff Post, of Rush Limpdick...slapping himself saying "this is torture." I wonder who told him to stop?!?!?!
I'm afraid that we have headed down a road in which we can not turn back.
I think we could turn back, but most people are happy with a policy of 'out of sight, out of mind.' Thus, a member of our kindergarten two-party system, who really has no incentive to be transparent, ain't gonna do jack squat.
Isn't out of sight, out of mind, kind of like don't ask, don't tell?
I am literally sick to my stomach over this. I don't actually know what is worse, the fact that the U.S. did torture many people in our custody with the blessing and guidance of the White House, or the fact that so many people can rationalize all this away by whatever mental gymnastics they chose to employ. How can these people live with themselves?
I saw a clip of George Bush last night, almost screaming at some reporter, "We do not torture!!" If he would have been standing in front of me at that moment, I would have punched him as hard as I could in the face.
You know, even in the depths of the insanity of WWII, when the U.S. sent American citizens that just happened to be of Japanese ancestry to camps, we didn't sink to the depths that we now find outselves at. Even guilty people should not be tortured. That is what international law says. But when it appears that 80 to 95% of the people tortured were probably innocent of everything and just happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time, I am just so disgusted and flabbergasted that our country, as a whole, seems to be able to just brush this aside.
I support President Obama in much of what he is doing and I salute him for that. But this is not one of them. Just because it would be politically inconvienent is NOT a good reason to let these a**holes get away with this.
Jeez, I am pissed off....
If Obama has testicular fortitude, it could be demonstrated quite handily by turning up the heat on the dirty Dick what learned his craft in the maladministration of another Dick.
Or he can get the f*ck out of the way and let Dick and his minions take his chances with the verdict of the world, sans American meddling.
Either way, I'm good. The third option - running unnecessary interference for these war criminals obligates the rest of the globe to bring America down.
I and many other citizens of the world would prefer not to walk this path, but as the alternative is a powerless consumer maw controlled by a rogue government inflicting itself upon us all...I would suggest keeping a wheelbarrow handy to carry the greenbacks required for buying a loaf of pumpernickel at the market should it come to pass.
;>)
Zeppo, you and I are on the same page on this one.
Darkblack, can I move to Canada before the world decides to marginalize us? We either get this right this time or we never get it right. This is our window of opportunity while it's all so fresh in our memories. It's now or never.
i think they should put the screws to the gonads of all the ones who tortured and work their way up the list to who gave the first order to torture..bastids
It might be hard getting your brand of smokes up here, Utah...But if you can handle the temperate climes of the Beehive state, Canada should be a snap.
;>)
New York Times, Sunday, 19 April 2009
this is beyond anything -- and the fact that obama is willing to pass it over to look ahead is just galling
and sending me, a supporter, away
it sends millions of messages - NONE of them good.
but the worst - it will fade into history as just another point in the Bush WoT
you know george and dick are laughing hysterically while drinking their tea
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