Who Would Jesus Torture?
As I look at my blog I realize that I've kind of been a little self-absorbed of late due to some personal issues. Right up until the appointment of Alberto the Torturer Gonzales as Attorney General I had sort of made systematic torture by the United States my pet issue. Just so you all know, I am still on the case.I even went so far as to write my senators to urge them to vote no on Gonzales. They wrote back saying that he was an American success story and was the first ever Latino to hold the position. They didn't attempt to justify his views on human rights or to address the damage that the policies of torture that his legal advice led to had on America's reputation in the world. But hey, they're repuglicans, so what could I expect?
The Independent (U.K.) has this story up today which shows what anyone with half a brain already knew: that the abuse (read: torture) of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan was the result of orders that came straight from the top. From the article:
"Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal that Lt General Ricardo Sanchez authorised techniques such as the use of dogs to intimidate prisoners, stress positions and disorientation. In the documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, Gen Sanchez admits that some of the techniques would not be tolerated by other countries...Six weeks after Gen Sanchez issued his memo, a subsequent directive banned the use of dogs and several of the other techniques following concerns raised by military lawyers. The ACLU says that at least 12 of the techniques listed in the memo went beyond the limits for interrogation listed in the US Army's field manual."
Moreover, General Sanchez LIED TO CONGRESS when he appeared at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in May of 2004. He said under oath, "I never approved any of those measures to be used ... at any time in the last year." It is a federal crime to lie to congress, and there are no exemptions for military generals. The ACLU has urged Gonzales the Torturer to appoint a special counsel to investigate, but I suspect nothing will be done.
I understand that things are tough for our military in Iraq, but there is no reasonable justification for resorting to torture. You don't defeat an enemy by becoming more cruel and evil. How can our leaders keep a straight face when declaring that we are the shining example of freedom and human rights for the world? There has been no accountability for this whole mess, except to make scapegoats out of some peons who were only following orders. America may never fully recover from the damage that these people have done, and our leaders refuse to act.
The day will come when America has to answer for these and other war crimes that have been committed. The world will not forget the horrible things that have been done in Iraq, even if most of the American public already has.
posted by Skrambled Egghead Reborn @ 12:08 AM
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