Letters to the Editor
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Remember Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, etc...
Alia Malek's excellent article reminds us the US have never been that paragon of human rights and democracy pictured in its press and popular arts.
American civil and military officers (CIA and Army) trained their Latin American counterparts in "counter-insurgency" (military eufemism for repressing popular unrest) in the second half of the 20th century. The training included torture, or "questioning of prisoners under duress".
Americans researched and developed "enhanced interrogation methods" (more creepy language) to be taught at the School of the Americas, in Panama. This is all well-researched and documented in the National Security Archives at George Washington University.
So, my friends, this is not new. "Extraordinary rendition" is not a wholly new concept for us, Latin Americans. This is not just about Clinton or Bush. It is about the US.
In a certain way, whole countries were handed by many US presidents to the torturers and murderers; think of Guatemala, a tiny country where the military, trained and supported by the United States, killed around two hundred thousand people (after torturing many of them).
I feel sorry for having to tell this to so many decent people who have spoken here against Bush and his torturers, people whom I respect and admire. But the plain truth is: the US has always accepted and condoned torture as it was used to support its strategic and business interests.
The difference, this time, is that Bush does not care to pretend about democracy and justice, and things happen closer to home. The horror has to be confronted face-to-face. It is ugly, but it was about time.