Letters to the Editor
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A tort AND a crime
I hope Arar succeeds in suing the government. But, that's not enough. The responsible parties must be criminally prosecuted. Kidnapping, conspiracy, etc. If the US refuses to do so, as is virtually certain, then other governments should apprehend and prosecute them under universal jurisdiction.
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Cold Pulse
A truly chilling account by Alia Malek of the state of affairs in the justice system. I wonder when we did turn into Syria. How and when did we turn into the very things we decried so often and so loud? When did we become (at the risk of sounding hysterical) evil?
I haven't flown on a plane since August 2001. I'm not a minority, I'm not religious, I'm not anything but a rail-thin college student. But these stories terrify me beyond something any words can express.
If they came for me, what could I do to prove my innocence? Who could save me? Who could save any of us if this happened to us?
Thank you, Mr. Malek. We all need to hear this.
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It's about responsibility, and motives
Thanks for this piece, and the discussion.
What strikes me most, as an American citizen, is how eagerly (and effectively) this particular Administration has been in avoiding any legal or moral repercussions of its policies. They'll argue their points til the cows come home. But they do not want to be held accountable for anything. To me, that's a sign of hubris, laziness or guilt, or some combination.
I'm also struck by how much of these terror policies are not necessary and even counter-productive, from rendition to torture to secret prisons to warrantless spying to eliminating habeas corpus to pre-emptive war.
For example, if you torture people you eliminate the legal option, like prosecuting the blind sheik, proving your case, and throwing him into a dark jail cell for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, real reforms like accounting for chemical plants and tracking cargo on planes and ships, that takes too long or turns into a political football where political contributions can slow down the process. And what does it say to the Syrian government, a dictatorship, when a supposed democracy like ours secretly ships them people to torture? These policies only worsen our problems, not resolve them.
That's why I think this has all been about getting, keeping, and growing power, not keeping the country safe. They might think they're keeping the country safe, but the results are obvious and were easily predictable beforehand.
Last, I still have not figured out how, as a citizen, to make this government change policies, not just politicians. Writing letters hasn't worked. The only idea I've seen might work is selectively supporting moderate/progressive politicians in primaries against the politicians who so eagerly sold out their institution (Congress) and our Constitution, Democrats and Republicans.
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@ JOELSPRAY
There are few things more enchanting than implying a writer should be so grateful to have the right of free speech as to just shut up. That, along with impugning a writer's professional credentials with a nonsensical argument. Oh, and let's not forget sanctimony and the mention of nations whose policies have no bearing on the argument at hand. Good job.
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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.
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We need more OUTRAGE
There is always somebody that will claim that, in spite of atrocities, torture, injustices, there are worse places (like Cuba, or Syria). Of course there are worse places!! But is that reason enough NOT to make America a BETTER place?
What kind of mediocrity do we aspire to?
It is time Americans fight for what they want to become and stop tolerating mediocrity, brutality, criminality, bestiality at the hands of its government! It is a GREAT America we want, not just a "LEAST BAD" one. And it takes some OUTRAGE to get there!
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@JOELSPRAY
Our country was attacked by 19 Arabs on 9/11, causing vast carnage. Unlike the Clinton adminstration--which reacted with diffidence and fake attacks in response to bombings of embassies in Africa and the USS Cole--Bush attacked the perpetrators with zeal.
If only that were true! Unfortunately, in response to that attack, Mr. Bush chose to invade a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the attack. Not only did he pick the wrong country, but his choice diverted American forces from the pursuit of the actual perpetrators in Afghanistan. We'll never know what the world might be like today without Mr. Bush's unnecessary little war, but one can't help but think that Osama bin Laden, the actual perpetrator of the assault on America in September 2001, might be sitting in a prison cell right now.
Looks like somebody's been watching too much Faux News.