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• Tuesday, June 26, 2007 07:04 AM

  The word is spreading

  Glenn, on Saturday, June 16, I was privileged to hear a presentation by Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a young lawyer acting pro bono for several Bahraini captives in Guantánamo. He spoke at several cities in Arizona, to fairly large audiences, considering the subject of his talk. There were about 200 in my town.

  Everything you've ever said about this monstrous stain on our national character was confirmed by this young man, who is, as it happens, a remarkably good public speaker, totally devoid of histrionics and with a genuine genius for dispassionate clarity. Even so, many had tears in their eyes at his story, and the questions afterwards lasted over an hour.

  Thanks to you and other bloggers, I already knew much of the story, but the personal details, the daily offenses against our common humanity enraged me. It was very, very difficult to listen to. Just to give you one example, one of his clients attempted suicide in front of him, and has, to-date, made four attempts on his own life. Mr. Colangelo is not allowed personal custody of his own notes, and must travel from New York, where his firm is located, to Washington D.C. to view them in a secure room. On occasions they simply don't arrive from Guantánamo. No explanations are ever offered.

  I could go on and on, but what's the point? The main thing I wanted to convey here is that this story is slowly reaching even the people who don't read blogs. We may have to do it the way dissidents in the Old Soviet Union had to do it, but it is getting done.

  For the other commenters here, I should say that I found it encouraging to listen to this young attorney, who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties. He reminded me a great deal of Glenn, in fact, in his determination to do the job right, to assert nothing for which he had no evidence, and to be patient with his audience. That was what encouraged me. If I thought Glenn were a unique phenomenon, I would still be grateful. To encounter someone else with his skill, and his decency was comforting, despite the horrific nature of the news he brought with him.

  I do give thanks every day that such people still exist, and devote such skill and effort to help us defend a justice which actually is just, and to see that it's applied equally to everyone.

  —William Timberman Read William Timberman's other letters
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