Alleged prisoner abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. A push for an exemption to the CIA torture ban. CIA secret prisoner flights. Just who are the terrorists here?
The United States of America I know would not stoop to committing such atrocities. When we saw regimes that tortured people and took away their human rights, we had the authority to tell them that they were in the wrong. But now, given the accusations against the US, how can we be taken seriously when we judge others?
With the release of declassified papers from the Nixon era, I can see who was Bush's childhood hero. President Richard Nixon was the embodiment of hubris: Even after his secret war in Cambodia became known, he continued to deny and deceive. His message to his aides nearly 30 years ago was clear: Say one thing in public and do another behind the scenes.
Does that sound familiar?
Why does the CIA need an exemption from the torture ban if the US does not engage in torture? An exemption would give our allies and foes the impression that we are guilty of torturing prisoners. The pictures of abuse from Iraq, the tales of abuse from other facilities, and now news of the secret prisoner flights in other countries only add fuel to the flame.
The Bush Administration doesn't appear to be all that dissimilar to the very evil it claims to want to drive out of the Middle East. Bush and Co. said Saddam Hussein should be overthrown, first because he was an imminent threat to the western world, and then because he killed and tortured his own people and violated their human rights. Now we see that our forces have killed and tortured those same people. The scale may not be the same, but killing is killing. Although the administration attempts to explain away accusations by casting blame for prisoner abuse on individuals working beyond the directives of their superiors, this latest news seems to show that high-ranking members of the administration condone — and may have ordered — such actions.
So, let me ask again: Who are the terrorists here?
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Article comments
1 - Chief Wiggum
The terrorists are the terrorists you [edited]!
[remainder of insult deleted]
2 - gonzo marx
ummm..by stepping over the ad hominem and proceeding ahead with the double bow knot
how about you?
Excelsior!
3 - Rough
Well Chief Wiggum it seems you ignored the "Personal attacks are not allowed. Please read our comment policy." statement above where you entered your comment. That doesn't suprise me, it is easier to attack someone than have a rational discussion. The United States are the first of many to take stances against other countries taking away Human Rights, how do you propose we do this now since it is proven that this administration condones it's agents doing those selfsame practices?
I doubt you will answer this but, feel free to
Rough
4 - Rough
Btw, I use shoes with velcro straps, easier here in the institution. LMAO