Consequences for Torture?
I remember how I felt when I first heard that the U.S. was being accused of torturing prisoners of war. My initial thought was, “That’s ridiculous. America would never even think about torturing prisoners.” Oh, how my thoughts have changed. And how sad it is to realize that I can now accept the fact that the U.S. has used torture and not even be upset about it. After all of the news stories and pictures that I’ve been exposed to, the idea of torture has somehow become commonplace to me, and that is tragic.
Luckily, some people out there have not forgotten what a travesty it is that America lowered itself to the level of torturer, and they are trying to get the country to fight to regain our dignity and respect around the world. This will happen only if the country prosecutes those responsible for authorizing the use of torture. Some organizations are pushing hard for this prosecution, but it won’t be easy.
I just finished reading The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer, which not only documents the acts of torture, but also names the people involved in sanctioning the acts (and also those who tried to stop the downward moral and legal spiral). I would recommend that all citizens take time to become knowledgeable of this recent period in America’s history, one that destroyed our reputation around the world and damaged the souls of many of our citizens. Learn about how members of the Bush administration subverted the legal system and America’s system of checks and balances to get what they wanted. It is disturbing.
If you become informed and are interested in joining the movement to bring the guilty to justice, many organizations are working to make that happen, such as the one below.
Formal Petition to Attorney General-Designate Eric Holder to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute any and all government officials who have participated in War Crimes.
Sponsored by Docudharma.com and Democrats.com.
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