Moral Bankruptcy

I really hate to say this, but the evidence is becoming clear to me that my country, the United States of America has sunk to the moral low of some of the worst regimes in human history. Yes, I'm referring to Abu Graibh and Guantanamo. It's hard for me to see how what we've done in those two places has helped our war effort either in terms of intelligence gained or in public relations terms. And the crimes we've committed are truly horrific.

What has brought me to write this? I just finished listened to a radio program, "Habeas Schmabeas" on This American Life. Listen to it for yourself. It details the abuses committed in the name of the American fight against terrorism. It details abuses committed in my name against people who have nothing to do with terrorism. It makes me sick, and I makes me cry for what has been done by my government in my name.

We have already lost the war on terrorism, because we have given up the moral high ground. Every expert agrees that torture is an ineffective way to gain information. It is also degrading to the torturer. Assuming we mend our ways tomorrow, we'll be generations undoing the damage to our image abroad.

Unfortunately, most Americans keep themselves in blissful ignorance. In this, I'm sorry to say, I have been no different from my fellow citizens. I feel like a "good" German from the World War II era who said, "We didn't know." Well I can't say that anymore. I believe we need to submit our actions at Guantanamo to the International War Crimes Tribunal and see that all who have engaged in these heinous acts are brought to justice.

No act of terror committed against this country justifies rounding up innocents and torturing them in revenge for what was done on 9/11. The same rules we applied to the Nazi leadership after WWII or are attempting to apply to Saddam Hussein and his regime today need to be applied to our own leadership. The longer we ignore and permit our leaders to ignore what is being done in our names, the guiltier we are of condoning these crimes.

But don't believe me. Listen to the story I linked above. Read about what is going on at Guantanamo and Kandahar in Afghanistan.