Archive for July 1st, 2009

I know we’ve discussed torture at length, but I’m not done. The discussion of torture has not been carried out properly in the media or this little blog. Torture was not carried out by a few rogues. It was not highly regulated. And the debate should not be reduced to waterboarding. Much more and much worse was done (though waterboarding is still torture). Our “enhanced methods” killed people. We tortured people to death.

Torture resulted in deaths.

This video is interesting. The part I’m speaking of happens at about 6:20, when General Barry McCaffrey says we probably murdered dozens of prisoners.

This is another summary of some of pertinent information. Not only did we torture people to death, but there are several cases without accountability. Those cases in which charges were brought generally brought lenient punishments. The harshest sentence handed down for a torture-related death was five months in jail.

There have been rumors that the photos the Obama administration refuses to release show rape and other sexual abuse. Whether or not the photos come out, there is no denying this type of abuse happened. A report by Physicians for Human Rights (click on the Broken Laws, Broken Lives Executive Summary or Full Report to read it) tracked the stories of several prisoners. They found claims that prisoners were sodomized with various objects (broomsticks, rifle muzzles). The physicians indeed found scar tissue consistent with the stories. “Examination of the peri-anal area showed signs of rectal tearing that are highly consistent with his report of having been sodomized with a broomstick.” The men in the report were never charged with a crime.

I’m normally content to stay on a relatively philosophical ground when discussing torture, but enough is enough. We need to show that we are a better country than murder and sodomy with foreign objects by prosecuting those responsible.

Adam Feser