In most issues of the Washington Monthly, we favor articles that we hope will launch a debate. In this issue we seek to end one. The unifying message of the articles that follow is, simply, Stop. In the wake of September 11, the United States became a nation that practiced torture. Astonishingly—despite the repudiation of torture by experts and the revelations of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib—we remain one. As we go to press, President George W. Bush stands poised to veto a measure that would end all use of torture by the United States. His move, we suspect, will provoke only limited outcry. What once was shocking is now ordinary.
Well, guess what? It is. Bush admits that he approved torture, and the media can't be bothered. Congress passes a bill that would ban torture, he vetoes it, the country has a heart attack from not surprised.
(CBS/AP) President George W. Bush said Saturday he vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as waterboarding to break suspected terrorists because it would end practices that have prevented attacks. "The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror," the president said in his weekly radio address taped for broadcast Saturday. "So today I vetoed it."
Is anyone else taken aback by this? "One of the most valuable tools?" Since the fuck when has torture been a "valuable tool"? Ten fucking seconds on Wikipedia kills that notion:
One well documented effect of torture is that with rare exceptions people will say or do anything to escape the situation, including untrue "confessions" and implication of others without genuine knowledge, who
may well then be tortured in turn.
Insult to injury, listen to the way he announces his veto. Like it's the most ordinary thing in the world to do. Like any idiot would have done the same. You can hear the "Well, duh" lurking behind the words.
We're all pretty focused on Expelled: the Dumbfuckery right now. But it's worth saving some outrage over this. Our country tortures people. Our president supports torture 110%. And this has become so expected that we just shrug and wait for November.
We can't wait. We can't just shrug this off. We have work to do:
One thing we can do is try and get ABC to ask some sort of question on this in this week's Democratic debate. They BROKE the story, after all, so they have a little connection to it. You can contact them here and demand that they follow up their reporting on torture by pushing it into the Presidential race. Contacting World News Tonight with moderator
Charlie Gibson and ABC News Programming Specials would probably be the most helpful.
It stops.
While I disagree with the policies of the current president, I always took the stance that I respected him as a person because of the office.
ReplyDeleteToday, in five simple words (simple to keep him from stumbling, I suppose), I have officially lost what little respect I had lingering for him because of his job. I can not in any way condone, support, or even give name to a man who would not only not stop unnecessary violence, but in fact PROMOTE it by not passing a bill that ensures certain inalienable rights of human beings.
Regardless of anything else going on in this world, and to use a phrase so eloquently put by Dr. Seuss, "A person is a person, no matter how small."
I pride myself on being able to be quiet when all around me the political atmosphere is toxic and controversial, but I for one cannot be silent about this. How can a man who prides himself on Christian values be so quick to nonchalantly veto a bill that would show him as a man, in his last days in the office, with some level of human compassion.
Shame on you, George. I hope your father takes you out behind the woodshed for this one.