As others have written of torture; both in the mainstream press as well as alternative press, I have not. I have chosen to call my reader’s attention to the economy, health care and other pressing issues facing the American people. At this moment in time for what it is worth, I will now add my voice and opinions to the mix.
With that said, this past week Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the central figure of who is to blame for torture and the collective shame of this country for performing it. Not fair I say, when the real criminals aren’t being put under the hot-interrogation-lights coming from the media and in this case, I mean the mainstream media.
This story is still unfolding where she said the CIA lied and where it immediately shot back, they did not, but missing here is whom ordered these enhanced interrogation techniques. Who ordered that torture be performed on these detainees? That is the larger picture we should be focusing on and if there are any investigations or truth commissions held by congress, they, not Pelosi should be the target(s).
While Pelosi may have been dirtied by the process, those responsible are truly the guilty ones. If I were Pelosi, I would point the finger of blame towards others who ordered these water-boardings be carried out. Go for it, Speaker Pelosi.
Okay, my little fantasy here is to see both Bush and Cheney being grilled by congress and I mean grilled where one can see the beads of sweat rolling off of them. In my opinion, the both of them deserve absolutely no mercy, only our collective condemnation. My ultimate fantasy though is to see both in shackles doing the ‘perp-walk’.
After the attacks that befell this nation on 9/11, former Pres. Bush became a go-it-alone figure doing what he pleased as it pertained to the direction of this country. When it came to the law and adhering to the U.S. Constitution, Bush cited of it: “It is just a god-damn piece of paper”, yet Pelosi is the target?
This is all very confusing to me.
No, no, no, if we are saying as a country especially those in power that torture is a crime which goes against the Geneva Convention, then those who ordered it, MUST be arrested immediately. As we speak of how to try detainees since what can be brought during these court proceedings is sensitive in nature, and can have an effect on our intelligence gathering, then those responsible for torturing itself should be tried in the same courts. If they are found to have committed war crimes, then off to The Hague who deals with the handling of war criminals.
John Demjanjuk an alleged Nazi war criminal now sits in a German prison awaiting trial and prison officials of the Stadelheim prison have stated that he is fit for prison. The reason for his extradition is that he allegedly killed 29,000 Jews during Hitler’s reign of tyranny.
In juxtaposition, there have been many estimates as to how many innocent Iraqis died as a result of our illegal invasion into that country; some as high as one million which I brought forth in a past column. In that column as it pertains to Speaker Pelosi, I asked when impeachment would be on the table to remove Bush from power.
If we can carry out an extradition process towards Demjanuk for his alleged murder of 29,000 innocent people, then most certainly we can do the same by delivering Bush to The Hague. After all, Bush is responsible for ordering the deaths of many more. He failed as our military’s commander in chief by using our military and bringing about the deaths of over 4,200 of them.
There should be no deference towards the former administration and as former Pres. George W. Bush is out raising funds for his library at SMU (Southern Methodist University). A little tongue in cheek here, how much money should be raised to build a one-room building with its only contents being a copy of the book, “My Pet Goat”. Bush should immediately be arrested.
Let me, as Richard Nixon used to say, make one thing perfectly clear: Any spotlight, investigation and charges should be leveled at those responsible for torture and their names are, former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others who ordered these heinous acts carried out. They, not Speaker Nancy Pelosi are responsible.
The damage done to our moral integrity as a country was done by those who ordered it and not by those who may have known about it. If she did know about it, she will have to live with that fact. But as far as the pecking order, let us start by holding those truly responsible for it, responsible for these heinous acts. She after all was a congress member and Bush was the President of the United States. Who is the rightful target here?
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author for permission.
2
1
1
