I’m about to discuss a very serious topic, one in which makes me sick to my stomach. The truth that is to come is frightening, disillusioning, and shaming. It is not an urban legend, nor is it left wing politics. It is the truth of our government, a very frank truth, of which many are ignorant.
To be American is to be free, to strive to be all you can be. And in the recent years, that freedom, supposedly, has been threatened. We have become an overindulgent culture, a materialistic, overly controlling culture. We perceive ourselves as being an all-encompassing, better than average society. However, when it comes down to it, we have worn out our welcome. While the whole country hasn’t rotten, and corruption is contained, it seems our image in the world has been forever damaged.
We are now supposedly protecting our freedom in Iraq. It is a well disputed war, with many flaws. And many of those flaws I was aware of. However, the movie I watched last night has opened my eyes to the horrors of what a president is capable of - or makes himself capable of. My boyfriend and I went to the State Theatre, Michael Moore’s gift to our little town, and saw the movie “Taxi to the Dark Side.” From the previews it seemed to be a documentary discussing the treatment of POW’s, and the Bush administration’s war policy. It was that, but it was also so much more.
Not only did it fully bring back Abu Ghraib, but it detailed the hidden policies and laws the higher ups in the military have approved and let run loose like a wild animal. I don’t want to give away details of the movie, as I think you should see it yourself (as appalling as it is), but I would like to discuss some of the principles.
For instance, what started out as approved intelligence-acquiring-torture-strategies for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay slowly leaked into Afghanistan and Iraq. They have now pretty much become standard procedure. These “standard procedures” include doing whatever is necessary to get information (i.e.: water boarding). What I still cannot wrap my head around is how the American government can think that terrorizing terrorists is valid. Yes, they may be some of the worst criminals out there, but how does that justify the behavior? (Two wrongs do not make a right). How can forcing someone to think they are drowning or depriving them of sleep going to be beneficial? Studies have found - for years now - that sleep deprivation can lead to psychosis or similar effects, so why should any trust be put in anything the detainee has to say? How can that confession be constituted as valid?
Oh, but it gets better my friends. These torturous acts, while performed by intelligence agents and military police, have been approved by the highest government officials, including our wonderful president, George Bush. And while we’re on the topic of legality, according to international law (Geneva Conventions), these intelligence strategies fit into the category of war crimes. The United States president has okayed war crimes. However, he sees it as all okay, because he’s passed a law exempting him and his friends from being charged with war crimes. I guess we can just add this to the list of things he has declared himself above.
I can’t get passed the fact that all of this has been okayed simply to protect our freedom. Was our freedom every truly in jeopardy?
And water boarding? What can be worse than forcing someone to drink water, making the body think that it is drowning? This strategy was used in medieval times, and also approved by Saddam Hussein. How has George Bush helped the Iraqis (it is believed majority of detainees are not actually terrorists, but innocent civilians) if he is subjecting them to the same things their evil dictator did?
