Monday, April 30, 2007

Letter about Dole and Hypocrisy

Subj: letter to the editor

Date: 05/15/04

To: NEWS AND OBSERVER

Senator Dole is quoted in the paper as saying "the acts depicted in these photographs do not in any way represent the values of the United States or her armed forces". In another report this past week, the International Red Cross reports that abuse is widespread, and most of the Iraqi detainees are arrested by mistake. They claim the abuse was "not individual acts". Those photographs may not represent our values, but they do represent some American's behavior, of that there is no doubt.

Senator Dole used to head up the American Red Cross. The NY Times reported on abuses from the International Red Cross in October 2003. The Associated Press reported on abuses on August 28, October 6, October 19 and December 17 of last year. In looking at the website Human Rights Watch, there is mention of Senators Leahy and Specter addressing this issue with the President and the Department of Defense. I can find no report that Senator Dole raised any concerns about this issue at all. How come she, who used to work for the Red Cross, did nothing? How come she did not raise concerns?

This left me wondering: is hypocrisy an American value for Senator Dole?

And how come nothing is being done about the abuses and lawlessness of Guantanamo Bay?

UPDATE: So, two years later - still nothing done about Guantanamo Bay, and all the other hypocrisies of the current US government.

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