Democracy Hypocrisy, Part 20

This is part of my continuing series on Democracy Hypocrisy by the bush administration and the US government. I started this last year, and this is installment number 20. Sometimes, the articles are just about plan hypocrisy.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is a congressionally appointed committee with six Republicans and four Democrats. They had this to say about Iraq recently:

"The Iraqi government has engaged in human rights violations through its state security forces, including arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention without due process, extrajudicial executions and systematic torture," it said.

Of course, the USA has been doing ALL OF THE ABOVE, in addition to having started and trained and funded and supervised the “state security forces” in Iraq. Hundreds have died in captivity in foreign US jails in Iraq, Guantanamo, Afghanistan and god-only-knows-where-else they have these hideous prisons that are lawless and morality-free zones. Some of these deaths were extrajudicial executions; some were the result of suicide from all the torture. The movie, “The Road To Guantanamo”, shows some of the lesser torture inflicted on these people and hints at worse torture. It is the story of the Tipton Three – three Brits picked up in Afghanistan, shipped to Guantanamo, tortured and finally years later, released without arrests or apologies. And recently, this article stated that there are 82 people in Guantanamo who have been cleared of any charges, are cleared for release, but are still being detained – because the US does not want them and neither do their home countries. And, no wonder they are not wanted – the torture and abuse they went through no doubt made them bat-shit crazy, and they are likely threats to the security of others. What was done to them is a horrible bush-era evil that can never be undone. More recent news is the charges were dismissed for two captives in Guantanamo by a military tribunal. But in spite of that, they will not be released.

This, and making wars of aggression, is as far from Christianity as you can get, and has nothing in common with true democracy either. In a democracy, people are charged, give a trial, and then jailed or released. And don’t think for one second that this could not happen here in the USA – it already has to Jose Padilla, and any one of us could be a “enemy combatant” and treated that way.

Speak out now before it is no longer possible!

"Always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption."
— Publisher Joseph Pulitzer