Letter to Representative Shuler 091310

This letter actually goes to one of his senior aides. 
I email about every week or so.

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I have some more information from my readings today about Iraq and Afghanistan.

First, Amnesty International has issued a report on the conditions and torture in Iraqi prisons.  It shows that things are as bad as they were under US run prisons in Iraq and under Saddam. 

Read it and weep.

They list actions to be taken to address this horrific situation.  It basically says that it needs to be investigated and the truth needs to come out – and then we have to return to the rule of law.  And this is why I support the release of ALL the photos and videos from the time when the US military/contractors were running Iraqi prisons.  It is not because I want to see our troops/contractors/Iraqi stooges doing sado-masochist sex on children – it is because we will not return to rule of law, and neither will Iraq – without holding people accountable.

And, sadly, I would bet my last dollar that torture, rape and abuse is going on in Afghanistan prisons right now.  This type of activity always comes with foreign occupation – as does corruption.

On to Afghanistan –

This article is on how our troops are reacting to threats from the local population.  They are wary and fearful of the local population, since they are throwing grenades at them.  In other words, they are supposedly there to ‘protect’ the people, and they don’t want to even get close to them.

Grenades alter troops’ attitude, mission

And aid groups are claiming that security is deteriorating in Afghanistan.  Large parts of the country now have a Taliban presence. 

Security in Afghanistan Is Deteriorating, Aid Groups Say

“We do not support the perspective that this constitutes ‘things getting worse before they get better,’ ” said Nic Lee, director of the Afghan N.G.O. Safety Office, “but rather see it as being consistent with the five-year trend of things just getting worse.”

And, once again, we have a follow up on a US bombing run in Afghanistan where the US officials originally claimed the killed people were Taliban or insurgents, and then later investigations show that the killed people were civilians.  Or in this case, people working for an Afghan election candidate.  Gates is still claiming that there was a “terrorist” among the people killed – even while they admit that they don’t know why an Afghan election candidate would be traveling with a “terrorist”.  Further down the road, we will get reports of “OPPS!!  They were civilians” and the US military will say “SORRY” and then go out and do it again. 

It is beyond sickening.

Civilian Casualties Possible In Afghan Strike - NATO

Thanks for reading and I am going to post this information on my blog, Dancewater.

Sure hope that I live to see the US return to the rule of law and stop this aggressive war-making on other countries.  It is immoral, and it will serve no good purpose.