In the last decade, the United States has increasingly become a symbol of hypocrisy as a nation that has violated many international principles that it helped create after 9-11. That record was reinforced this week after the Afghan government (not exactly the paragon of civil liberties) refused to adopt indefinite detention rules pushed by the Obama Administration. Of course, President Obama has continued the indefinite detention of the Bush Administration and the operation of the Guantanamo Bay facility over the objections of civil libertarians. We recently saw the death of a detainee who was found years ago not to be a national security risk and never proven to be guilty of a single crime. Yet, in its effort to create a “new Democracy” in the Afghanistan, the Obama Administration was insisting that it replicate our own indefinite detention rules. In the meantime, a federal court has stayed a prior court order that enjoined the provision on indefinite detention under the Obama Administration’s 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
A judicial panel ruled that administrative detention runs counter to the country’s laws. Yet the Obama Administration said that unless the country adopted this authoritarian measure, it may not turn over prisoners to Afghan officials. We are still holding more than 600 Afghans.
The death of Adnan Latif, a Yemeni, has become the latest symbol of our abusive policy of detention. As early as 2004, the military determined that he should be released but never told his lawyers until years later. In 2010 a federal court ordered his release. He would never live to see freedom.
Source: Guardian
We all have blind spots when it comes to facts.
I came across some I did not know about today:
(Mexico’s Economy). The government detaches from the people by using propaganda on them, and has for a long time:
(Myth Addiction Is Establishment’s LSD, quoting 1944 book). The same old lies repeated ad nauseum show they don’t much care about being detached from the people.
The people are victims of their government officials’ detachment from their oaths of office.
Jill, We agree. However, you didn’t answer the question. What do we do w/ these sociopaths? And again, I don’t have the answer. We do know what happens when we release them on the world.
If only we could of elected Ron Paul.
What are the facts that people don’t care about? Torture? True, too few care about that fact. That the administration wants indefinite detention without trial for people, including American citizens? True, too few care about that fact.
What does that mean about our citizens? It’s quite scary that people on the left and on the right don’t care about basic facts, facts which effect life and death as well as false imprisonment. Facts which include torture. Who are we as a people that we have ceased to care about these most vital facts?
I agree with the sentiment that it’s quite ironic that Afghan Law doesn’t allow for indefinite detention. On the day of his inauguration, I sent a paid for msg to Obama and asked him to change the practice of holding the 600 or so prisoners at Bagram indefinitely. I compared the situation there with that of Guantanamo Prison. I must admit that I now feel a bit less convinced that the Obama administration ought to release those prisoners. The idea of releasing any of the prisoners to the security forces there is very scary considering their reputation of brutality and corruption. Add to that the lack of support by the Afghan government currently aimed at one of the most important human rights organizations, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission as well as the lack of truthful, reliable reporting by western organizations involved in covering the state of human rights and I’d be wary too. The AIHRC is currently understaffed and Pres. Karzai has the sole power to nominate the commissioners who were let go of. Western journalists, NGO’s and other entities working on behalf of the Afghan people in areas of education, health care, human rights etc. often ally themselves with those in power just to be able to do their work. They rely on the security of major players, including very corrupt and brutal human rights abusers and in turn refrain from criticizing their ‘enablers’.
The US stands accused of severe and unlawful treatment of prisoners there. The tactics pale, if that is possible, next to what I fear will happen at the hands of the National Directorate of Security, the Afghan National Police and even the Afghan National Army.
Bron, Come on, some folks here “don’t care about the facts”, just like Peter King.
This will go on for as long as the vast majority of our population allows it. By refusing to take a stand, refusing to care about others, we have no brake on the illegal and immoral actions of “leaders”.
By this time, our nation’s psyche is so messed up that most people don’t even bother about imprisonment of the innocent or indefinite detention. We need to soul search, right now, because there is something profoundly wrong about a nation whose people don’t care about basic issues of justice, life, or liberty.
Now I will hear, “we must vote Obama”. When you vote Obama you are voting for someone who imprisons the innocent, who has called for and enforced indefinite detention. The Obama administration had that ruling overturned within hours. That means they want that power and they want it for a reason. If you press people to vote Obama, you are on board with what he is doing. You can not keep walking away from who and what you are voting for because that salves your mind.
“Oh, but I can’t vote for someone who won’t win”, you will say. Unless you are working for the govt. and already know that Obama will win, (due to voting machines, etc.) you could be voting for a losing candidate when you vote for Obama. Therefore, if the only reason you allow for voting is to win, then you should not vote either, because there is no guarantee your candidate will win. If you can vote for someone who can lose, you can vote for a candidate that does not imprison the innocent or run to an appeals judge to get that power at all cost.
The USG is keeping hold of prisoners in Bagram. They have still carved out a piece of paradise for torture of those they render from other parts of the world. Are you on board with torture?
We still do not know how Mr. Latif died. He was in a section of Gitmo where “troublemakers” are put. There they are beaten and tortured. He was cleared for release. He had committed no crime. Yet he was considered dangerous as a potential leader of other detainees. Why? because he wrote poetry. Are you on board with this?
Until enough people see clearly and quit making excuses for that which cannot be excused, it will go on. I am deeply ashamed and disgusted by my fellow citizens, especially those who bitterly claimed it was a horrible injustice to torture and detain people when Bush was doing it, but who can’t wait now to elect their own man who does these things and worse. I don’t even know who could change their mind about such a deep and important issue. I see only people who love power, who want to “win” an election.
What we need instead is people who want to end the cycle of lawlessness, who want to win justice, who want to have a world where this nation stops engaging in enormous crimes that any thinking, feeling person would find reprehensible.
Bruce:
didnt I read somewhere that one of those poor released detainees was involved in the killing of the Ambassador and his guards?
Paulo 1, September 20, 2012 at 9:54 am
Obama is just the “Cover page”. We all know those politics are implemented by an agenda and it doesn’t belong to Obama, Bush, or any other. They are just the guys who show themselves up to the public to take the blame. We should learn to address the real names who are behind the scenes.
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Well said.
Some call them the 1% who own Highway 61 ….
No one commented on it yesterday when I used it in this comment on JT blawg.
Some folks here don’t like science friction it would seem.
Anyway, kudos to JT for turning on the lights. 😉
Bruce, “what do we do with them?”
That which the rule of law, and international law, dictates that we do with them: Free them from unlawful restraint imposed by a government that obviously can prove no crime alleged against them.
Is it good for the world? Who knows, ultimately, what the future holds. But is it good for our democracy and the international community’s ability to make and honor treaties and agreements entered into to promote peace and security world-wide? Definitely yes and no part of that YES is difficult to understand.
“Who might “the real names” be?” (mespo)
come on … don’t mess up a good conspiracy theory
Bruce asked the $64,000 question. I don’t know the answer.
This affront to civil liberties continues as long as we allow it. What to do? See ReviveOurConstitution.com.
Paulo:
Who might “the real names” be?
Paulo,
YES!!
I agree 100% with what Paulo has stated, however, as true as that is, that does not in any way alleviate Obama, Bush, nor any other from their crimes and responsibility in all this. One simply is not excused because they allow one or more others to ‘pull their strings’. In the most simple of terms, the aforementioned names are all guilty of numerous horrendous crimes!
Most Gitmo releases return to the battlefield. That’s why it’s still being used. So what do you do with them?
This is a seriously embarrassing beyond belief.
Obama is just the “Cover page”. We all know those politics are implemented by an agenda and it doesn’t belong to Obama, Bush, or any other. They are just the guys who show themselves up to the public to take the blame. We should learn to address the real names who are behind the scenes.