About the Author
The Author
Andrew Heyman lives and works in Seattle Washington USA. His true vocation is political writing and agitating for the radical idea that a society that is governed by, and serves the needs of the people is best.
Andrew is also the member of a wonderful family with his loving wife, Pam, and the proud father of 2 wonderful children, Josie and Adam. They all keep him from becoming immersed in blogging to an unhealthy degree, and remind him of why he cares about what is going on in this world in the first place.
You can email him at kiacyclic-AT-gmail.com.
GITMO & Torture: Still More Important that Clinton/Obama Horserace Politics
While the media and the "punditsphere" want only to talk about the primary results in Oregon and Kentucky, and if Obama has won the nomination for the Democratic Party; we shouldn't forget that what is at stake in this election.
So let's pay attention to little matters like a former prisoner of the US who testified before Congress yesterday that he was tortured while staying at our "black site" resorts like Guantanamo Bay:
Murat Kurnaz told members of Congress today he was subjected to "water treatment," electric shocks and other abuse during the almost five years he spent in U.S. custody, putting a face to the Justice Department's inspector general report released today, detailing abuses witnessed by FBI agents overseas at detention facilities run by the military and CIA.
. . .
"They stuck my head into a bucket of water and punched me in the stomach," he said. "I inhaled the water. ... It was a strong punch."
Kurnaz testified that, although he had no links to al Qaeda, and German intelligence services told U.S. officials in 2002 that he was not a terrorist, he languished at Guantanamo until August 2006.
Now it is not like the Bush administration doesn't care (about covering its own ass). The Secretary of Defense yesterday outlined the soul-searching problems of closing down the infamous American gulag:
Mr Gates told a US Senate hearing: "The brutally frank answer is that we're stuck. We have a serious 'not in my backyard' problem.
"Either their home government won't accept them or we're concerned that the home government will let them loose once we return them home," he said.
"What do you do with that irreducible 70 or 80 who you cannot let loose but will not be charged and will not be sent home?" he asked.
First of all, maybe you mindless sadists should have thought of this stuff before holding them for 6+ years (and torturing them).
Second what should you do? Maybe contact the Hague International Criminal Court, ask for help as you throw yourselves on their mercy for your crimes. I'm not holding my breath on that one. Bush is after all a warcrime wartime president, as we are increasingly a country of endless war.