Saying "Yes" to Torture?

A recenty documentary on the History Channel detailed the final days of the German Army near the end of World War II. The ragged remains of the German Ninth and Twelfth armies were caught outside Berlin along the Oder River. On the west bank of the river stood the American Army, and approaching from the east came the Red Army of Russia. The German commander, defying orders from Hitler to try to save Berlin, steered his troops to the river hoping to surrender to the Americans. The Red Army, undisciplined and seeking revenge for recent German atrocities against their citizens, had been raping and pillaging their way through the countryside, and the German commander knew that the Americans would care for his wounded and treat the captives with justice.

How sad to view this documentary with the knowledge that President Bush and his hapless, morally confused administration have destroyed our reputation for the just and benevolent treatment of military prisoners. Congress is currently trying to pass legislation to bind the executive branch to laws and treaties our nation has long embraced, prohibiting prisoner mistreatment and abuse, but President Bush is threatening his first-ever veto. He wants to retain the right to torture. For this, Bush reveals himself as an utter disgrace.

We condemn Saddam for his crimes against humanity, and yet what greater crime exists against humanity than the mistreatment and torture of untried prisoners kept indefinitely without any meaningful recourse? Our justice system, the backbone of our democracy, rests on the premise "innocent until proven guilty." But if we are so eager to spread democracy to others, we are obliged to spread it without betraying this premise. By assuming the guilt of prisoners, we make a mockery of our history and start down the path of our most reviled enemies.

Keeping in mind the sacrifices of generations of American servicemen, many of whom were vitally aided by "quaint" treaties like the Geneva Convention, the actions, policies and attitudes of our so-called leaders are an embarrassment, and go against the core values of our great nation. Such leaders make grandiose statements about their virtues, but their actions reveal the truth--they are hypocrites, deserving neither our votes nor our support, only our scorn.