"To Defend Freedom"
Stardate 4813.9
"To Defend Freedom" - written by Stokedsurfer
The last couple of days on CBC radio, there was a very interesting special report on Guantanamo Bay, called "Rules of the Game". A reporter went down there and interviewed several American troops and got a tour of the camp. Also interviewed was a former detainee of three years, and an American lawyer who represents many of the detainees.
According to President Bush the camp is used to detain suspected terrorists (the worst of the worst) and, based on the numbers of these evil inmates, it is a continuing victory on the war on terror.
His official stance on Guantanamo is that the prisoners have no legal rights there. Apparently the Iguanas running around in Cuba have more rights than the inmates do as there’s a fine for killing Iguanas whereas there seem to be no consequences for torturing and killing detainees. And torture and deaths do occur, inhumane treatment of the detainees seem to be commonplace there.
Listening to the former detainee and lawyer it becomes obvious that the camp is totally useless and probably illegal. The Lawyer wasn’t able to directly comment on his opinion of it’s legality however it seemed to be implied. Most of the inmates are totally innocent of any terrorism (I think they said only 5 people have been charged with anything). And why else would it be in Cuba? Because holding and torturing people with no evidence is obviously illegal and would not be tolerated in the US. It occurs to me that the only reason the facility exists is part of a flimsy justification for the war - Look how many terrorists we found. Hey American people, we must be winning! Now please provide more money and bodies to support this great achievement.
It’s very interesting listening to the troops there and it’s obvious that they have been totally brainwashed by Bush’s propaganda. A slogan heard all over Camp America (where all the troops live) is “On Abound” replied very honestly by “To Defend Freedom”. How can they actually believe they are defending freedom when they themselves are ruining the lives of the detainees and their families? Unfortunately many do believe it, and they all accept it. After all it is their job to be there. The Bush administration has successfully turned Muslims into these evil terrorist beings who may strike at any time. Be afraid. And support the war for freedom!
The illegal and inhumane behavior in Guantanamo Bay is no way for a free and just Country to act. It is an unnecessary lie used to support other atrocities conducted by the Bush Administration and should not be tolerated. It seems people are catching on, the American support for Bush is at a all time low. I just hope he doesn’t do anything worse in an attempt to bring his approval rating up again.
"To Defend Freedom" - written by Stokedsurfer
The last couple of days on CBC radio, there was a very interesting special report on Guantanamo Bay, called "Rules of the Game". A reporter went down there and interviewed several American troops and got a tour of the camp. Also interviewed was a former detainee of three years, and an American lawyer who represents many of the detainees.
According to President Bush the camp is used to detain suspected terrorists (the worst of the worst) and, based on the numbers of these evil inmates, it is a continuing victory on the war on terror.
His official stance on Guantanamo is that the prisoners have no legal rights there. Apparently the Iguanas running around in Cuba have more rights than the inmates do as there’s a fine for killing Iguanas whereas there seem to be no consequences for torturing and killing detainees. And torture and deaths do occur, inhumane treatment of the detainees seem to be commonplace there.
Listening to the former detainee and lawyer it becomes obvious that the camp is totally useless and probably illegal. The Lawyer wasn’t able to directly comment on his opinion of it’s legality however it seemed to be implied. Most of the inmates are totally innocent of any terrorism (I think they said only 5 people have been charged with anything). And why else would it be in Cuba? Because holding and torturing people with no evidence is obviously illegal and would not be tolerated in the US. It occurs to me that the only reason the facility exists is part of a flimsy justification for the war - Look how many terrorists we found. Hey American people, we must be winning! Now please provide more money and bodies to support this great achievement.It’s very interesting listening to the troops there and it’s obvious that they have been totally brainwashed by Bush’s propaganda. A slogan heard all over Camp America (where all the troops live) is “On Abound” replied very honestly by “To Defend Freedom”. How can they actually believe they are defending freedom when they themselves are ruining the lives of the detainees and their families? Unfortunately many do believe it, and they all accept it. After all it is their job to be there. The Bush administration has successfully turned Muslims into these evil terrorist beings who may strike at any time. Be afraid. And support the war for freedom!
The illegal and inhumane behavior in Guantanamo Bay is no way for a free and just Country to act. It is an unnecessary lie used to support other atrocities conducted by the Bush Administration and should not be tolerated. It seems people are catching on, the American support for Bush is at a all time low. I just hope he doesn’t do anything worse in an attempt to bring his approval rating up again.
Stokedsurfer is a friend and frequent contributer of comments on my site. I am very pleased he has taken the time to write his thoughts on one of the biggest issues facing our world today. Hopefully, I can convince him to continue to contribute occasional articles!
Please feel free to read the article on the CBC Ideas web site as well!
posted by Zaphod at 11:00 AM
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