2004-05-19
America’s
Heart of Darkness
by: Jack Dalton
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does
not become a monster.” - Nietzsche
The reports of torture and murder at Abu Ghraib prison fill me with
disgust and outrage. At the same time, I am not shocked. This really does not
surprise me as the abuse and torturing of those in U.S. custody whether in Iraq or the U.S. prison
system, is as American as apple pie.
Not only is “it”, the “it” being abuse and torture used but, as a
method of interrogation it is a matter of policy
that goes back to the so-called “cold war” days and has been both covert and
overt. There is a huge amount of information in the public domain to support
this, for those that care enough to look. I warn you though, it is not easy or
pleasant reading—it never is when you discover that your country has become the
“monster” it historically has labeled others—China, Russia, just to mention two
(although, who can forget Reagan rolling out the tanks in preparation for his
anticipated “invasion” by Nicaragua in the early 80’s). I grew up living under
desks at school in the late 40’s and thru the 50’s because of all the hype
about these people wanting to drop bombs on us for no other reason than because
of who we are (sound familiar?). But I digress, so onward.
Whenever the “black ops” like at Abu Ghraib are exposed, the lower
ranks, the hands on “doers” get hung out to dry as if what was done was totally
at those individuals discretion. At the same time, the planners, those that
formulated the policy and otherwise created the environment for this have their
escape route; more commonly know as “plausible deniability” only this time they are
busted!
Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Cambone,
Richard Myers—they set the tone; created the “Special Access Program”
that was used Abu Ghraib; they created the policy and sanctioned the methods
used thru their words, actions, and non-actions; they are the ones that stated
“grab whom you must, do what you want;” they were the one’s that referred to
Iraq as a “swamp” that must be drained to get rid of the “snakes” in an
“un-civilized” part of the world; they were the one’s that kept visions of the
“evil, demented, murderous haters of freedom” dancing like sugar plum fairies
in people’s minds. The list of the terms used by them to create negative
psychological metaphors relative to the Iraqi people is almost endless—how to
demonize an entire nation of people in one easy lesson, just listen to anyone
within the Bush cabal! “We have been called to spread freedom and democracy
around the world,” Bush tells all—while Rummy’s rat pack tortures and murders
the very people that they profess to be “liberating.” Is there something wrong
with this picture? Sure seems that way to me.
Locking people up, and then brutalizing and torturing them with a flippant,
“if they hadn’t done something wrong they wouldn’t be there (prison) in the
first place…they are only getting what they deserve,” is an American national
pastime. Just a cursory look at the U.S. prison system supports this (3). For
crying out loud, this nation locks up more of it’s citizens than any western
industrialized country on planet earth on a per capita basis—over 2 million to
date. If this country is producing this many criminals there is something
drastically wrong with the system—if it does not produce this many criminals,
there is even something worse taking place within the country—which is it, or
is it a combination of both (which is what I lean toward). Either way, there is
something very wrong here, as this country has fallen in love with locking
people out of sight out of mind.
What does this have to do with what is unfolding in Iraq at Abu
Ghraib? Everything. More than one of those involved in the actual physical
torture had been employed within the U.S. prison system as a guard; that was
their initial training—there is something real wrong and it goes well beyond
just the individuals involved with this horrific event and their acts
brutality. This goes to the very core of what we profess to be our “values” as
a nation, a nation that professes to protect human rights. Unfortunately the
words of our mouth and the “words” our actions say two vastly different things.
We can pontificate about human rights all we want, but our actions as a nation
do not support that.
Based on the brutality that runs rampant within the U.S. prison system
against U.S. citizens, does anyone really believe that people in U.S. custody
in the middle of a shoot- em-up bang-bang will be treated humanely? This
country loves to lock people up and then allow them to be subjected to
brutality. Not being satisfied with
that, we set up schools to teach others how to do the very same thing. The “School of the Americas” located at Ft.
Benning, Ga., is just such a place.
Everything that has been done at
Abu Ghraib prison is taught to those that attend the “school” although
“School of the Assassins” is a much more appropriate name. As a matter of fact,
John Negroponte, the newly appointed Ambassadors to Iraq, counts as a close
personal friend, Gen. Gustavo Alverez Martinez, a “graduate” of the School of
the Assassins, and the head of the infamous Battalion 316 in Nicaragua during
the 80’s which was responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of murders
during and under John Negropontes
watch from 1981-1985. Real good man to send to Iraq isn’t he? Negroponte
used his power of office to do everything he could to cover all that up (5).
“Do what you want, just don’t let me know because then I would have to
assume responsibility” Rumsfeld, can surround himself with as many cheerleaders
as he can gather, but that will not change that not only should he be fired,
but should stand trial as the war criminal (along with a few others) that he
is.
“The world knows that what happened at Abu Ghraib prison is not what
America is about,” Rumsfeld pontificates. “The people of the world know us and
understand our values,” he further states. Yes Donald, the world does know us;
they see our “values.” You can see their understanding in the tremendous
increase of anti-American sentiment that has taken place over the past three
years. You and the rest of the Bush Brainless Bunch have accomplished a lot in
just three years.
I can remember that once upon a time I used to get really upset when I
heard folks outside the U.S. bad-mouth us—not any longer. Now I listen to what
they say and then check a little closer to see if there is justification for
their sentiments instead of dismissing them out of hand like I use to. I now
sadly find myself in agreement much more than disagreement and that really
bothers me—we have truly become the evil empire that we once accused others of
being.
Much has been written, many speeches have been given expressing
“outrage” over the torture and murder that has taken place at Abu Ghraib. The
attempted “softening” of this outrage by referring to it merely as “abuse,” and
the attempts at down playing it as an isolated incident with just a small
number of individuals responsible is outrageous to say the least. What happened
at Abu Ghraib was a matter of policy, pure and simple. Rumsfeld signed off on a
“Special Access Program” that was developed in large part by the Assistant Sec.
of Defense for Intelligence, Carbone, over a year ago. It was first employed
in Afghanistan and then employed in Iraq after the invasion started. The
rules for this SAP were very simple; “Grab whom you must, do what you want.”
Come on Rummy; tell us again about American values.
These types of “programs” have been a mainstay of this country dating
back to the start of the so-called “cold war.” Operation Phoenix in Vietnam,
essentially the same thing, tallied up 50,000 dead “enemies” mostly thru
assassinations. Mai Lai also had similarities—it’s U.S. policy and always has
been. Iran/Contra should have ended these types of covert actions, but didn’t.
Instead, Iran/Contra got the U.S. tried and found guilty of “state sponsored
terrorism” by the World
Court, which only tries nations and not individuals. Bush has brought
virtually all of those that were involved with Iran/Contra back into the upper
levels of the body governance. Yep, the world knows are values alright, and it
knows them better than we do. That is why we are now looked upon as the single
greatest threat to world peace and security there is. Come on Bush, Rummy and
the rest of the marvelous mob; tell us all how “good” we are again.
We are so “good” Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the commanding officer at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was sent to Iraq to “Gitmoize” the prison system in Iraq.
It just boggles the mind that no matter how much things change they seem to
remain the same.
Watching the Senate hearings and testimony over the Abu Ghraib torture
scandal, a statement by Senator James Inhofe (R-Ok) is one of the most mindless
statements I’ve heard any one make so far: “I have to say when we talk about
the treatment of these prisoners that I would guess that these prisoners wake
up every morning thanking Allah that Saddam Hussein is not in charge of these
prisons…you know, they’re not there for traffic violations…if they’re in cell
block 1A or 1B, these prisoners—they’re murderers; they’re terrorists; they’re
insurgents. Many of them probably have American blood on their hands (so much
for innocent till proven guilty and the “rule of law”). And here we’re so
concerned about the treatment of those individuals. I am also outraged that we
have so many humanitarian do-gooders right now crawling around those prisons
looking for human rights violations, while our troops, our heros, are fighting
and dying.” “We have to remember the context in which this has happened, we are
in a war and need to get information to protect us.”
In those few words, Inhofe took what may or may not have been left of
our national honor, ethics, integrity and so-called “values” and killed them
dead!...someone please blow taps, there is a funeral in progress…my country’s
collective soul is being laid to rest…a moment of silence please. The really
bad part of this is that Inhofe is not alone in those sentiments. Not in
congress, not on the streets of America…and that is the hardest thing for me to
wrap my mind around…we have a lot of ruthless animals posing as humans in this
country. “They do it to us;” “They’re only getting what they deserve;” “Why
must we be held to higher standards than they are;” “This is war, remember;”
“What about the Americans they killed;” “They wouldn’t be in there if they
hadn’t done something wrong.” Words from some of my fellow “citizens.” Nope,
the events at Abu Ghraib go much, much, much deeper than just a few
individuals; it goes to the very heart of this country’s collective soul. “Just
because Billy jumped off the bridge does that mean you have to?” Anyone
remember that when growing up? Anyone remember being taught as a youngster that
the means never justify the end? Seems to me that something got seriously lost
in the past few years here in the good old U.S. of A.
So, Rummy’s Raiders can lock up anyone and everyone they want, but
that will not have any effect on the problem; which is a national head and
heart problem when it comes to those that this country incarcerates. Whether in
Iraq, Cuba or here, incarceration and brutalizing those incarcerated has been
institutionalized by the U.S.
It also doesn’t seem to matter very much that the overwhelming
majority of those Iraqi’s being held in U.S. custody were/are guilty of nothing
more than breathing. According to the International
Red Cross (one of those do-gooders Inhofe’s upset with) up to 90% of those
Iraqi’s held by the U.S. were rounded up by U.S. forces during general sweeps,
with others being arbitrarily jerked out of their homes in the middle of the
night, also during “sweeps.” There is a lot of us that were in Vietnam that are
very familiar with “sweeps” and detentions…there are more similarities between
Vietnam and Iraq than what most want to admit, but they are there none the
less…but that’s for another time.
Just try to picture this: It’s the middle of the night, you’re at home
in bed asleep; you wake with a start by a crash bang; you stare at the 900
pound gorilla at the foot of your bed; the next thing you know you are in the
same prison that people disappeared in under Saddam Hussein. According to
Senator Inhofe, you are now suppose to be grateful that Saddam is not running
the show but you can’t seem to think of anything but the electric charge that
has just made you scream as it ran across your groin. Tomorrow you won’t scream
as someone just broke your jaw because you wouldn’t shut up. In the distance
you hear a radio and on it is Bush telling the world about American values, at
least that’s what you heard just before passing out. “What’s the matter with
those people, don’t they know how good we are,” then lights out.
Once upon a time this country had some semblance of “moral” high
ground. Not any longer. Whatever moral high ground we may have had at one time
is now gone—and we have the Bush cabal to thank for finishing it off. No way
can we claim any “high ground” moral or other wise, not with the
extensive use of mercenaries, or “civilian contractors” as they are
euphemistically called.
“We have been called to spread freedom and democracy around the
world,” and we’ll do that by any means we choose. We’ll invade your country;
we’ll mass arrest and imprison your citizens; we’ll torture whomever we please;
if we get caught, we’ll apologize and punish a few individuals to show the
world how “good” we are; we will “explain” how those few do not represent
America or it’s values. And then we’ll do it some more.
As I conclude this, I have in front of me an article about Guantanamo
Bay. It seems as though the abuse and torture of those
being held there has also been caught on film. There is no doubt in my mind
that abuse and torture of people in U.S. custody, regardless of where, is most
assuredly institutionalized. I know what I want my country to be in fact and
that does not include being the “terror” of the planet as it has become. This
country had the potential to really be what it aspired to be and what the world
was awaiting—a world leader with the rights of man first and foremost in mind
and heart. A stabilizing force in the world that would have benefited all man
kind and would still had room for the rich to get rich. This country really
could have lead the world to greatness and from all that I’ve ever read, the
world, in general, would have embraced this. Unfortunately a succession of
recent self-serving opportunistic, megalomaniacal religious zealots captured
the governing body of this country and did not just squander, but finished off
the chance this country had to, as the Army puts it, “be all you can be.” From
Ronald Reagan to G.W.Bush…I think I’ll just end this right here and have a good
cry as it breaks my heart to see what my country has done and has become in the
process…the monster it said it was fighting.