2004-05-19
To Know, Or Not To
Know—Just Go!
An Open Letter To Donald Rumsfeld
by: Jack Dalton
Well, I hear you are really getting frustrated by the Senate’s
investigation into the horrific events at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. I also
hear you are starting to really lash out at people because of this as well. If
you would just quit you would no longer have to put up with it. That would also
make a lot us out here very happy to say the least.
You can get as frustrated or as indignant as you want, but not only
should this investigation continue, it should be taken out of the hands of the
Senate and conducted by an independent investigative body. The republican
controlled senate has become to much of a cheerleading squad of yours, and to
dismissive of what has taken place at Abu Ghraib, to conduct a thorough
investigation that ends up where it ends up, wherever and with whom
ever—investigation, not pseudo-apologetics (still the same oops, didn’t know,
sorry, we’re good, get over it, we’re good, move on, we’re good, end of story,
see how good we are?).
Under the circumstances the best thing you can do is to just simply
quit, retire, whatever, just give up your position!
You sir, have been aware of not only what has been taking place at Abu
Ghraib prison but also in Afghanistan from the very beginning of that invasion.
That includes the “buried” reports of the murders in Afghanistan of people that
were locked up in large metal shipping containers; that includes the 3,000
Afghan POW’s that were mass murdered while U.S. special forces looked on and
then helped to quickly bury the bodies in a ditch in an attempt to “cover” the
whole thing up (they used bulldozers to push the bodies in the ditches to bury
them…history does like to repeat itself).
No Donald, get as angry as you want but that will not change that not
only should you be fired but should also be tried for war crimes, crimes
against humanity. Your attempt to convince us that you had no knowledge of
these events, or that you did not issue any orders, of any kind, relative to
“interrogation” of “detainees” are not only unbelievable, but are ludicrous.
Two years ago you and Bush declared that the Geneva Convention does not apply
to detainees, Gonzales, the chief White House legal beagle sent out a memo
stating that all of you in the administration could possibly be prosecuted for
war crimes, so do not tell us you did not know. You lie!
You can deny knowledge all you want but you are not believed—you have
no credibility. But for the sake of argument let’s assume you did not know the
details of what was taking place—if for nothing else, you should be fired for
not knowing what your subordinates were up to. It was your job to know!
Since day one you have been the driving force behind the push to
“re-create” the Department of Defense (although the name should be changed to
what it was once, the Department of War), the Pentagon and the Military across
the board. Included in that was the creation of the Defense Policy Board and
the “Special Access Program” which became synonymous with torture. Doug Feith,
Steven Cambone, Paul Wolfowitz are as guilty as you what you are for what has
transpired as they are the ones that formed and outlined the procedures to be
used in the policies that you directed to be instituted.
For you now to attempt to deny knowledge after attempting to cover it
all up going back to last year is an obscenity. Go away! Quit! Ride off into
the setting sun; you have damaged this country and the rest of the world enough
with your mindlessness and perpetual war.
Dick Cheney can make all the stump speeches he wants hyping how good
you are at your job but he is as guilty as you. After all it is he and
Wolfowitz that were the “brains” behind this entire mess to begin with.
Since day one, you, like your boss King George, have been telling us
all too just shut up, leave you alone, get out of the way and let you do your
job. You, like your boss believe you don’t “have to explain…anyone.” The problem
with that is that regardless of you not wanting any oversight on anything you
do, we out here in the general public want to not only know what you are doing,
but where and why as well. If that upsets your plans, tough, too bad, I
couldn't care less!
You might be temporarily in charge but that does not make you a
leader. You don’t lead you cajole, threaten, intimidate, manipulate, lie,
deceive, extort and all the other things that are typical of someone in charge
of a criminal enterprise.
Where does that leave us? Right here: If you knew, you should be tried
as a war criminal. If you didn’t know, you should be tried as a war criminal.
Those things you set in motion have caused the deaths of thousands as well as
abuse, torture and murder of countless others. You are no less a war criminal
than those that were convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the
conclusion of WWll because of, and as a result of the policies that they had
set in motion that resulted in the slaughter of millions of innocents. War
crimes are war crimes whether against one or a million.
Calling yourself a “good” guy does make you one of the “good” guys
regardless of what you, Bush or President Cheney may think (assuming you three
even think).
Leave! Go Away! We do not want or need you to damage this country any
more than what you already have!