Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Lies, Torture, & Another Editorial from Slate

Well, I'm certainly not surprised in the least. Listening to the former president at press conferences emphatically and repeatedly declare that, "America does not torture" never convinced me for a second. Now the truth comes out and we know Bush lied to us about that just like he lied to us about weapons of mass destruction and whatever else. I expected it and I'm not at all surprised.

What really angers me is that (at least from what I can tell of press coverage) nobody is all that upset or angry about it. I'm not in the US right now, so I can't say for certain, but press coverage makes it evident that nobody cares. As far as I can tell Americans are busy watching the market and financial sector news with rapt attention while one of their nation's greatest moral failings in a generation gets less consideration than whatever brand of toilet paper they bought at Sam's Club.

It saddens me that people are more apt to remember Bill Clinton's famous lie, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." One person's sleazy character and the resulting drama it created seems etched into the collective consciousness of every American. Yet lies and secrets about a hideous savagery that destroyed ANY moral high ground the US may have had in the war on terror will probably be forgotten with news of the next, latest bank or auto sector bailout.

Anyways, like the writer of this editorial, I certainly hope whatever figures at the CIA are brought to justice and quickly prosecuted for the crimes they committed. My expectations are quite a bit lower, however.

A "Beacon Light" Into Black Sites: Our answer to secret torture prisons ought to be the rule of law. by Anne Applebaum

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