Baltimore IMC : http://www.baltimoreimc.org
Commentary :: Civil & Human Rights : Crime & Police : Military : Miscellaneous : U.S. Government : War in Iraq
Slippery Slope of Torture: We're on it
Author
Date Created
- 23 Dec 2004
Date Edited
- 23 Dec 2004 06:55:09 PM
License
This work is in the public domain.
It is easy to write-off the FBI as a monolithic, faceless entity; however, the memos recently exposed by the ACLU reveal a human face trying to deal with the line between "abuse" and "abuse." It seems clear that a Presidential Executive Order has placed our Nation on the slippery slope to a very dark world. Don't believe the mainstream media stories that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is to blame. The blame goes all the way to the top.
.
Crossing the Line
Memos from FBI agents in Iraq make it clear that the Bush administration has officially crossed a line regarding torture. In a May 2004 memo, an FBI agent assigned to Iraq seeks clarification on the definition of "abuse." The FBI knows where the line stands for FBI interrogation methods, and knows that military interrogation techniqes authorized by President Bush are on the other side of that line. According to an internal FBI memo obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, "We have also instructed our personnel not to participate in interrogations by military personnel which might include techinques authorized by [Presidential] Executive Order but beyond the bounds of standard FBI practice."
He continues, "While our personnel did not participate in these interrogations, they heard/saw indications that such interrogations were underway." The agent quotes a document from the FBI Office of General Councel (OGC) instructing the agents in Iraq as follows: "If an FBI-employee knows or susptects non-FBI personnel have abused or are abusing or mistreating a detainee, the FBI employee must report the incident." Herein lies the dilemma for the FBI employee, in his own words, "This instruction begs the question of what constitutes "abuse." He knows the military is on the other side of the a clear line, but then things get fuzzy.
It is true that US personnel have committed torture for years. However, the new official US policy puts us on a slippery slope, which is reflected by the inability of FBI agents to know what is and is not abuse. It is important to keep in mind that President Bush is to blame for this situation; we cannot allow Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to become a fall-guy in a way that would let Bush off the hook.
Beginning of the End for Bush?
It is significant that on December 23, 2004, in an editorial entitled "War Crimes," the Washington Post said it does not believe the Bush administration "cover story" (read "cover-up"). According to the Post, that cover story is "that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held."
In no uncertain terms, the Post concludes, "The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false." However, the Post stops short of fingering President Bush, by refering to "the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."
Despite the focus on Rumsfeld, the FBI memos make it clear that the presidential Executive Order provides the authorization that has led to the use of torture in military interrogations. According to one of the the FBI memos, the use of "MWD (military work dogs)" was one of the interrogation techniques authorized by the Executive Order signed by President Bush.
The Post fingers General Geoffry D. Miller, who was central to establishing the Guantanamo toruture practices, and transferring the practices to Iraq. The Post writes, "Gen. Miller has testified under oath that dogs were never used in Guantanamo to intimidate detainees, ... the FBI papers show otherwise." Busted?
Who Will Take Responsibility? Maybe the Mainstream Media
Perhaps the Washington Post is finally waking up to the reality we have all observed; the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch are all "abdicating [their] responsibility under Republican leadership". Perhaps the Post will do the job of the so-called "fourth branch," that is, the press. The Post still needs to say clearly that responsibility for this matter lies with President Bush, who signed the Executive Order. Until the Post speaks clearly on this, they are still falling short of their responsibility. Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with the general public, the "self-governed."
FBI Memos
GENERAL LINK:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/fbi.html
Memo Cited in this Article:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/FBI.121504.4940_4941.pdf
.
Crossing the Line
Memos from FBI agents in Iraq make it clear that the Bush administration has officially crossed a line regarding torture. In a May 2004 memo, an FBI agent assigned to Iraq seeks clarification on the definition of "abuse." The FBI knows where the line stands for FBI interrogation methods, and knows that military interrogation techniqes authorized by President Bush are on the other side of that line. According to an internal FBI memo obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, "We have also instructed our personnel not to participate in interrogations by military personnel which might include techinques authorized by [Presidential] Executive Order but beyond the bounds of standard FBI practice."
He continues, "While our personnel did not participate in these interrogations, they heard/saw indications that such interrogations were underway." The agent quotes a document from the FBI Office of General Councel (OGC) instructing the agents in Iraq as follows: "If an FBI-employee knows or susptects non-FBI personnel have abused or are abusing or mistreating a detainee, the FBI employee must report the incident." Herein lies the dilemma for the FBI employee, in his own words, "This instruction begs the question of what constitutes "abuse." He knows the military is on the other side of the a clear line, but then things get fuzzy.
It is true that US personnel have committed torture for years. However, the new official US policy puts us on a slippery slope, which is reflected by the inability of FBI agents to know what is and is not abuse. It is important to keep in mind that President Bush is to blame for this situation; we cannot allow Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to become a fall-guy in a way that would let Bush off the hook.
Beginning of the End for Bush?
It is significant that on December 23, 2004, in an editorial entitled "War Crimes," the Washington Post said it does not believe the Bush administration "cover story" (read "cover-up"). According to the Post, that cover story is "that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held."
In no uncertain terms, the Post concludes, "The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false." However, the Post stops short of fingering President Bush, by refering to "the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."
Despite the focus on Rumsfeld, the FBI memos make it clear that the presidential Executive Order provides the authorization that has led to the use of torture in military interrogations. According to one of the the FBI memos, the use of "MWD (military work dogs)" was one of the interrogation techniques authorized by the Executive Order signed by President Bush.
The Post fingers General Geoffry D. Miller, who was central to establishing the Guantanamo toruture practices, and transferring the practices to Iraq. The Post writes, "Gen. Miller has testified under oath that dogs were never used in Guantanamo to intimidate detainees, ... the FBI papers show otherwise." Busted?
Who Will Take Responsibility? Maybe the Mainstream Media
Perhaps the Washington Post is finally waking up to the reality we have all observed; the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch are all "abdicating [their] responsibility under Republican leadership". Perhaps the Post will do the job of the so-called "fourth branch," that is, the press. The Post still needs to say clearly that responsibility for this matter lies with President Bush, who signed the Executive Order. Until the Post speaks clearly on this, they are still falling short of their responsibility. Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with the general public, the "self-governed."
FBI Memos
GENERAL LINK:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/fbi.html
Memo Cited in this Article:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/FBI.121504.4940_4941.pdf
.
Views
Information
Search
This site made manifest by dadaIMC software