Letter to the Editor

From Jerry Giorgi

Dear Editor,

I was 10 years old when WWII started, and I can still remember the
fear I had about the uncertainties for the future of our country. It was comforting in knowing our cause was just, and that right was on our side.
We were truly fighting for the survival our nation, and freedom loving people throughout the world 62 years later, and again, I am afraid for our country; however, the fear that I have now is quite different than I had in 1941; back then I feared another nation could change our way of life. Today it's not a foreign power, but our leaders, that I fear.

I remember the newsreels showing scenes of individuals being tortured by the Nazis and Japanese, and we all prayed to God that it would not happen to any of our fighting men and women. We abided by the rules and were shocked to see such inhuman acts performed by our enemies. The torturing, of any individual, has always been against our beliefs of common decency as set forth in our Constitution. We should never destroy one of our most fundamental rights of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, habeas corpus, which requires, as written in the Magna Carta, of 1215 (entered into at Runnymede, and sometimes called the great writ of liberty) that "no free man shall be taken or imprisoned . . .except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."
We understood that sacrifices had to be made, and that lives would be lost to protect our freedom, and our Constitution; but never, give up our rights or the rights of others!
After 911, fear again has raised its ugly head, and our cherished principals are again in jeopardy. In the name of national security, we have sanctioned the torture of civilians and prisoners.
In my opinion, these acts, by our government, taken at Abu Ghraib Prison, and elsewhere, is indefensible. Attack dogs, electric shock, forced to gonaked, humiliation, and worse, is something that has jeopardized our moral standing in the world.

It has also been questioned about how high up these acts were condoned:
1. It seems that our President has known for more than two years that we may have violated federal and international law. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld personally approved a secret "special-access program" for incarceration, humiliation and violent interrogation. There are some who feel this is within our parameters in controlling terrorism . . .what is happening to us?
2. Trying to find loopholes to ignore the Geneva Convention.
3. Torture would seem to be acceptable as long as the President declares such prisoners as enemy combatants.
4. In January of 2002, as reported in Newsweek, a memo was
written by university professor, John Yoo, which laid out reasons why the United States didn't have to comply with international treaties governing prisoners of war. The Bush Administration agreed with that position despite protests from the State Department.
5. The Washington Post published a piece by Walter Pincus citing FBI and Justice Department investigators as saying that "traditional civil liberties may have to be cast aside."

Did our government directly order such treatment of prisoners? I don't know, if not directly, certainly by implication. No one, of sound mind, would condon what the criminals of this world are doing in Iraq, and elsewhere. Dismemberment and torture are commonplace with these criminals . . . these acts are despicable! However, our actions in the name of freedom should not put us in the same category as our enemies. Never should we lower our standards to those of international criminals. This sort of action goes against everything that we have all been taught since grammar school about our nation. I know that we would consider such conduct disgusting, and our government should set an example to the rest of the world, regardless of how legitimate the excuses may seem. In doing so, we will become a safer nation, regain the respect, and support, of our friends, and display a path of human dignity as a beacon for all to follow . . .then truly we will be promoting democracy. We have been given a great gift in this country; let's not lose it because of fear.
Jerry Giorgi

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