A matter of honor

I always said that in a fight, is better losing the argument than losing yourself. Quarrels are based on defending a position we think is morally superior to that of our opponent. In the case of wars, we have to add to the balance a few deaths. It is here, when people start to die, when having the moral superiority and the right on our side turns out to be fundamental.

If we punish a murderer by killing him, a robbery by cutting the hands of the robber or adultery by stoning to death, where does that leave us? Definitely not in a better position that those we pretend to judge. And losing the moral battle, takes away from us the capacity to judge them.

That’s why knowing the limits and not trespassing them is so important. And it is quite clear that the United States did so with torture. For many Americans, it was a shock to watch on TV Abu Ghraib images. If we were the good ones, why were we acting as the bad ones?

The Bush Administration tried to bury it by blaming a few guys, but the second episode of this horror movie goes through Cuba. And even after admitting what it was being done there, they refused to close it down.

Now, with Obama determined to stop that insanity -despite the problems some inmates can cause, like the Yemenis- it will be a matter of time for the American honor to be restored. In order to regain the superior moral position, it’s only left to criticize torture and send to court those responsible for it.

Or maybe not? According to Obama, it is not necessary to prosecute the culprits. The past is past, and better ”look forward”. Really?

Let me get it right. So, a bank robber is not forgiven six months after he steals the money. Neither is a murderer. Not even an average Joe who downloads illegally a song from the Internet. But the ones behind Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo will be walking free on our streets? I don’t get it.

Condemn the torture is good, but it is only the first step. As an alcoholic, American government has identified what’s wrong; now it is time to act and prosecute the culprits. Not doing anything undermines American’s authority (if they ever really had it) to act as the world police and defender of freedom and democracy that has been for the last half a century.

But apparently Obama is serious about this. For now, he had already freed CIA agents from any responsibility, as they acted obeying orders. They will be luckier than their Army counterparts. But Obama hasn’t said anything about officials from Bush Administration. In the case of them, the President is passing the buck to Eric Holder, Attorney General. Holder will be who will decide if prosecute them or not.

Maybe because of that Dick Cheney was so nervous when he knew Obama had authorized -or to be precisely, he didn’t do anything to unauthorized- the publication of four memos that were the base to the legal framework that allowed waterboarding, sensorial privation, the use of attack dogs and other “limit interrogatories” (sic) techniques.

Calling waterboarding a “limit interrogatories” -Dick’s words- technique and denying it is torture is an exercise of bad taste. Especially for Yukio Asano, a Japanese official who had to serve 15 years of hard work after II World War. His offense? To practice waterboarding with an American captive.

But not only that. Apart from what is or isn’t torture for Cheney -who apparently doesn’t have a clear picture of that, it may be the aging- what disturbs more the ex vicepresident is not the publication of the memos. Nope. It is that the information obtained after those interrogations is not released together with the memos.

In a very maquiavelic move, Cheney seems to argue that the aim justifies the means. Maybe that’s why the alleged brain behind 9/11, Jalid Sheij Mohamed, was waterboarded 183 times. Abu Zubaide, supposedly an Al Qaeda member, was lucky: only 83 times.

The New York Times has also another 232 pages document, elaborated by the Armed Services Committee, that points out another heavy weight inside Bush Administration, the former Pentagon Chief Donald Rumsfeld. It also appears (again) the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Rescue and Escape), a USAF training for their pilots to resist after being captured and tortured by the enemy.

Only that this time, the enemy of freedom and democracy was the United States.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS. Guantanamo as a night reading for kids before sleeping.



Photo: Griston.
.