Alan S Keller writes in the Letters to the NYT Editor:
There are other crucial voices missing from the torture debate, particularly those civilians who were arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned, tortured and then released months or years later without being charged. This happened in Afghanistan, Iraq (remember Abu Ghraib) as well as in Guantánamo and at C.I.A. black sites.
In the Physicians for Human Rights 2008 report "Broken Law, Broken Lives," my colleagues and I documented the profound physical and psychological suffering resulting from the torture and abuse of 12 people, all of whom were ultimately released without charges, but not before being subjected to beatings, sexual humiliation, sleep deprivation, death threats and extremes of heat and cold. In other words, they were tortured.
In several instances, health professionals were complicit. Then there are the voices of torture survivors, like my patients at the Bellevue-N.Y.U. Program for Survivors of Torture, subjected to brutalities in their home countries eerily similar to what we did. Their voices must be heard along with those of innocent civilians living under despot regimes who now face greater risk of torture because of our misguided policies.
There needs to be an independent and complete investigation.
Why is it that the GOP doesn't understand that there were innocent people swooped up in the process and were tortured mercilessly? This is the main reason why we shouldn't be torturing.
And those pictures that Obama has decided not to release because somehow they will "endanger our troops." How in the world will they endanger our troops? Thats the most pathetic argument I've ever heard. It's not like our opponent isn't already "motivated" enough and its not as if there isn't already any "advertisment for Anti-Americanism" in the first place. It's not the pictures, it's the torture itself that is the issue and the advertisement.
The whole argument seems pathetic and fishy to me. Plus Nancy Pelosi is a total tool. And it's pretty obvious she was lying about CIA lying. She'll only oppose torture when it's convenient. There is no doubt in that.
Seed Newsvine
