Opposed to Torture

From Jim Hunt:

As we are a democracy with a government "for, of and by the people",any morally wrong action by our government is as our own action unless we stand against it and struggle to change such action.

On January 6, 2005 White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez said "I share (Pres. Bush's) resolve that torture and abuse will not be tolerated by this administration." Yet, a month earlier on Dec. 1, 2004, U.S. government lawyers in Federal District Court argued that the government reserves the right to use information gleaned from interrogations of those it labels "enemy combatants" carried out by other governments, including those that employ torture to coerce confessions.

Since that time there have been revelations of citizens of various countries being kidnapped in the U.S. and in other countries by U.S. agents and being flown to countries such as Syria, Egypt or former Soviet states for extended interrogation under torture. Australia, Canada, Italy and Germany are among the countries protesting, indicting or suing U.S. officials for such actions against their citizens.

It is true that there is, today, less use of severe pain inducing torture. CIA experiments since 1950 have sown that information gathered from such torture is unreliable since victims will say anything to avoid further pain. However, since 1950 the CIA experiments with methods from LSD to sensory deprivation and sexual humiliation (studies which in the 50's reached a billion dollars per year) which are aimed at making the victims feel responsible for their own pain and suffering.

According to a study by Alfred McCoy, University of Wisconsin, author of Closer Than Brothers,
that while it appears less abusive than severe physical torture, the psychological paradigm causes deep psychological damage to both victim and interrogator who can become capable of unspeakable physical cruelties.

Dr. Steven Miks, professor of medicine and bioethics at the University of Minnesota, states that there are concerns even beyond the abuse suffered by prisoners and their torturers. "Precedent being one concern, if we do it and do not successfully challenge such action, a precedent is established which justifies similar activity in the future. Another concern is the concept of legitimacy; a world power does not simply have power, it has legitimacy. By behaving in these ways, we undermine our legitimacy as a world leader."

Questioned about why there has not been more protest from U.S. medical practitioners, Dr. Miks states that there is "a fear of our government, a fear that reveals the damage that a torturing society does to the sense of civil liberties. In Turkey, Egypt, Chile, South Africa, Cuba and the former Soviet Union (there are medical practitioners) who have assumed great risks to fight torture in their nations. Some have been jailed, tortured or had their children murdered. For most Americans, it takes little more than the courage to be inconvenienced to speak out against torture in the U.S."

Yet, there is little public outcry against these grisly policies and actions of our government. How is it that the same populace which expresses such anguish over the death of an heroic dog, or a comely princess, shows little interest or alarm about the above-described evil actions of its own government? Worse, a 2005 Pew Research poll found that U.S. Catholics had a percentage justifying U.S. torture higher than that of other christian denominations, and much higher than those who professed themselves "secular". On February 26, The Oregonian printed two columns of Opinion which observed and lamented the "take it for granted" attitude of the U.S. public about revelations of our government sponsored torture. As yet, little response to those columns. What does that say about us; what can/must we do?

First: Contact our Congressional delegation, tell them what we expect of them as they represent us in dealing with this travesty. Write letters to the editors, Finally, pray and promote within our faith communities seeking our FatherÕs Will Be Done On Earth As In Heaven.