It's Official

When the Bush administration starts admitting it's torture, then it's most definitely torture. The senior Pentagon official in the Bush administration, Susan Crawford, says that the US government's treatment of Mohammed al-Qahtani "met the legal definition of torture." It's a very interesting article, I recommend reading it.

And speaking of recommended reading, I got The Dark Side for Christmas (I love my parents) and it is an amazingly detailed, thorough, and well-written account of the legal and political wranglings behind the United States' decisions to use "enhanced interrogation techniques", perform extraordinary renditions, and operate "black sites" around the world where prisoners are tortured. It's chilling and disheartening, but it's a story that needs to be told. One thing that I found really interesting was the behind-the-scenes look at exactly how Dick Cheney managed to be the most powerful vice president in American history, and how he and his staff were able to prevent any meaningful discussion of our morally dubious methods to combat terrorism even within the Bush cabinet.

I strongly hope that with a new administration we, the American people, can turn a new chapter in our history. Or rather, that we can turn back to the chapter we used to be on; you know, the one about being a moral beacon for the world, liberty and equality for all, etc. It's going to take a lot of work, and I hope you all are committed to doing something, no matter how small, to help out.

America's Use of Torture in the War on Terror

Thanks everybody for the great turnout, we had a lot of people and some thought-provoking discussion! I've posted a little embedded version of the powerpoint presentation I put together for it, so you can click through it right here:



Here on the blog is a great place to share that last thought you didn't have time to say at the meeting, a rebuttal to my horrible arguments, a dissertation on the moral/philosophical issues involved, or a link to a good resource. Just click on the link below to leave a comment and join in the discussion. Please respond to one or more of the following:
Do you feel that the interrogation techniques we're employing in the war on terror are torture? Which ones?
Do you think we are justified in our actions towards the prisoners we've captured?
What would you like to see BYU Amnesty do this semester to help promote dialogue, awareness, and understanding of this human rights issue?