Storm the keep

Obama's recent decision to endorse indefinite detention without trial betrays the American people and alienates the states once again from much of the world community. Just as Obama seemed to be inspiring hope that a new dawn of American foreign policy was here that would help to wash and dress the wounds of the Bush administration's legacy and allow them to begin to heal, he granted immunity to those involved in torture from prosecution. And now he has followed this up with something far worse...although he has ordered that all American black sites including the Guantanamo black site be closed, advocating detention without trial is essentially a U-turn on what this represents. So, no black sites, just detention without trial? Really...we'll be waterboarding again soon.

Given how easily past presidents have been manipulated by America's corporate elite, think tanks, neo-cons, and the Washington consensus, could it be that Obama is towing the Republican line on certain issues? And isn't it far easier for a supposedly left-wing president of the people with vast popular support to push through unpopular policies which even the Republicans failed to pass?

Many people died for the rights that Obama is proposing to tear down. Rights which are protected by international law and the Geneva convention. Indefinite detention has been used in many countries around the world to disappear people by encouragement from the Chicago boys and the CIA as shown in CIA declassified documents. There is no reason why people in the US couldn't be disappeared in much the same way using these laws. And a key problem with never having a trial is that you never have to justify why you are locking somebody up...lets hope you don't make any mistakes, and lets hope you don't have any bad intentions, because we'll never know about it if you do.

One more thing...perhaps you feel you can trust Obama...that he speaks with compassion, that he speaks of equality and freedom...oh wait...hang on...

Since my elation at the election of Obama, I am becoming distrustful of him...let us hope that the age old adage of absolute power and corruption skips a president for once.

This is an excellent article about the use of interrogation techniques by the CIA and private sector contractors hired by the CIA: Pelosis loss, our gain

A couple of thoughts:
Many of todays references in the media seem to suggest that it is somehow better to have hired a private contractor to do your dirty work over whom you claim to have had no control, and who you claim is incompetent...I'd like to point out that as with everything, the buck stops at the top level, especially when you are deliberately hiring someone because you know that if you did it yourself you might be prosecuted.

It is criminal of the Bush administration to have excluded private sector contractors from prosecution. This excludes the majority of the army and special forces that were operating in Iraq. And by the same yardstick, it is criminal of the Obama administration to have excluded CIA members from prosecution. Their victims, and their victim's families deserve justice. And future generations deserve justice so that next time CIA members are asked to do this kind of work, they refuse because they know that they are not immune. Obama is sending a message that it is ok to let torturer's off the hook. But I think that everyone who participates in torture knows as they do it that it is a criminal act, and they do it anyway.