[saymaListserv] One Word?

[Steve Livingston]

Dear Friends,

I feel that I must say this.

Today the Commander in Chief spoke at Central Piedmont Community College 
in Charlotte, NC. During the course of the question and answer session, 
he was asked whether there were any decisions he regretted. Part of his 
reply was:

"Obviously, one classic case that hurt us that I wish were done 
differently was Abu Ghraib, the prison. What took place there and the 
pictures there just represented everything we didn't stand for. And it 
hurt us. It hurt us in the international arena, particularly in the 
Muslim world, where they said, look -- it gave the enemy a fantastic 
opportunity to use it for propaganda reasons. Look at the United States 
of America. Look what they're doing to these people. They're disgracing 
-- they don't believe in the dignity of each person, and, in fact, we do."

Please bear with me, I want to parse this just a little bit. If "we" 
believe in the dignity of each person, then why did the Administration 
consult with the Attorney General as to how far they could go in 
humiliating, debasing, threatening, or even causing bodily harm, before 
a charge of torture could not be defended? Why did the Administration 
accept a ruling that stated "anything short of the pain of organ failure 
or loss of a limb"? Because "we" believe in the dignity of each person?

Look at the beginning of the quote. Why was Abu Ghraib so regrettable? 
Is it because of the harm that was done to the victims? Look at the 
quote: who are the victims according to Mr.Bush?

* one classic case that hurt us
* just represented everything we didn't stand for
* And it hurt us. It hurt us
*- it gave the enemy a fantastic opportunity

It gave the enemy a fantastic opportunity. Look at the quote again. Does 
he say ONE WORD about the victims of torture that was inflicted by 
American soldiers under the auspices of the military command and with 
the legal consent solicited and obtained? ONE WORD?

Steve