Moral Decline

On Thursday President Barack Obama released four top secret memos from during the Bush administration that discussed the torture of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay and at other secret detention centers around the globe.

In a statement accompanying the release of the memos, Obama said very clearly that those who had been involved in the torture would NOT be prosecuted. Obama stated that this is a "time for reflection, not retribution."

What in the world?

No prosecution for anyone?

President Obama correctly acknowledged that this was a "dark and painful chapter in our history."

So why is nobody being held accountable?

“Nothing will be gained,” Obama said, “by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.”

Is he serious?

Is anything gained when we put a rapist in jail?

Is anything gained when we put a serial killer behind bars?

How can he say that nothing would be gained from prosecuting those people who have committed horrific torture crimes?

The new attorney-general, Eric Holder, also stated that there will be no prosecution of CIA operatives working within the guidelines set by the Bush administration: "It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the justice department."

Unfair?

Was it unfair to prosecute the Nazis after World War II who were "just following the orders of Hitler"?

You can read the four torture memos that Obama released here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/page/torture-memos

The torture techniques described in these memos include.....

*Forced nudity

*"Walling", which is slamming a prisoner into a wall

*"Cramped confinement" which means "placement of the individual in a confined space"

*Stinging insects placed inside "a confinement box"

*Waterboarding - one of the memos actually admits that "the use of waterboarding constitutes a threat of imminent death"

*Sleep deprivation for several days

*Sleep deprivation while wearing a diaper

*The use of "stress positions" to cause "muscle fatigue"

*"Dietary manipulation"

*Facial and abdominal slapping

One of the most shocking things in these memos is that they recognized that the techniques that they were authorizing were ones that we condemned other countries for using.

However, the reality of American torture goes far beyond what was described in those four memos.

The truth is that it is documented that the torture of American prisoners around the world has been absolutely sadistic and brutal.

The following is list of some of the torture acts that U.S. military personnel committed against "terror suspects" as recorded in the executive summary of the Article 15-6 investigation of the 800th Military Police Brigade by Major General Antonio M. Taguba. A full copy of this report can be found at MSNBC.com.....

*Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees;

*Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing;

*Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several days at a time;

*Forcing naked male detainees to wear women’s underwear;

*Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped;

*Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;

*Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;

*Writing "I am a Rapest" (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;

*Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture;

*A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee;

*Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee;

*Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees.

*Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on detainees;

*Threatening detainees with a charged 9mm pistol;

*Pouring cold water on naked detainees;

*Beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair;

*Threatening male detainees with rape;

*Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick.

Does that sound like torture to you?

I certainly hope so.

Don't you think that those who participated in such acts should be held accountable?

So do I.

But apparently Obama does not, so all of the torturers are going to escape punishment and will never be brought to trial.

The word "shame" is not nearly strong enough to describe this state of affairs.