Salon
by Michael Ratner, with Sara Miles

11/10/05

Once the abuse scandals broke, and the reality of what was being done to prisoners emerged, officials began to talk about lack of clarity in the opinions, or a 'failure of supervision' that led to 'excesses.' But this administration is now openly and baldly saying that it claims the right to torture, at its discretion. All the fictions that sustained the war on terror -- that abuses were one-time mistakes by low-level grunts; that the rules about human rights weren't clear; that soldiers didn't understand the parameters when they beat and humiliated and tortured prisoners -- have been replaced by a clear declaration: The United States is going to torture people as it sees fit, to subject them to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment wherever and whenever it decides to... [subscription or ad view required]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/11/10/torture/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp