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El Espectador, Colombia

Bush's Book: Crimes Again Unpunished for 'Reasons of State'

 

"The fact that a former president of the most powerful country in the world continues to insist on justifying such reprehensible acts at torture is an affront to civility and violates every norm of international coexistence."

 

EDITORIAL

 

Translated By Halszka Czarnocka

 

November 14, 2010

 

Colombia - El Espectador - Original Article (Spanish)

In recent weeks, several pieces of information from the United States have come to light, all of which have in common the fact that due to what is called “reasons of state,” investigations into flagrant violations of human rights are to be filed away or entirely blocked.

 

The issue isn't new and shows how far disinformation and argumentative manipulation have gone to justify certain kinds of atrocities.

 

The latest instance is the publication of George W. Bush's memoir Decision Points. The book justifies his decision to torture prisoners during the war against terrorism with a dangerous argument that it “helped save lives.” One clear-eyed journalist asked Bush if he agreed that this practice would be dangerous if applied to U.S. citizens by another country. A disconcerted Bush eluded a response. The fact that a former president of the most powerful country in the world continues to insist on justifying such reprehensible acts is an affront to civility and violates every norm of international coexistence.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

In connection with this, it has been learned that the U.S. Justice Department has decided not to press charges against a senior CIA official who ordered the destruction in 2005 of 92 videotapes containing images of the torture of suspected al-Qaeda members in 2002. The videos were proof of the arbitrary manner in which the concept of “anything goes” was applied, and which Bush justifies in his book. Although the investigation into whether those practices were legal or not continues, there is little optimism among human rights groups about a positive outcome.  

 

Closely linked to the above is the publication of official and classified documents about the war in Iraq by WikiLeaks, which revealed how officials of various ranks from the country to our north ignored or condoned acts of such as harmful and pernicious as the murder of civilians by their own forces. Rather than offering reasonable explanations for the allegations, U.S. authorities have preferred to criticize the leak of documents and the fact that this endangers the lives of U.S. troops. In other words, all indications are that nothing is going to happen regarding these revelations.  

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

Or at least - not much. It's likely that after the passage of 60 years, the excuses will end, as recently occurred when President Obama called the president of Guatemala, Álvaro Colom, to inform him that research conducted by U.S. authorities between 1946 and 1948 included the infection of hundreds of Guatemalans (without their knowledge or consent) with venereal disease viruses, in order to study their effects and ways of combating them. Colom described the operation as a “crime against humanity,” and U.S. Secretary of State Clinton described it as “abhorrent and clearly unethical.” She's right and her attitude is deserving of praise. Nevertheless, it comes too late when there's no one left to hold responsible for these events.

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:  

Folha, Brazil: The Moral of the U.S. Syphilis Experiments in Guatemala  

Prensa Libre: U.S. Compensation Should Aid Undocumented Guatemalans  

El Periodico, Guatemala: Guatemalans 'Opened Door' for Terrifying U.S. Experiments

El Periodico, Guatemala: Doubts Over Guatemalan Complicity with U.S. Experiments  

El Periodico, Guatemala: U.S. Must Come Clean About 'Horrifying Experiment'  

Siglo Vientiuno, Guatemala: Words Inadequate to Describe U.S. Bio-Crime

El Periodico, Guatemala:: At Least in the United States, the 'Truth Eventually Emerges'  

 

 

Curiously, in our country, where we complain so much about impunity, investigations are advancing into cases like the wiretapping scandal [of journalists and political figures], the so called “false positives” [soldiers killing innocent civilians to boost the number of liquidated guerrillas], the "Yidispolitics Scandal" [bribes accepted by Congresswoman Yidis Medina to change Colombia's Constitution], the Agro Ingreso Seguro [a corruption scandal in which agricultural subsidies went to wealthy landowners rather than needy farmers]. And they continue despite the fact that they involve senior government officials. Likewise, the government's attitude regarding the murder of children in Tame, Arauca, has been recognized for its speed and transparency. [the military has been implicated in the rape and murder of a young girl and then the murder of her younger brothers]. This is the road to follow.

 

For all these reasons, there's a feeling in Colombia regarding these events that, while we're still waiting for court decisions, investigations that might have become bogged down by the notion "reasons of state," i.e.: pernicious cover ups - are, nevertheless, making progress. Thus it appears that we're distancing ourselves from those, in the words of the ineffable Tola and Maruja [Colombian comedy duo], who are “so incredibly moral, that they sometimes achieve a moral double standard.”

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:

The Observer, U.K.: Bush's Memoir 'Entirely in Keeping with the Man'

The Independent, U.K.: George W. Bush Had Best Avoid London

Daily Mail, U.K.: Why this Toadying to Bush the Bungler?

Der Spiegel, Germany: Schröder Spokesman Questions Bush's Intelligence

Publico, Spain: Torture Charges Filed Against Bush Legal Team

Die Tageszeitung, Germany: America and Torture: 'Just Following Orders'

Die Presse, Austria: How Much Torture Would You Like?…

Financial Times Deutschland: Hopes Dashed By 'George W. Obama'

Die Tageszeitung, Germany: 'An Arrest Warrant for George W. Please!'
Hurriyet, Turkey: Dick Cheney's Torture Logic is 'Deeply Offensive'

Jornal de Noticias, Portugal: Poverty and Torture: Bush Has Company in Europe

 

 

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