Guantanamo Bay

This is perhaps one of the trickiest subjects I’ve ever tackled. Partly because I know emotions run high on this topic and partly because I feel more than one way about it. I’m talking about the prisoners we’re currently holding at Guantanamo Bay for suspicion of terrorist activities.

Like a lot of people, I was shocked and outraged at the events of 9/11/2001. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. I wanted revenge. I wanted blood. And I wanted it now. I stood and cheered as President Bush declared we would not waver on our quest to root out the people responsible for the attacks on our soil. I actually STILL feel that way. I just think maybe we’re faltering a little, but that’s another subject.

There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the tactics used to squeeze information from the prisoners we’re currently holding. The tactic most generally discussed is “water-boarding”. It essentially means we nearly drowned the person until he talks. It’s a means of “torture”, if you will.

As a human being, I don’t think there is a torture too extreme to extrapolate information from those that threaten our soil. As an individual, I say we pull their fingernails out one by one, catch them on fire, WHATEVER. There isn’t anything too extreme for someone that would do that to us. As an individual I think our national security justifies the means. But wait a minute.

As a NATION, I think we have to think twice about that. Take a look at our history as the United States of America. We have always been the good guys, right? We were behind the Geneva Convention which is supposed to guarantee just treatment of POW’s. Now I realize everyone hasn’t always adhered to that little document, but we always have. We were responsible for removing the barrier between East and West Germany. We broke down the wall dividing China. Which reminds me; why in the hell would we want to build a wall between us and Mexico? We take down walls, not build them! We have ALWAYS tried to be the good guys. Even after we beat the crap out of everyone in WWII, we helped everyone rebuild. Sure, I know it led to government contracts that were in our economy’s best interest, etc, etc, but we helped nonetheless.

Remember Nuremberg? Between November 1945 and October of 1946, we put 24 Nazi war criminals on trial. These were some of the worst human beings known to man. They were responsible for millions of Jewish deaths and yet, we treated them fairly. We gave them a speedy trial. Three individuals were actually acquitted, twelve were hung and the others received various prison sentences. Despite how despicable their crimes were, we followed the rules. We set an example and hopefully, justice was served.

Now back to Guantanamo. We’ve been holding many of these prisoners since 2002. To my knowledge there have been few, if any, trials of their guilt or innocence conducted. That certainly goes against the right to a speedy trial. And you can bet we’d be screaming from the rooftops if the tides were turned. I fully realize it’s more complicated than that. But I still think that, as a nation, we need to take the higher ground. Now I’m not talking about giving them a free ride or letting them off the hook. I’m just talking about following the rules.

Remember, as an individual, my inclination is to kill them all and let God sort them out. Apparently that’s just one reason why I’m not President. But as a citizen of these United States, I think it’s important that we set the tone. We follow the rules. We see that justice is done. We don’t let our emotions dictate our sense of right and wrong.

Times are tough these days. Our economy is cratering and we’re at war on several fronts. More than ever, we need allies. The only way to make friends is to be a friend. Some people can’t be bargained with or convinced. I know that. I get it. I truly do. But our allies need us to set the example. We always have. More than ever, we need to do it now. It’s the only way a world at war will ever look up to us again.