Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Americans should not tolerate the use of torture

Re: Torture in Afghanistan.

I am writing to express my horror and disgust at the news that some of our soldiers in Afghanistan are torturing and killing prisoners there. My uncle was a prisoner in a Japanese prison camp during World War II and was tortured. I can remember thinking there must be something wrong with a country that could treat its prisoners of war in such a brutal fashion. Now I find my own country is doing the same and worse.

I say "my country" because you cannot simply blame this on "inexperienced," "young" soldiers. Since when do "youth" and "inexperience" add up to sadism, or at least monstrous indifference to human suffering? One of the articles I read said that officers frequently toured the facility where this torture and killing took place and did nothing when they saw prisoners tied to the ceilings of their cells. Something is wrong with a system that tells an officer such a sight is all right.

Add to all this the statements made by our attorney general countenancing the use of torture and exempting President Bush from any responsibility, and I guess it is no wonder that some of our troops think it is okay, and that they don't need to take responsibility for their actions.

Well, this is one American who does not think it is all right. I think President Bush should order a thorough investigation and punishment of those who perpetrated and countenanced these horrors. I also think he and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales need to publicly announce a strong new antitorture policy for our country.

Bashing the military

Re: Tormented, beaten, they died in U.S. hands, May 21.

Why do you hate America so much? Why are you so determined to denigrate the brave men and women who fight terrorism around the world on our behalf?

When you can make our military look bad, it goes on Page 1 with a big color picture. When jihadists blow up innocent women and children, you put that on Page 8 or 9. At best, this story belonged on Page 8 or 9. Considering the source (the New York Times) you have to immediately question the accuracy of the story. Coming on the heels of the Newsweek fiasco, this is just one more "let's bash the military" story. Even if the story is true, its just not a Page 1 story. The only reason to run it on Page 1, with a big color picture, was to sensationalize it, like the Star and National Enquirer do. Is that what the Times is becoming?

The true Page 1 story that day was the first freedom protest in Cuba in 46 years. Protesters chanted "Down with Fidel" and "Viva Bush." That's real news, especially with Tampa having one of the largest Cuban communities in Florida. Where did you put that groundbreaking story? On Page 6. You certainly wouldn't want to give any real publicity that this country's attempts to promote freedom and democracy around the world might actually be working 90 miles off the coast of Florida. No, that would be good news. Much better to bash the military.

An irresponsible headline

Re: Tormented, beaten, they died in U.S. hands.

This is the most thoughtless and irresponsible headline I have ever seen when you consider the violence that erupted just last week over a blip in Newsweek. Did it ever occur to you that before you ran your biased headline you just might be putting people in danger? Shame on you.

Linking abuse and recruitment

I'm sure the correlation between two stories featured in Saturday's Times is obvious. I'm referring to the horror story of the Afghan man tortured and killed by U.S. military personnel even though many thought he was innocent, and the column by Robert Koehler (Even after "values stand-down," recruiters won't tell the truth) reporting on unethical and illegal military recruitment practices.

Apparently, in a desperate attempt to meet quotas, recruiters ignore or cover up many problems, such as psychological difficulties, alcohol and drug use and criminal behavior, when signing up new recruits. Further, these "misfits" of society are often inadequately trained, then thrust into positions that require morality and good judgment. This may have been the situation in the Bagram prison.

The fact that officers and military spokesmen often do not acknowledge abuses by soldiers under their commands only compounds the issue. These few "bad apples" are an embarrassment to our proud military.

Anti-American slant won't stand

It is with pleasure and admiration to read so many letters that disagree with poor media reporting (yours included) when it comes to buying into the anti-American news that the liberal media gleefully print. The majority of letters in Saturday's issue points this out, but, unfortunately, the press today is so into blaming President Bush for the woes of the world, that honest, reliable reports never make it to the front page (or elsewhere).

Many of your readers no longer buy into your hype and recognize the harm this does to our country. I am glad to be one of those proud conservative Americans. Our achievements against terrorism all over the world are constantly being downplayed by writings on the minute "so called" abuses by few. If you put things into perspective, you would regain respect in your reporting.

Fortunately, the America we are so proud of will prevail. You will be the loser as more and more of us go to honest news sources for fair reporting and use your paper for nothing more than local news, sports, etc.

Blame the terrorists for the world's horrors. They are the enemy. George W. Bush is not.

Where are protests of Muslim killings?

Re: Protests by Muslim clerics of the alleged abuses of the Koran in Guantanamo.

While none of us condones the insult to the Muslim religion by the alleged abuse of the Koran by placing it in a toilet, as alleged by Newsweek, I wish I could hear the same outrage expressed by the Islamic scholars in Afghanistan about terrorist tactics in Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of Islam. Isn't the brutal killing of hostages abducted by the terrorists a worse outrage than the desecration of a holy book?

Isn't the maiming and killing of innocent Iraqi civilians by suicide bombers a terrible sin to the followers of Islam? Why do I not hear the same outrage from the voices of the same scholars?

Any religion that by its silence tolerates these brutal crimes will cause prejudice in the minds of nonbelievers and lack of sympathy for its grievances, especially since we now know that Newsweek acknowledges that its story was not reliable.

[Last modified May 25, 2005, 00:39:15]