J'Acusse

[nadinbrzezinski]

Abu Ghraib and Peoples of Conscience

By

Nadin Abbott

The International Red Cross and other agencies have repeatedly warned us about War Crimes at Abu Ghraib. We now know some of the details, and we have seen the pictures. The voices from our own past are demanding to know what happened to the country? How could we go from having a moral compass to having no compass? Where did this start? Why the lack of accountability?

While the President and the President’s men make excuses, we try to avoid facing the ugly reality. The ugly reality is that the reflection in that mirror is us. We have allowed this to happen. Since September Eleven the country has turned into a vindictive hell. The war on terror is over, and the enemy won. One objective of Terror is to change the country under attack into something that it is not. We are no longer the America we all grew up in, or came to as immigrants.

After September 11 we decided to cancel the Constitution. We have arrested and held American Citizens without trial, or a jury. The Hamdi \ Padilla cases are not isolated from what has happened at Camp X-Ray and Abu Ghraib. They are just part of the same horrible continuum.

Our compass is so much out of kilter that those few men and women who have questioned ever step of the way the actions of an immoral government have been called the worst of names: Traitor.

I charge all those who have supported this without question enablers of the worst horrors any nation can ever commit.

I charge those who think this is only about politics with amorality. This is not about a Presidential election, but the future of the nation. Our collective future is at risk, but they are only concerned about image. It is about image. Gone is the G.I giving candy to a child at Paris in 1944, and replaced by a hooded man with electrical wires. That is the new image of the United States in the World.

What has happened requires only one response from our elected officials. The President of the United States must be impeached, with his whole administration. Then they must face charges for War Crimes. The Contractors must face a court of law, either in Federal Court, or under an International Court. We must face the ugly reality, War Crimes have been committed in our name. We must try all those who knew and were in positions of responsibility for what they have done.

Evil only flourishes when good men and women of conscience refuse to speak out.


(Note I doubt the NYT would have the guts to run this)

[Lindsay]

1. Eloquently said.

Thank you.

[Poiuyt]

2. Very good letter

Are you submitting it to the NYT?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Will go thorugh a couple edits

and grow to editorial size

Mark my words they will NOT run it

[Neecy]

3. great letter...

Although the correct title should be J'Accuse -

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. thanks

[Jacobin]

6. A tiny nit to pick

"J'Accuse" is with one "s".

I hope this will get published.

Good luck.
I'm working on a letter to editor on this myself. I think it's critical that the pictures are not suppressed for the survival of this country.

We are the germans right now. We are in denial about what we have done. We have to confront it. It doesn't matter how distasteful or "damaging" it is. We have no choice

[Tinoire]

7. Thank you Nadin

Eloquent and straight to the soul.

[SpiralHawk]

8. J'Acuse II

I second the indictment of George Walker Bush for War Lies (WMD-and falsely implied 9/ll-Iraq connection) and War Crimes (torture and mass murder of civilians).

Will the pResidential* Prisoner please take the Witness Stand. The people of the United States of America, and the world, have some questions for you to answer. And stop that incessant blinking, Mr. Bush. Just answer the questions.

P. S. - There is nothing wrong with telling the truth.


* AWOL for nearly a year while honor-bound by solemn oath to be serving with the Texas National Guard in the 1970s; defeated by a clear majority of patriotic and discerning American voters in the 2000 election; selected to office by the "legal" system.