In recent years, it has been reported that the administration of former President George W. Bush condoned the use of torture by U.S. military personnel and the CIA. The photos and stories from Abu Ghraib, Bagram and Guantanamo are seared into the memory of many both here in the U.S. and abroad. Just recently, President Bush, in his new memoir, “Decision Points,” claims he responded with “damn right” when asked if the CIA should torture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed by waterboarding him.
In June 2010, the Physicians for Human Rights released a report highlighting the participation of CIA health professionals in medical experimentation intended to make torture more efficient. Sadly, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Office of Human Research Protections, and the CIA have declined to investigate PHR’s findings.
Such reports are troubling. Believing that all forms of torture are morally wrong, we add our voices to the growing number of people calling for the creation of a bipartisan Commission of Inquiry to investigate the use of U.S.-sponsored torture. We especially call on our legislators, Congressman-elect Robert Dold, Sen. Richard Durbin, and Sen.-elect Mark Kirk in supporting this effort. Any and all reports of this commission must be made public so that the American people will know what has been done in our name, to help ensure that such acts will never again be repeated.
If we simply ignore what has taken place, what message will this send to our youth?
Fr. Corey Brost, CSV
Br. Michael Gosch, CSV Fr. Thomas von Behren, CSV
Arlington Heights
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment