Obama's Search For A Moral Compass
Written by Melvin A. Goodman
Monday, 13 April 2009 -
http://pubrecord.org/commentary/830-obamas-search-for-a-moral-compass.htmlSome countries never acknowledge their crimes. It has been 95 years since the Turkish genocide against its Armenian population, but the Turkish government will not confess to any role in crimes that were committed. The Japanese have never admitted the terrible crimes committed throughout Northeast and Southeast Asia during World War II. And Israel has refused to acknowledge its numerous crimes against the Palestinians, most recently in Gaza, where Israeli soldiers committed grave violations of international law by deliberately attacking civilian targets and failing to protect the civilian population.
We know that the United States has committed crimes that violated the 8th Amendment of the Constitution against “cruel and unusual punishments;” the War Crimes Act of 1996; the Convention Against Torture of 1984 (the United States is a signatory); and of course Common Article Three of the Geneva Conventions. President Obama’s handling of the war crimes of the United States in facilities in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Iraq, and Afghanistan is particularly troubling because his administration has admitted that crimes were committed. He has condemned torture and abuse, closed CIA secret prisons, and ordered the closing of Guantanamo within the year.
Attorney General Eric Holder stated bluntly in his confirmation hearings that “waterboarding is torture.” CIA director Leon Panetta has done the same, and the CIA has conducted no extraordinary renditions since Panetta replaced General Michael Hayden as CIA director. Extraordinary renditions amount to enforced disappearance, which is also a violation of international law. Panetta also has announced that the CIA will no longer use contractors to conduct interrogations and has proposed a plan to decommission the remaining black sites.
We have paid a terrible price for these crimes .........