International law? Obviously, Lt. Cmdr. Sidenstricker didn’t get the memo (2/7/02 ) “signed by President Bush declaring that the Geneva Conventions, which outline standards for the humane treatment of detainees, did not apply to captured al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.”--The Washington Post, 12/12/08 (It should be called “othernational law” since it only applies to other nations--not the USA.)

      ...And, if you want to see some real propaganda, watch any American television show or movie where the hero tortures the bad guy until he breaks and gives up the crucial information--allowing the hero to save the day. It may make for exciting drama, but it is not how torture works. In fact, most trained intelligence professionals will tell you that torture doesn’t work--unless its purpose is to extract false confessions or to manufacture bogus information-- like “Iraq has weapons of mass destruction” or “Sadaam is working with al Qaida”. That was the information the Bush Administration wanted, and they got it by using torture.

 ·        “Under conditions of extreme torture, the prisoner, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, agreed in 2002 to supply the Bush-ordered interrogators what they sought as a political cover for Bush’s marketing of the pending war of aggression against Iraq. Mr. Libi agreed to tell them whatever they wanted in exchange for an end to the torture.”-- Human Rights Watch, 5/13/09 [War crime prosecutors could ask Mr. Libi about his torture by the Bush Administration--if he hadn’t conveniently committed suicide in May (Newsweek, 5/12/09).]

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       If only someone would have told us that torturing prisoners was wrong and could adversely affect how our troops might be treated by their captors--Oh wait! They did:

 ·        “Employment of exception techniques [torture] may have a negative effect on the treatment of U.S. POWs by their captors and raises questions about the ability of the U.S. to call others to account for mistreatment of U.S. service members.”-- Senate Armed Services Report, February 2003

 ·        “[Torture] ‘lowers the bar’ and ensures, if there is any doubt, that similar techniques will be employed against any US personnel captured by our enemies.”--Capt. Daniel Donavan, Staff Judge Advocate, email (Sept. 2003), quoted in Senate Armed Services Report, 11/20/08

      There was a time when the United States knew it was wrong to torture people.

 ·        “The United States had always taken the high road and set the standard internationally on treatment. There had never been any doubt. We had always set the standard. And now the danger is there’s going to be a perception that, ‘Well, the United States doesn’t live to that standard why should we?’” .” [Major General Thomas Romig, former Army JAG, 11/19/07]

     Now, if another nation asked, “How has America punished the people responsible for the torture of prisoners?”; we would have to answer, “We ignore most of them, but the worst of them--the ones who authorized the torture--we provide them with Secret Service protection, a generous pension, and let them collect fees for giving speeches about the noble things they have done”.

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     This was not a case of a few bad apples at the bottom of the chain of command. This involved people in the highest positions of the Bush Administration--meeting, discussing and approving interrogation techniques that have long been considered torture by the civilized nations of the world (including the United States, before George W. Bush threw the Geneva Conventions into the crapper and allowed Vice Pres. Darth Cheney to take America over to the “dark side”.)

     This is why it is so important that we hold George W. Bush and his co-conspirators responsible for the crimes they have committed. Either the United States of America is a nation of laws, or it is not. Either it is a nation where no one is above the law; or it is a nation of the wealthy, by the wealthy, and for the wealthy--where the rest of us are allowed to shut-up and do what we are told.

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      Right now, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture during the Bush Administration. That makes this the perfect time to call the Attorney General’s office (202-514-2001) and your Senators and Representative (202-224-3121). Tell them we need a special prosecutor with broad powers to investigate any and all crimes (not just torture) committed during the Bush Administration (spying on Americans, war crimes, falsifying the reasons for war, etc). It is time to quit pretending that a crime is not a crime--just because President Bush authorized it.

      We must admit our mistakes and hold the guilty accountable for the crimes--no matter who they are. Until then, there should be no more mention of America’s “moral authority” or “setting the standard”; because it will sound as ridiculous as saying “We do not torture”, when the whole world knows we do.

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      As far as Private Bergdahl is concerned, we can only hope and pray for his safe return and that his captors treat him better than the Bush Administration treated its prisoners.

Author's Bio: Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a Christian, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been aroused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.

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