Torture And Detention Equal Justice For None (McClatchy Op/Ed)

[Hissyspit]

Commentary: Torture and detention equal justice for none

DR. ANDREA MEYERHOFF, MD - SPECIAL TO MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Published: Sun, Jul. 19, 2009 02:41AMModified Fri, Jul. 17, 2009 01:25PM

Are we really going to skip the trial and imprison a man forever?

Wait a minute. I'm sure I haven't got that right. Just yesterday, I was reminded — if I have a phone, I have a lawyer. Much longer ago, every day, I stood next to a chum who lisped his Rs into Ws and pledged allegiance to a republic for Richard Stands that promised justice for all. And it's written down, in black and white, that everyone has a right to a fair trial.

But a recent piece in the news made me stop and ask myself this question. Apparently there are some detainees on Guantanamo who are considered so dangerous that they cannot be released. But we can't learn the truth about their acts because the techniques used to question them constituted torture and can't be admitted as evidence at trial. So how do we know they're dangerous? Don't we deserve to know the truth? Where's our justice?

What it comes down to is that with the use of harsh interrogation techniques we spent big capital — a reputation as a fair and decent people — and we still don't know what an alleged terrorist did or didn't do. It gets worse. Now we're presented with the proposition of detaining a man indefinitely-violating one of our most basic principles — because someone thinks he's a bad guy. The detainee clearly loses, but so do we.

- snip -

If it was the second, I refer those who support such a stance to the account of atrocities committed by the Nazis in Czechoslovakia following the assassination there of SS Obergrupenführer Reinhard Heydrich. Before we get distracted here, let's recognize that sleep deprivation is not the equivalent of the transport of thousands to death camps and the wholesale massacre of a village. The point is that the account from Czechoslovakia fills out more fully the unbridled possibilities of a state policy of revenge.

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[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[Stuart G]

2. K and R

[enough]

3. Here's the link to this great Commentary.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/72041.html


another snip>

What it comes down to is that the more that evidence obtained under torture places a detainee's case outside the courtroom, the less we will see justice done.

snip>

[Hissyspit]

4. Oops. Thanks!

[Echo In Light]

5. K&R

[Hissyspit]

6. another kick nt

[babylonsister]

7. Big rec! nt

[crickets]

8. K&R

[Wednesdays]

9. K&R

:kick:

[Senator]

10. The banana republic for richard stands

But at least there's no drama for Obama.

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