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Prisoners
suspected of terrorism should still be treated humanely Studying and interning this semester at the TCU London Centre has, without a doubt, offered me a different lens through which to look at my own country. There were always parts of it I didn’t approve of, particularly in the political aspect. However, nothing I’d ever seen disturbed me so much as something I recently saw on the evening news in London. It was just after the Pakistani police caught Osama bin Laden’s field commander, Abu Zubaydah, March 28. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s mug came up on the television screen and he said something to the effect of, “There’s no question that having an opportunity to visit with him is very helpful,” and with a big grin, added, “sometimes I understate for emphasis.” At which point the press around him broke into chuckling. Rumsfeld also stressed that Zubaydah must be seen as a terrorist and not an individual. What could Rumsfeld have been referring to other than the interrogation of the prisoner? Now don’t get me wrong. I know what this man must be responsible for. And I am just as angry about Sept. 11 as anyone. But I couldn’t help shuddering at our leaders making light of a subject that virtually amounts to torture, which is made even worse by the fact that Zubaydah was taken into custody with three bullet holes already in him. Interrogation and torture always seem to be understated parts of human dialogue for as horrible as it is. It always holds a dark, trembling spot in our hearts. It makes us think things we don’t want to think about, much less talk about. Following Rumsfeld’s statements, several images were flashed on the screen from cameras outside the gates of the U.S. terrorist prison facilities in Cuba. Images of prisoners being led to interrogation chambers by enormous soldiers in U.S. uniform permeated the television screen. Pride for my nation sank a bit that evening, and I couldn’t help falling asleep to graphic thoughts of the horrors those people must be suffering right now. You might say that they deserve what they get. Perhaps. But I tend to think that unless we’re willing to torture those men ourselves, we shouldn’t be comfortable with someone else doing it. And we certainly shouldn’t be comfortable with our secretary of defense laughing about it on the evening news. You might say that it may not be quite as bad as I imagine. You might say that there are measures in place. That there are rules by which our government must abide by in the treatment of prisoners as well as constitutional restraints against cruel and unusual punishment. Perhaps. Rumsfeld did vehemently deny accusations that the U.S. government has allowed these prisoners to be tortured. But one can’t help but think that this prison is in Cuba for a reason. These terrorists are the most wanted men alive and it is realistic to expect that many in our country would feel pleasure knowing these men are in pain. The United States is the most powerful kid on the block, and the overwhelming thought is that it doesn’t always need to follow the rules. After what happened to our country in September, there’s not a human rights campaign in the world that can stop the torture of those prisoners. I tend to think of Donald Rumsfeld understating for emphasis. You still might say they deserve it. Perhaps. But for some reason I just can’t make myself comfortable with the whole thing. Timothy
Colligan is a senior English major from Sugarland. |
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