The real Bush legacy.

I wonder if, in view of the world the ruling elites of Amerika, Britain, et al, have created, this website is misnamed. Perhaps we all are unfortunate in sharing COMMONNIGHTMARES.

Mr Mohamed is to be both pitied, for the great, unjust ordeal he has just undergone, and applauded that he still has his wits about him. Many a man would have broken under such pressure.

“Many a man would have broken under such pressure.”
Some have been reported to have done so. I read that Mr. Muhajir (aka Jose Padilla) is now mentally incompetent, yet he will still be serving a lot more time, if not life, in prison, courtesy of a government forced guilty plea based on government forced “confessions”. Reading things like this (I will go through more of the links later), and Barbara Ehrenreich's piece, “My Unwitting Role in Acts of Torture”, I am, once more or rather still, ashamed to be an american. I remember hearing/reading high appointed officials explicitly saying that “We don't torture”. I think Rachel Maddow suggested that a law be passed that any time a public official speaks to the media or in public that they be considered under oath, so that if they promulgate more lies like this they can be prosecuted for perjury.

Given all that Mr. Mohamed has gone through, this statement -- in both its truth and clarity -- is nothing less than an act of literature. For that, I gratefully thank Binyam Mohamed.

Though it seems so little in the face of the grave crimes that we as a nation have been perpretrating upon Mr. Mohamed and the people of the world (including our own citizens) I offer an apology for my complicity in all of this.

I humbly beg forgiveness.

Tom Johnson
Austin, TX

I've gone through some of the links and I am deeply ashamed of my country. I think Britain should say “damn the consequences (that of stopping the sharing of “intelligence” (my quotes))” and print what the US government didn't want disclosed anyway. One of the ways that can be used to insure things like this are not repeated is shining the full light of the sun on the whole matter, including naming names if they are available. I also think that the UK should inform the US that if any of our agents that are complicit in any torture, not just that of Mr. Mohamed, arrive in Britain, that they will be arrested and put on trial. I am so sorry that this happened to anyone, and that it may be continuing despite whatever executive orders and laws that are on the books. Just because we have a change in the leadership at the very top that says these kinds of things are inappropriate and unacceptable, doesn't mean that the people who do the actual work of government and are complicit in atrocities, have gone away.

I am a Canadian and I also deeply appolagize in whatever way, as a world citizen, I am implicated in this utter madness and injustice! I submit comments almost every day demanding that justice be brought to bare aginst those US officials, including the Bush/Cheney criminal cabal for there authorization of the dispicable and heinous crimes of torture!!! Obama will go down as a failed president if he dosen't authorize a complete investigation and prosecution of these war crimes and crimes against humanity thar were committed in continuously for the past eight years. The US will not regain it's standing in the world as a country of laws and justice until it prosecutes these criminals. History will not forget the depth of moral and ethical depravity that the US descended into during the Bush presidency!!

The primary question to ask is this, is President Obama listening? In the face of the depravity that was visited upon Binyam Mohamed and countless others, does he still insist he only wants to look forward? If all we do is look forward, then these crimes will not be dealt with, they'll be forgotten. And that is a crime in and of itself...covering up a crime by ignoring it.

One aspect of this discussion (regarding the use of torture) has bugged me for a very long time. When "experts" refer to torture they say it's wrong, but almost always add, and it does not garner good intel anyway. This is a repugnant tip of the hat to the people who torture, saying hey, you shouldn't be doing it because it doesn't work, not because it's wrong. THE ONLY REASON TO NOT TORTURE IS THAT IT IS WRONG, IT IS EVIL, IT IS DEPRAVED, IT IS OBSCENE...NOT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK!

They need to lose that argument, and move on to the simple fact that torture violates every tenet of civilized life. It is a violation of everything decent that has come of civilization. It is anathema, and those who do it should be punished with the full weight of the law. The law is NOT a game, it is what separates us from the animals. There needs to be ZERO tolerance for this vicious, savage depravity...there should be mandatory life sentences for those who practice this. And, if the law means anything at all, those who order torture, and death results, should face the death penalty...that means you George w. Bush, and your entire gang of savages et al (including, but not only, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, John Ashcroft, Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove and Alberto Gonzales).

The War Crimes Act of 1996 says it all, and it needs to be upheld, and these war criminals need to be prosecuted for war crimes, and crimes against humanity. One other thing that needs to be changed, is the statute of limitations on torture...that needs to be gone. If you torture, it should not matter if it was this year or a hundred years ago...torture is an affront to civilization and humanity as a whole, and punishment should not be constrained by time limits!

There is no middle ground, and no quarter should be given those who torture. Torture is pure evil, along with being baldfaced cowardice.

Obama's "look forward, not backward" rehetric is preposterous.

Firstly, let's see how well this would work in, say this arraignment of a common thief - "You honor, you're looking backward! That shop I robbed? That's the past! If you let me back on the street with my loot, you'll be admired by everyone in oyur district for being forward looking!".

Secondly, indicting trying and punishing criminals IS forward looking! It is the way a firm precedent is set for the future. No one will even consider trying what those in the torture chambers did again.

Instead, Obama (like Ford before him) is setting a precedent for impunity, maybe this is the future he himself is looking forward to.

---USAn---

Paul Siemering

Really happy to hear you are home, Binyam.

There are two extremely urgent issues in this case that need to be resolved. The first is the totally arbitrary way the 30 thousand or maybe 60 prisoners have been captured and imprisoned without charges or trials. This in itself amonstrous crime.
the second is of course the torture that all of them have been subjected to.

the president must end these inhuman outrages at once and emphatically or no one will be able to trust him to uphold the constitution as i believe he has sworn to do.

You are a real hero, sir.You are neither to be pitied nor patronized, we must all join your fight for justice.

Dear Mr Binyam Mohamed

As an American citizen who has been placed under 24/7 surveillance by cause stalking torture freaks I can understand some of what you are feeling.

I have been stalked by community watch groups and secret agency's for 2 years because of a friendship I had with a Muslim.

When I became aware that these right wing lunatics were trying to destroy me by cointel pro torture tactics I had to end my friendships with a local Muslim family and completely change my life style to limit my exposure to their torture tactics.

America is a police state, and though my torture is not physical captivity and physical pain, it is geared at psychological pain and slander to discredit me in my community and make me a suspect in need of 24/7 persecution.

Its very clever torture, the kind that if you try to speak up and prove would have you labeled as delusional and sick. There by forcing the community to charge you as insane and in place you on medication and in a mental institution.

America has become a sick country living in the fear of its own world wide shadows.

I pray every day that this network of evil torture spy's is exposed.There are thousands of Americans being tortured in this way. I don't tell you this to help you feel that you are not alone, I tell you this so you might find some forgiveness for Americans.

Ninety percent of us are totally against the wars and all the evil it has brought world wide.

Americans are kind and generous people, we have been fooled by the leadership of the past 7 years.

We will need time to make it right, but we will.

I pray for justice for all that deserve it, including the innocent Americans being tortured by our own government.

I will never be the same, and there is no end in sight to my persecution.

Bornfreemen
Warrant less surveillance torture victim.Bradenton Florida, the sickest city in the world.

What is Obama thinking?

glenn ford,
You ask a key question: "What is Obama thinking?" The problem is...all Obama is doing is THINKING! He even states with his own mouth that we should not look back, but move forward. If one is not Present in the here and now, if moving forward is the goal, then whatever happens in the NOW is not addressed. Mr Obama is full of his own EGO. He is not feeling, not empathizing, not suffering reality. He is only thinking of some future goal...abstracting the present hell that many are living right now, ignoring the injustices of the past. He sees only the future...which does not yet exist...but which he believes he can shape. I'm afraid, if he does not allow the present to touch him, or the past to compel him...then the future will be beyond his control.

What a sicko administration was the chimp's. To shackle us forever with the curse of torture.

Like most Americans, I was ashamed every time that simpleton got near a microphone. But most of us had no idea what he was doing in the shadows until 60 Minutes broke the story of the white 737 that shuttled these prisoners to countries who would do the monkey's dirty business.

Dirty Dick Cheney, Rumsfield the Nazi, Rice the Oil Whore, Brownie the FEMA heartless, and a hundred others all condoned this terrible betrayal of citizen trust.

I fear we will never blot out the shameful black stain left by the Bush Crime Family upon America.

The last eight years has been a nightmare for all of us. To hang these traitors against the constitution would give us a fresh start.

TJ

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson

You are not forgotten. The whole world is watching the criminal activities of the United States government. During your ordeal, the people of the United States allowed our Democracy and our Constitution and the foundation of our Laws going back 1000 years to die. This is because of ignorance of the uneducated masses, and criminal activity at the highest levels of our government. If enough people told the truth and kept telling it the liars, warmongers and torturors will be defeated. Look what happened in Nazi Germany. My parents told me that there were early reports of the Concentration camps, the tortures and genocide - but people didn't believe it at first - because they could not believe it - they didn't want to. Americans will have to see the truth some day. The US Government has been responsible for torturing people for decades, but when the photos came out of Abu Ghraib a new awareness about the US Government use of torture spread over this country. Take time to heal, but don't stop telling people the truth.

Can anyone explain in any degree,how not prosecuting war criminals directly preceding Obama's term is logical,pragmatic,or humane?
Obama's mesmerizing speaking style and "coolness" got him votes. But the mantra of "Change,change.." was in his head "cah ching",I'll amass mega-millions if I don't threaten the MIC."
How exactly can relations be improved with the Islamic world if the years of widespread torture and deaths aren't examined carefully?
The US is the prime cause of the world's economic mess and major perp of torture.Being a good neighbor on the planet is at it's lowest ever-but our new messiah wants yet more military spending.For me there is nothing but foreboding on the horizon.
Can any of you optimistic readers blast apart my opinions?Please do so,my pessism is overwhelming me.

The perps of 9/11 used gitmo and torture to cover their tracks.