The Torture memos were released this week. Where were the critics then?

This week, President Obama released the secret memos from the Bush Administration redefining torture as "enhanced interrogation techniques" and authorizing these techniques to be used by the CIA and others. On March 18, 2006 I took the unusual step to call out President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on this Blog. With the news this past week coming out about the memos authorizing Torture during the Bush Administration, I thought I would republish here that first post. It was during this time where the media was too silent about this and the Republicans were still in charge of the Senate. Here's what I wrote back then:

Dare I write the unspeakable here. I have been very troubled lately by the actions of the President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Here's what has been bouncing around the infinite space of my tiny brain.

The flashbacks of the early days of this Presidency, where the arrogance of President Bush and Vice President Cheney seemed to be our only problems and those were just personality disorders. Then came 911 and the President and the Nation came together along with the sympathies of the rest of the world. We were one then and anyone half alive could feel it. The outpouring of support by both friend and foe alike to help on this new War on Terror was remarkable, reassuring of mankind itself and comforting that we wouldn't be alone in this pursuit. Then the switches of manipulation, arrogance and anger swept the idealogues to consider using this event to go forth with their master plan to repay Saddam and correct the perceived errors made by the former Bush Administration and George W.'s father. People like former Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neil, was the first to shed some light on this in his interviews and later in his book. Rumors were everywhere about Colin Powell and how he was at odds with the Administration and portrayed as a weakling. Powell never abandoned his boss, the President, in public and was a good soldier externally but we all knew something wasn't right in the White House and with this Administration.

Then came the use of language trickery to confuse the American public to believe that Iraq was somehow connected to 911, the resistance to go along with the creation of a special 911 Commission, the abandonment of enforcing Environmental laws, the abandonment of the Kyoto Treaty early in the Administration and the resignation of former NJ Gov., Todd Whitman, as head of the EPA. Then the resignation of Paul O'Neil, all while the intelligence was being cherry picked to justify going into Iraq. We were being drawn in methodically by the silencing of any voices of dissent left within the Administration. The press let us down too, as they were afraid of Bush and Cheney and the power they saw amassed after 911 through fear and intimidation.

Then the refusal by this Administration to abide by International laws citing our right for pre-emptive strikes against anyone at anytime of our choosing. Refusal to allow anyone connected to the invasion of Iraq to fall under any jurisdiction of the World Court and International laws. Then General Counsel Alberto Gonzalles endorses the idea that somehow we had a right to torture in this unconventional War on Terror, which now was being blended into the war in Iraq. Later came Abu Ghraib prison pictures and assurances that we weren't torturing even though it was obvious to all of us that this had been well planned out within the Dept of Defense and authorized by both the Vice President and President under the new interpretation of the law on treating prisoners.

So where am I going with all this. Put aside for a moment the abuse of power by these individuals within the borders of our country. These are such things as Wire-Tapping without the authority of the FISA Court, the incompetence of this Administration in handling the Katrina tragedy, the refusal to protect our Borders from illegal aliens, the leaking of the name of a CIA operative by VP Cheney for the purpose of silencing a critic. These are enough (and I have more if you like) to impeach both President Bush and Vice President Cheney but there is more we should do as their crimes are against humanity. (Now here comes the unspeakable part.)

As a country, when all of this is over and they have left power, dare we consider turning them and Rumsfeld over to the International Court at the Hague to stand trial for War Crimes. One could make a legitimate case that it is warranted for the seriousness of their crimes. Of course we would never do this nor should we. But it is worth considering what they have done in the world from the perspective of a person not living in the USA. Someone from a country that is not Iraq nor Afghanistan. How must Europeans look at us? How about Japanese, Chinese, Australians? As a people, WeThePeople need to be willing to look at issues from a different perspective. It is very difficult to do when it is the water we drink every day and the air we breathe from our media and this Administrations manipulation of the truth. We are no better than any other human on this planet but we have been blessed to have been lucky enough to have been born here. We have had our chance to help save lives in the Darfur region of Sudan. Seems like we would prefer to kill people than save people as a country sometimes. When are we going to realize that and rejoin humanity? I'll tell you when, when you wake up and speak out, especially when you are afraid to! We were all one after 911. We squandered the good will of the world. It will take decades to regain it, if we are lucky to live that long.

I felt like a lone voice back then but looking back it was the first of several difficult topics to raise and be criticized for publishing. Looking back I am glad I did. Another one I wrote was titled, "April 22, 2006 High Crimes and Misdemeanors- Bush/Cheney?" and also this one titled, "June 6, 2006 The Geneva Convention - Are we above that Law?