History Revisited?

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Monday December 22, 2003 12:23

by Claire

clairetreanor at hotmail dot com

Hitler and his Nazis would have been proud of Guantanemo Bay.

History Revisited? Claire Treanor

Here’s a quote: “ A national monument has been destroyed. Terrorism is threatening our democracy. We must do whatever it takes to overcome the foreign infiltrator and to defend democracy and freedom.”

Now, here’s a thing: that was Adolf Hitler speaking on February 28 1933. The national monument that he referred to was the Reichstag. It had been burned down the previous day.
Here’s another thing: almost immediately the Nazis began to indiscriminately arrest Jews and dissenters without explanation or charge. In short, they took immediate advantage of the Reichstag fire to further their own interests at the expense of their constitution and of civil rights.
And yet another thing: Many of those arrested simply vanished without trace. Many more were detained indefinitely without charge. Before long there were so many detainees that it became necessary to build camps in which to hold them all. History has since given these a nifty little title: Concentration Camps.
Here’s a thought: Camp Delta. And another: Camp Iguana. And yet another: Camp X-Ray.
For those of you that don’t know, these camps are holding ‘terror suspects’, many indefinitely and without explanation or charge. The detainees have no access to legal representation. When they are eventually tried, it will be by military tribunal.
BBC journalists Paul Welsh and Gordon Corera tell us that, while they await their fair and impartial trials (!) the detainees are confined in 8-foot cells. They get about 15 minutes exercise twice a week. All are manacled 24 hours a day. High wattage electric lights shine on them day and night. None have ever been told why they are there. Nor have their families. It is reported that the detainees are subjected to intense interrogation. In one case that we know about, this lasted fifteen days. It is reported too that an execution chamber is currently being built inside Camp Delta. Incidentally, four of the detainees are children. Remember the only reason that we know any of these details is because four British men are now detained there. Like a guard dog our media doesn’t bark until the threat is on its own doorstep.
We also only know what the Americans have chosen to let us know. We can only guess at what they have chosen not to let us in on.
One last quote: “Bad things happen when good people do nothing.”

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Comments (3 of 3)

CLUCK CLUCK

by Simon the pieman

Mon Dec 22, 2003 17:08

The world is full of chickens. Everyone stands by while America breaks international law. The phrase bad things happen while good people do nothing cant be truer in this case. What else can be done though. Get everyone together and stage an extraction of the detainees from Camp Xray?? The rest of the world should stop buying American goods!! Whats your alternative Claire????????

It's simple Simon

by kokomero

Tue Dec 23, 2003 17:08

camp X-ray will be run down over the next year as the US judiciary are tired of it. The release of British suspects will come first followed by others. The Yanks won't sayanything about it and will release them in dribs and drabs so as not to loose face as they know they are in the wrong. Don't believe for a minute that Ghadaffi and the Iranians would give up their weapons programs without some sort of quid pro quo.

Do SOMETHING

Tue Dec 30, 2003 14:06

Ofcourse you're right Simon. Much better to sit back and do nothing innit?
Good thing Rosa Parks didn't have your attitude. Or Martin Luther King. Or the suffragettes. Or those who lead the Vietnam anti-war movement.
There are things that can be done. Pressure can be exerted. Write letters to elected representatives and to newspapers. Keep the issue alive.
Ok it may be futile, but it beats turning a blind eye. To do something - ANYTHING - is better than doing nothing at all and will at least break complicity with the crime.

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History Revisited?

Comments (3 of 3)