Among friends and family I hear the phrase, “the rule of law.” This ‘rule of law’ of course is limited in scope to the current discussion of undocumented immigrants in the United States. I grant my friends, and some family members as well, the benefit of the doubt and therefore won’t call them hypocritical. If we extend this seemingly all encompassing ‘rule of law’ to other areas of politics, government, and public debate maybe there are others areas it should apply to. Mitt Romney is one of those, as are a few Mormons, who believes the rule of law applies to the debate on immigration alone. I disagree.
Justice Lewis Brandeis, the first Jewish member of the US Supreme Court said: "If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law." There are a number who say the detention of ‘illegal non combatants’ at Gitmo held without due process and contrary to the Geneva Convention is a blatant disregard for the rule of law. We have been the lone beacon in the world for advancement of human rights and dignity. With Abu Ghraib and now Gitmo where do we stand in the world? We have dark sites in Thailand, Uzbekistan, Rumania, and Jordan. Shaikh Khaleed Muhammad impressed his CIA torturers in Jordan for how long he could withstand the waterboarding before he broke.
Time magazine has published on the interrogations of one Guantánamo detainee, Mohamed al-Kahtani, a Saudi who may have been 20th hijacker on 9-11. According to Time: “Al-Kahtani was interrogated for as long as 20 hours at a stretch, according to the detailed log. At one point he was put on an intravenous drip and given three and a half bags of fluid. When he asked to urinate, guards told him that he must first answer questions. He answered them. The interrogator, not satisfied with the answers, told him to urinate in his pants, which he did.”
FBI agents, reporting earlier on the treatment of al-Kahtani, said a dog was used "in an aggressive manner to intimidate" him. At one point, according to the log, al-Kahtani's interrogator told him that he needed to learn, like a dog, to show respect: "Began teaching detainee lessons such as stay, come and bark to elevate his social status to that of a dog. Detainee became very agitated."
Experts in the field including candidate McCain have said such treatment is outlawed by three sources for the rule of law. The United States respected these for decades and called loudly for North Viet Nam to abide by the Geneva conventions. That is until the administration of George W. Bush. Those who have suffered in Viet Nam and other places have called for the US to observe the Geneva conventions, the UN Convention Against Torture and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The International Herald Tribune reported that detainee Kahtani was, forcibly given enemas until he hurt but was not allowed to relieve himself being chained. Officials said it was used because it was uncomfortable and degrading. The Pentagon said the procedure was medically necessary because Mr. Kahtani was dehydrated after an especially difficult interrogation session.
Water boarding, ear drum breaking rapper music, forced enemas, violent dogs, sleep deprivation, chaining in uncomfortable positions for 24 hours, and the list goes on. SECDEF Rumsfield outlined 24 of these kinds of things for the illegal enemy combatants at Gitmo. Bush, Cheney and Romney have defended these extreme measures. Where is the respect for the civil rights of others and the ‘rule of law’? Because we have broken international laws and trashed our own high moral values then is it little wonder that the world looks upon us with contempt.
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