Put the shoe on the other foot

Ex-inmate recalls days of abuse at Abu Ghraib

The debate in the U.S. regarding torture, detainee abuse, and extraordinary rendition seems to exist in an ethereal state where there are no faces to the folks that were involved (meaning the ones who were abused, imprisoned, or tortured (by us or the Libyans, Egyptians, etc) ). People have steadfast positions on this on both sides of the spectrum, but I think what is lost in it all is the human side of the issue.

These "terrorists" (as we seem to call anyone who comes into U.S. custody, regardless if they are or not) are people. They have family. They have children. I know, I am sure some people are gasping right now and calling me a traitor. That's the world we live in right now, where people can't even rationally understand how some of these folks might be innocent people who've had their lives turned upside down in the name of the "War on Terror". The reality is that not everyone that ended up in Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo was guilty of a crime (as evidenced by how many have been freed and are in the process of being freed without ever being charged with anything). It seems our "bounty hunter" method of getting Iraqis and Afghanis to turn their countrymen in for money might have backfired. But I digress...

I would just ask that people sit and think for a second how they would feel if they were an innocent Iraqi thrown in prison and abused for months and then let go without ever being charged with a crime. Or, imagine if it was your brother, your father, or your son. The dysfunction and pain that such an experience can cause is very real, and I am sure that we will be affected by the blowback for years to come. Maybe not through an attack or a burning American flag, but through the knowledge that our morality has failed us in upholding the dignity of an innocent human being.