My grandfather was a decorated World War II veteran. He died when I was a girl. Every once in a while at family get togethers we've seen his medals and the flag that was draped over his coffin at his funeral. I've always been fascinated by those medals because they tell part of the story of my grandfather's life. His bravery, his fortitude and his sacrifice are marked in time by those decorations.

I remember reading some time ago about how toward the end of World War II, German soldiers deliberately surrendered to American troops instead of troops from other nations because Americans had a reputation for humane treatment of POWs. This is something I've considered as a matter of great pride for the US military and for Americans in general. We're not like other countries. We're better because we respect the rule and intent of law. We're the good guys.

Not so much anymore, it seems. There are many in our country who condone the inhumane treatment of US detainees. Or they turn a blind eye to it.

I expect that these attitudes are bred of fear. Our nation was attacked in a brutal manner. The Bush Administration consistently reminds Americans of that attack. They issue color coded "terror alerts". White House spokesman Scott McClellan holds daily press briefings in which terrorism is discussed consistently. Osama Bin Laden is still at large and Al Qaida is still alive and planning attacks, we're told.

And we're holding detainees, individuals captured in and around areas of battle. They're not called prisoners of war because our government doesn't want to be held to the Geneva Conventions, so they split hairs to say we're not technically at war. Except when it's time to talk about terrorism. Then of course, we're at war.

A few days ago, Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill) felt compelled to apologize for remarks last week on the Senate floor which outlined the treatment of some detainees. Durbin noted specific incidences of abuse of detainees. The horrors he outlined were something we'd expect to read, Durbin said, from regimes like Pol Pot or the Soviets...who had no regard for humanity. Certainly not from the good guys.

The howling from the conservatives was relentless. And even though Durbin was telling the truth when he spoke out...the pressure was apparently too much to bear and he caved in.

Last month I visited the US National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. One of the main themes at the Museum is the fact that so few spoke out against what the Nazis were doing. While it's apparent that the US is not commiting atrocities even close to the degree of World War II Germany, there is some very serious inhumane treatment of detainees held in US custody. In Germany, the atrocities continued in part because there were so few who came out against Hitler and those that did were murdered.

In the US when a prominent official speaks out...they are trampled by the rightwing media machine. They are verbally flogged over and over. Those brave individuals who are willing to stand up against torture are steamrolled by conservatives who are afraid to the point that they'll give up basic decency and morals.

These individuals who condone or turn a blind eye to torture, especially those that so viciously attack the brave who speak out against it, dishonor my grandfather and those with whom he served. Whether we're "as bad as Pol Pot" or as "inhumane as Stalin" isn't the issue. The issue is whether or not we're willing to allow conservatives to toss aside basic American values of decency and humanity to assuage their fears. And to dishonor everything our nation has built for the last 250 years.

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Posted by: David at June 23, 2005 01:36 PM

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