May 11, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Cameroon: Journalism: Speaking Out: Common Dreams: Margaret Krome says: Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth

Peace Corps Online: State: Wisconsin: February 8, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Wisconsin: May 11, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Cameroon: Journalism: Speaking Out: Common Dreams: Margaret Krome says: Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth

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Margaret Krome says: Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth

Margaret Krome says: Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth

Margaret Krome says: Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth

Guantanamo Abuses Show US Needs a Dose of Truth
by Margaret Krome


Sometimes when I've been too critical of my children, I realize that, for their own emotional well-being, they tune me out. When I notice that glazed look, I jump to revise how and what I say. After all, some of my messages are essential to their safety and well-being. I need to make sure they can hear me.

As a nation, I wonder if we hear so much bad news, so many examples of having lost our way morally, ethically and culturally, that we numb ourselves to painful truths. An example of this is a new book, "Inside the Wire," by Erik Saar and Viveca Novak, about Army Sgt. Saar's experiences as a military intelligence officer at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

As I read Saar's account of abuses, counterproductive interrogation practices and knowing disregard for Geneva Conventions, I wondered why this nation of morally attuned patriots is not fighting mad. There was a time when even a whisper of such abuse conducted in our name evoked outrage. But after revelations of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, have we normalized morally appalling behavior? Are we intentionally ignoring military horror stories because we can't listen anymore?

Saar's story is one of transformation: a conservative soldier from a family military tradition and deeply held religious faith who committed himself to fight terrorism. It's a personal tale of his hopes that his military service would help him heal from a painful divorce. And it's a description of his struggle to reconcile the treatment of detainees that he saw at Guantanamo Bay with his beliefs about America's ideals, and why he finally decided to uphold those ideals by talking about his experiences.

As a linguist and intelligence officer, Saar worked on various teams in Guantanamo Bay and saw different aspects of the camp. He quickly saw that there was something badly wrong with its military command structure, his first team's preparedness to deal with Muslim detainees, its utter lack of esprit de corps, and the camp's failure to correct its own dysfunctions.

As Saar translated, he heard countless detainees' complaints about not knowing charges against them, being unable to talk with lawyers or communicate with families, of physical and emotional abuses, which he also witnessed. Abuses became more severe and frequent over the months he was there, as personnel became frustrated by their failures to gain information. Intelligence agencies worked badly together, and military interrogations were routinely recognized by staff as pointless.

Many detainees' accounts of innocence, like having been picked up by bounty hunters in Afghanistan, were convincing enough that Saar began to doubt the moral legitimacy of holding many of the detainees and the value of any information being wrested from them. Especially, he realized that the complete failure to understand the power of Islamic faith to sustain prisoners was dooming the camp's efforts and strengthening the urge for jihad against our country.

Others have raised concerns about the failures of intelligence. But Saar's account illustrates the long road that many Americans must travel to accept truths about how far our nation's military has fallen during this global war on terror from the ideals we thought defined our nation. The limited and badly sanitized news about this detention camp (called so because to call it a prison would require its occupants to be charged with crimes and receive protection of the Geneva Conventions) obstruct that understanding.

When the book was published last week, a reactionary right-wing campaign to discredit Saar began. It's not surprising, given his detailed account of the camp's extreme dysfunction. Of course some don't want to hear the bad news. But it's important to listen.

Guantanamo Bay has been less a sophisticated intelligence recovery site than it has a breeding ground of intense, faith-reinforced hatred of our country. The abusive and inept handling of detainees has furthered our nation's vulnerability to Islamic extremists. Do we really want to pretend that something so dangerous is not happening?

Margaret Krome of Madison writes a semimonthly column for The Capital Times.

© 2005 Capital Times





When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Date: May 7 2005 No: 583 May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories
"Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May
Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May
Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May
Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May
Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May
Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May
Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May
Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May
Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May
Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May
Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May
Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May
Doyle not worried about competition 2 May
Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May
Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May
PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr
Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

May 7, 2005:  Special Events Date: May 7 2005 No: 582 May 7, 2005: Special Events
"Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30
"American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18
Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State
RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1
Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24
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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000  strong Date: April 2 2005 No: 543 Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong
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Story Source: Common Dreams

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Cameroon; Journalism; Speaking Out

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