American torture deaths

There's a report coming out - against Obama administration wishes - on deaths in the American torture programme. Some of it's already out, but this will be a larger, less censored version. One takeaway:

The interrogation and detention regime implemented by the U.S. resulted in the deaths of over 100 detainees in U.S. custody -- at least. While some of those deaths were the result of "rogue" interrogators and agents, many were caused by the methods authorized at the highest levels of the Bush White House, including extreme stress positions, hypothermia, sleep deprivation and others. Aside from the fact that they cause immense pain, that's one reason we've always considered those tactics to be "torture" when used by others -- because they inflict serious harm, and can even kill people. Those arguing against investigations and prosecutions -- that we Look to the Future, not the Past -- are thus literally advocating that numerous people get away with murder.

Some autopsy reports from murder victims of the US torture programme, such as this one, prepared by US military doctors and brought to the public by the ACLU. Many of these cases list "cause of death" as "undetermined," allowing those responsible to remain undisciplined in any way. eta: lyonesse has issues with my issues with the use of the word "undetermined"; see comments below.

Meanwhile, the NPR ombudsman has refused interview by Salon regarding the NPR's policy against calling torture "torture" when it is conducted by the United States.

Still wrong

NPR's Ombudsman, Alicia C. Shepard, responds to critics (including myself) about not calling American torture "torture," but instead "harsh" or "enhanced" interrogation techniques:

But no matter how many distinguished groups -- the International Red Cross, the U.N. High Commissioners -- say waterboarding is torture, there are responsible people who say it is not. Former President Bush, former Vice President Cheney, their staff and their supporters...

The entire argument can be summed up as "because powerful people say it's not torture, we won't call it torture, no matter what else." The American government therefore owes an absolute assload of apologies to Nazis and other war criminals it prosecuted under whoops-I-guess-it's-not-torture-after-all laws against torture.

I can't wait until "responsible people" - of power - decide to say that the earth is flat, or the sun rises in the west, or up is down, or what the fuck ever. I can't wait for NPR's reporting on that one. Fact-based reporting isn't, apparently, for "reasonable people," as she describes herself and her colleagues - it's for suckers. So fuck you, NPR. My original letter stands: until you return to reporting reality rather than apologising for torturers, the donation window is closed.

A second open letter to NPR

Were I willing to give more time to it, I'd write a shorter letter. But I'm not, because I've already told them what I think about all this bullshit. Still, I keep throwing myself against this wall, and here's my new one:

Dear Ms. Shepard, et al -

I see that in response to the reportedly overwhelming torrent of criticism of NPR adopting White House talking points to describe the American torture programme - and then pretending that there is an "argument" over what is torture, rather than the reality that there's an argument over whether the US should be torturing, in violation of tradition, law, and treaty - you have restated NPR's position against the use of plain language to describe plain and legal reality, primarily on the basis that powerful ("responsible") people don't like it, and say that the word doesn't apply.

You also claim that using this word is somehow "loaded" and taking a position in a debate, when in reality, adopting White House talking points and language in opposition to commonly and historically used language is directly taking sides in the very reframing of the debate the White House wanted to achieve! You are taking a side, and arguing that you must, in order to "avoid taking sides." How sad. NPR is, apparently, an enthusiastic adopter of such tactics - as long as those behind it are powerful, "responsible" people.

It is good to know that NPR will allow the powerful to change reality and the definitions of words when such actions suit their political goals. I look forward to NPR pressing the current administration on its need to apologise to all the war criminals (both foreign - Nazi, Imperial Japanese, and so on - and American) that it has tried and convicted for engaging in exactly these same practices that you now refuse to describe as torture.

However, even should that happen, NPR will no longer be seeing my sponsorship dollars. That will await a return to reality-based reporting.


Sincerely,


solarbird

For all the good that'll do.