I spent a number of hours this weekend finishing a book I bought not too long ago, called Enemy Combatant. It is written by Moazzam Begg, who is a Pakistani British citizen, active in Islamic charity causes, who got picked up while living in Islamabad, Pakistan with his family back in 2002 and spent almost 3 years in American captivity - 2 in Guantanamo. Though I have read better pieces of literature, this book is one of the most gripping I've read in in a long time. Perhaps I find it so gripping because it is so believable. In the book, Begg describes a system of U.S. incompetence, in terms of human rights denied, statements contradicted, evidence not revealed, interrogations muffled and even, sadly, cruelty meted out rather arbitrarily towards the people we are holding in cages. He also describes how he ran into U.S. soldiers (mostly low-ranking guards and MPs) who were kind to him, and genuinely showed interest in his background and culture (he speaks english, after all). And, what I found most believable (and can myself remember from my days as a reservist in training) is the constant overkill, in terms of shackling prisoners unnecessarily, roughing them up, assigning teams of guards to one unarmed (even unclothed) detainee, and making them uncomfortable as possible (for instance by never shutting off the lights at night, and playing loud music), in the hopes of "breaking them down". The trouble is, only a few of the many people we are holding as "Enemy Combatants", actually knows anything about Al-Quaeda, or terror cells, or whatever else we are accusing them of.
Here is an NPR link with a radio interview with the former prisoner. If you are not interested in whatever else I have been saying, at least listen to this interview - it's on real audio and takes about 3 minutes.
The book's point to me, and excuse me for sermonizing, is that, when the leadership of this country is so utterly incompetent, and disregardful of human rights we once fought for, and now claim to protect, it has a very strong trickle-down effect "in the system", as even the most low-ranking soldier realizes that despite however badly he screws up, disregards human rights, and dehumanizes prisoners, it really doesn't matter ... because he's just following orders, and the chain of command. My condolences to the Men in Orange, who are wrongfully imprisoned in Bagram, Kandahar, Guantanamo and elsewhere.
End the madness- Impeach Bush! I hope the City of Berkeley passes their ballot proposition to do so.
