Letters to the Editor about Jeff Jacoby's Web exclusive columnPage 8 of 13 -- There are supposed to be clear differences between Americans and animals like Saddam. One of those many, many differences is that Americans don't torture our prisoners. These differences are very, very important to me and (I would hope) to most other Americans. I can't imagine an America that accepts the fact that the difference between Saddam and George W. Bush is that Saddam's prison guards kill their prisoners on purpose and Bush's only kill them accidentally when we're trying to bruise or humiliate them. That is NOT my America. That is not the land of the free and the home of the brave. God would never bless an America like that.
I'm ashamed to be an American right now. Your simplistic, manipulative, and shameful column only makes me more ashamed. I wonder what sort of America you imagine when you call someone "un-American" for expressing his dismay -- his OPINION. I know that as an educated, well-informed man you cannot possible consider Kennedy's remarks "anti-American". You've read American history in school, and we were taught about freedom of speech and about American values. There is no logic in your position about Kennedy's remarks regarding American soldiers torturing prisoners. John J. Fremer III Brookline
After reading Jeff Jacoby's column "Ted Kennedy's anti- American slander", it's obvious he falls into the "more outraged by the outrage" category of opinion. The thrust of Senator Kennedy's statement, as I understood it, is that the rest of the world, which is already judging America for waging a war without international consensus, is not going to make a qualitative difference between the degree of torture under Saddam or under America. Torture is a horrifying phenomena which evokes strong reactions regardless of who committs the atrocities. As a member of Amnesty International, I am completely ashamed by the decisions and actions of those Americans responsible for this tragedy. The incredibly poor planning and leadership in post-Saddam Iraq will cripple American diplomatic relations for years to come. In a war against international terrorism, these relationships are more valuable than high-tech weaponry. We cannot gain back our lost credibility until we accept our mistakes and learn from them. I believe Senator Kennedy's point was that changes need to be made, and fast. Matthew LaSpina Boston
Mr. Jacoby is incensed. Senator Ted Kennedy remarked that Saddam's torture chambers were re-opened under new management. Mr. Jacoby says that this is anti-American slander. By every definition, slander is a false or malicious statement. Verifiably, this statement is not false, and the maliciousness is debatable. Were Iraqis tortured there? Did any die from their "interrogation"? Were there any rapes? The answer seems to be yes to all. And no, most prisoners were not terrorists. Per the Red Cross, as many as 90% were mistaken arrests. One can debate on whether being beaten to death is as bad as being fed into a wood chipper, but either way, dead is dead. Continued... |
