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Torture case shows need to curb power

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Saturday, Sep 23, 2006 - 12:07:09 am CDT

The case of Canadian citizen Maher Arar provides a graphic example of how the Bush administration’s policies in the war on terror are threatening traditional American values.

The facts of Arar’s case have been documented in a three-volume report almost 1,200 pages long headed by a Canadian judge. It can be read online at www.ararcommission.ca.

According to the commission’s report, Arar was arrested by U.S. authorities at JFK in September 2002, after a visit to relatives in Tunisia. He was held for 12 days, then put on a private plane at 3 a.m. and flown to Syria, despite his protest that he would be tortured there.

He was released after 10 months and 10 days. The commission concluded that his account of torture was true. Arar said he was beaten with fists and whipped with a cord that apparently was a shredded electrical cable. He said he was kept in a cell six feet long, three feet wide and seven feet high. There was no furniture.

The commission also concluded that Arar was innocent. Justice Dennis O’Connor who headed the commission said, “I am able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offense or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.”

Arar was born in Syria in 1970, and came to Canada in 1987. He worked as a telecommunications engineer. He and his wife, who once ran for the Canadian parliament, have two children.

U.S. authorities blame inaccurate information from Canadian authorities for Arar’s arrest and rendition. His name had been placed incorrectly on a list of terror suspects. The Canadian House of Commons voted unanimously this week that Arar be presented with an apology.

America traditionally has valued the rights of the individual against the enormous power of government. Those values are embodied in the Bill of Rights ratified at the time of our nation’s founding.

Those traditional values were ignored in Arar’s case. He had no chance to confront his accusers. He had no chance to prove that the charges against him were false.

So far Arar has found no way in the United States to pursue justice. He sued the U.S. government, but the government was able to convince the court that defending against Arar’s lawsuit would require it to divulge information that would jeopardize the nation’s security.

If America is to remain true to its values it cannot cede absolute power to the executive branch of government.

Nebraska’s congressional delegation should join with Sen. John McCain, Colin Powell and others who are trying to revise administration policies and practices that produce abuses of power like the Arar case. American values need to be protected from within.


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steve wrote on September 23, 2006 12:49 am:
" Amen. "
Appology needed wrote on September 23, 2006 1:01 am:
" I think the American government owe Arar an apology as well. Under no circumstances should anyone be shipped off to another country for torture. Its an absolute disgrace that this even occurred in the "21st century" I would like to see a return to the Checks and Balances in our Government. The executive branch has way to much power. Congress should call for censure to rein in and bring balance back to the entire Government "
Eric wrote on September 23, 2006 3:12 am:
" I agree. I'm tired of hearing about "American Values", which always refer to living some Puritan-style sex-and-intimacy-free life, while we as a country continue to have very lousy values when it comes to human rights. We will NEVER win a war on terror as long as we continue to make the rest of the world furious at us for our lousy way of dealing with people. "
Timmy wrote on September 23, 2006 6:47 am:
" Thanks, LJS. Although I recall that you endorsed Bush in a somewhat tortured editorial before the election, I'm heartened to see that stance does not prevent you from publishing an editorial like this addressing an issue that lies at the heart of what kind of nation we have been in the past, and what kind of country we're choosing to be today. It seems the word "suspect" has lost all meaning in our contemporary discourse. The media, along with many others, too often accept the official administration language that brands all prisoners in American hands, whether in Guantanamo or elsewhere, "terrorists," even though they've never had a trial to prove they're guilty of anything. The principle of "innocent until proven guilty" used to be a cherished American ideal. The very heart of the U.S. argument in this case, that it's Canada's fault because they had fautly intelligence, ignores the more salient fact that regardless of what that intelligence said we handed over a human being to another country to knowingly have him tortured, and even worse did so without giving him so much as a trial. That's a morally reprehensible and indefensible act, at least in terms of what kind of nation we've claimed to be since our Revolution. For those who wish to excuse such actions by aruging that these are new times, realize that when nations believe themselves under threat or are at war it always seems like "new" times that demand inhumane acts. The greatness of a nation has always been measured by how well it resists such measures, and remains true to the ideals it has long claimed defined its existence. The United States is presently failing that test. To be against these types of human rights abuses does not mean anybody's soft on terror, but it may mean they love the ideals that this country was built upon. "
al b wrote on September 23, 2006 6:49 am:
" I guess I haven't had too much time to worry about this Syrian born Canadian and his plight. Yea, it is too bad the Canadians provided bad information to our government. You see, I've been spending a lot of time wondering how we can protect people like the Young Jewish journalist, Mr. Berg, that was beheaded on film for all the world to see. I've spent a lot of time wondering how we can protect our soldiers from being tortured to death by the peaceful muslims and then dragged through the streets as has happened in Somalia and now Iraq. I've been concerned about all of the Kidnappings perpetrated by the peaceful muslim terrorists where the victims are tortured and beheaded. I've spent a lot of time praying for the families of the 3,000 killed on 9/11. I've spent a lot of time praying for the families of our soldiers that are giving their lives so that the editors of this paper and all of the MoveOn.org folks and the Democrat party, can critize our government. You see I've spent a lot of time praying for the victims of the peaceful muslim terrorists and I just haven't had much time to worry about Mr. Arar. I guess my 'give a damn is busted'. "
WCG wrote on September 23, 2006 7:21 am:
" This sickens me. We have indeed lost the moral high ground and the respect of the world. From his first day in office, Bush has been relentless in attacking our Bill of Rights. He has shown no respect for the law, no respect for our democratic traditions, no respect for civil rights. I'm deeply ashamed of our president and embarrassed that Americans have allowed him to do such damage to our nation and the world. We'll be a long, long time getting over the Bush presidency. "
Hank wrote on September 23, 2006 8:13 am:
" As awful as the Arar case is, this week's pitiful political events make it clear there will be many more such cases. The so-called "compromise" on torture reached between the Bush administration and several phony "concerned" Republican senators gives the administration complete power to set the rules and to continue doing precisely the things that caused the Arar disaster. In fact, the so-called "compromise" puts all terrorist-related activities out of the bounds of our normal court system (i.e., the Constitution of the United States and the Geneva Conventions). The administration will have the freedom to decide who is a terrorist, and therefore who no longer enjoys Constitutional rights. The bills now being pushed by the Republicans go even further to create a government unlimited by law and responsible to no one. If that does not cause concern (as apparently it doesn't for people like al b below), then we are clearly lost as a nation. Good bye rule of law, hello fascism. Now that is an issue worthy of our fear. "
whatever wrote on September 23, 2006 8:39 am:
" I am so tired of this phony war on terror. Bush and the rest of the republicans have used this "issue" to scare americans into giving up basic rights and freedoms. The Republicans have held power in the Senate, House and Oval Office long enough to do some real good in this country, but they have done nothing. At best, they are as clueless a bunch of "leaders" as the world as ever seen. At worst, they deliberately are ignoring the wishes of the majority of Americans and are on a big power grab that serves only a very few individuals and large corportations. I always thought the world learned something from the old Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but given the last few years it seems apparent it has not. "
Jody P. wrote on September 23, 2006 9:27 am:
" I wonder what would happen if the right-wingers were snatched up by our CIA and sent overseas to be tortured? I wonder if the right-wingers would show the same snotty disdain for basic human rights then? But you know that if it happened to one of THEM they would be crying like babies "Oh, I'm innocent until proven guilty!". The right-wingers call themselves Christians. I don't recall Jesus ever recommending that innocent people be tortured. As a matter of fact, I do believe he came out against things like that. But right-wingers, like all fascists, specialize in blind hatred and hypocrisy. "
Bob wrote on September 23, 2006 11:11 am:
" It is clear the U.S. did nothing wrong in this case. they cooperated with the Canadian govt. It was clearly out our hands after that happend. "
Sean1 wrote on September 23, 2006 11:39 am:
" Yada, yada, yada. Let's all weep big crocodile tears for one Canadian of Arab extraction. He's just one of thousands each year who are arrested, falsely or otherwise, tortured and/or killed. 90% of them done by countries other than the US. In most cases they make no secret of it and broadcast it for all to see. Especially for the edification and control of their own citizens. Grow up. "
ET wrote on September 23, 2006 12:32 pm:
" Jody P. said it well! "
Hemet wrote on September 23, 2006 12:51 pm:
" Our values were lost the day George W and his pack of wolves were elected. "
Gail Frey Borden wrote on September 23, 2006 1:01 pm:
" An excellent editorial perfectly on point. Every Congressman and Senator should read it. On another matter: would you please urge Senator Hagel to run for the Presidency. He's one of a handful of people in Washington who appears to see things clearly. "
Darren wrote on September 23, 2006 2:22 pm:
" It's always easy to blame Bush but if you go to the facts and get past this biased editorial you will see that Canada was to blame here. Yes, a mistake was made but if you want to wrap the whole program into this one case you are mistaken. If some of you had your way you would give Bin Laden and people like him the same rights as your neighbors. If someone was going to blow up a building with your family inside wouldn't you want to do everything possible to get the information out of them. I guess you would rather just ask them politely and if they say nothing, you just put them in jail and say oh well. "
I pray wrote on September 23, 2006 4:23 pm:
" I pray for all the people Al b prays for. I also pray for the Bush admin. to practice the christian values they preach they have. Why doesn't the government take the high ground and not stoop to the level of the terrorists and torture everyone? I don't buy the line that they olny respond to torture. Torture does not necessarily get you the truth. I guess the Bush administration wants us to turn the clock back to the days of the inquisition where everyone who doesn't believe the same as the gov't is tortured until they do. Darren: It doesn't matter what Canada knew, the US should have had their own intelligence. Talking about Bin Laden, GW Bush sold his oil companies he owned in the 80's and 90's to the Bin Laden family. When all the planes were grounded after 9-11 Bush allowed the Bin Laden family that was in the US to leave. Now, did you or I have those rights to leave the country after 9-11? "
Zoomie wrote on September 23, 2006 4:43 pm:
" Bush apologists - get to the facts, and you see most clearly is that Canada DID NOT say send Arar to Syria (indeed, they knew nothing of it until he was released). The U.S did that! To our everlasting shame! And yes, lots of other TYRANTS and DICTATORS do that worldwide! Why are you saying we are the same as they are? At least, thats what I read when I see someone dismissing Arar's illegal treatment by saying, like a little child, "well, everyone else is doing it"... Its easy to blame Bush, because no other President in American history sent people to other nations to be tortured! And for those who wonder how the rightwingers would handle it, if it were someone on their side? Go to Michele Malkin's website. She is, of course, the extremem rightwing screamer and Coulter-wannabe. She has also discovered that the gov't of Indonesia (an Islamic nation) has tried and convicted three Christian missionarys of capital crimes, and have sentenced them to death! Malkin is whining and complaining about how inhuman it is to sentence ANYONE to death on secret evidence, after people may have been tortured. And she's calling on the Int'l Criminal Court (the same one she's mocked and attacked for years) to give the convicted criminals a "fair" trial! She appears to feel no irony (or shame) for doing a total 180 when the victims are "Christians", from what she has spouted for years about "Muslims"! "
FEDUP!!! wrote on September 23, 2006 7:46 pm:
" All you cry babies better wake up . The US as a country is on the way to extinction. If all you dogooders were to say the things you do now and complain about your own country the way you do during WWII we probally would be all Nazi's. Seems like you all are Islam wannabes. If thats the case get the ---- out of this country!!!! and move to the middle east. "
Hjalmer wrote on September 24, 2006 7:29 am:
" FEDUP, you don't know what you're talking about. If the country is in peril, you can put the blame at Bush's doorstep. It is remarkable to witness the opportunity that was lost following 9-11. The United States enjoyed worldwide support and sympathy. Even the Russians and the Chinese moved to support us as we went after Bin Laden in Afganistan. Then Bush made the fateful decision to turn the hunt for the perpetrators into a quest for his own power by invading Iraq. Now the world judges the United States to be a greater threat to world security than the Islamic terrorists! We're discovering that Bush fiasco is leading to our own undoing. Oh, and the terrorists enjoy increasing support around the world. Bush's ignorance will get us all killed. "
mauramia wrote on September 24, 2006 10:16 am:
" Oh for Christ sake will you stop with this story already. It would appear that according to some of the comments here, that none of these Muslims are guilty of anything, at any time, or in any place. 9-11 never happened, they are all innocent victims, their mother country is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and as for their religion, well, what can one say, other than if you want to keep your head, you say nothing. But I guess it's right that they be allowed to refer to Jews as pigs and monkeys, to Christians as infidels, and God forbid you should be a woman, as surely even the most ignorant among you know their debased behaviour toward the fair sex. Yes indeed, Canada comes across as being so 'nice' toward these Muslim immigrants, but underneath the surface, they are seething with rage, but of course they dare not step out of line and say a word against them, so of course America becomes their target by default. The shame in that country is overwhelming toward the past Liberal Government, who gutted their military, so now they must look toward the USA for help should there be a terrorist attack inside their borders, as they cannot finance a solid military when they spend the grotesque taxes that every Canadian must pony up every day, but which goes to an French style welfare system. In the past they could genuinely boast that they had a good health system, and all their taxes went in to supporting it. But no more, my friends, as at best it can now be honestly viewed as a health system that even a third world wouldn't aspire to. So, let's knock it on the head once and for all this myth about Canada, as it's about as true as saying that all Americans are lazy greedy braggarts, while stats show that they are no such thing. "
Driss Ould-Ibbat wrote on September 24, 2006 1:43 pm:
" I think there are some in New York where I live. Im not a Muslim wanabe I pray and fast during Ramadan and im only 14 years old. P.s president George bush sucks. "
Hjalmer wrote on September 24, 2006 11:38 pm:
" Mauramia, unfortuantely you missed the point. The editorial is about the use of torture, the abuse of executive power and the terrible consequences that flow from them. No one argues that there are no Islamic terrorists. The argument is that torture fails to be effective either short term or long term. If you want to defeat these folks you can't do it by fighting on their terms. We have to play from our strengths and the use of torture undermines every advantage we have. "
Jody P. wrote on September 25, 2006 8:25 am:
" I find the "pro-torture" responses fascinating. I'm sure those responders are normal, everyday people - good neighbors who probably go to church every week. Yet they fully support war crimes, i.e. torture of innocent people, simply because those people are guilty of being different than us, in this case, a different religion. They paint all Muslims in one broad stroke with the small percentage of radical Muslims. This sheds light for me on the genocidal crimes of Kosovo, Rwanda, Nazi Germany, etc. It shows that many normal everyday people have within them the ability to enthusiatically support or commit crimes against humanity. The Republicans, under the direction of Karl Rove, are fanning the flames of these base human weaknesses in order to retain power. This will make a dark chapter in American history. Those of us still in command of our mental faculties must try and shed light on these reprehensible actions. "
Tim wrote on September 25, 2006 12:40 pm:
" "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' " Now, consider the reverse of this statement, and apply it to torture. "That which you do to the least of these....you do to me." "
Hjalmer wrote on September 27, 2006 6:12 am:
" Tim, you've pointed out yet another of those inconvenient truths. Nicely done. "

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