Originally published November 4 2005
Bush's attitude toward anti-torture amendment outrages critics
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
President Bush's promised veto of the anti-torture amendment proposed by John McCain has left a wake of enraged critics in Washington and across the U.S.
John McCain (R-Ariz.) proposed an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would prohibit "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of prisoners in the custody of the U.S. military.
This may strike you as a "goes without saying" proposition--the amendment passed the Senate 90 to 9.
The United States has been signing anti-torture treaties under Democrats and Republicans for at least 50 years.
But the Bush administration actually managed to find some weasel words to create a loophole in this longstanding commitment to civilized behavior.
According to the Bushies, if the United States is holding a prisoner on foreign soil, our soldiers can still subject him or her to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment--the very forms of torture used by the soldiers who were later prosecuted for their conduct at Abu Ghraib.
Does this make any sense, moral or common?
So deeply does President Bush feel our country, despite all its treaty commitments, has a right to torture that he has threatened to veto the bill if it passes.
It is our country, not George W. Bush's personal property.
The United States of America still stands for the rights of man, for freedom, dignity and justice.
Remember, we invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein was such a horrible brute that he tortured people.
We've had more loathsome and more dangerous enemies than Al Qaeda and managed to defeat them without resorting to torture.
And leading the charge in the House will be Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), that pillar of moral rectitude and Christian mercy.
On Friday, Mohamed ElBaradei, the highly respected head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Quite apart from whether you support Bush or not, ElBaradei and the IAEA deserve the honor--they have been both diligent and effective.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml