U.S. Known For Torture Because Of Bush

I remember a time, before George W. Bush was President, when my country, the United States of America, was considered a champion for human rights.

Now, thanks to Bush, we are known for torture. We are known for Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib and denying habeas corpus in violation of our own U.S. Constitution.

And those who claim to have been tortured cannot seek justice:

Judge Rejects Padilla Torture Argument

MIAMI (AP) - A federal judge refused to dismiss terrorism charges against Jose Padilla over claims that the alleged al-Qaida operative was tortured in U.S. military custody, removing one of the last major obstacles to the start of his trial next week.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke stressed in a 12-page order filed late Monday that she was not passing judgment on the torture allegations. Rather, she said the effort to dismiss the case for ``outrageous government conduct'' was faulty on legal grounds.

Padilla's lawyers claim that during the 3 years Padilla was held as an ``enemy combatant'' at a Navy brig he was routinely subjected to harsh treatment and torture.

And it becomes harder to deny stories like this (whether they have merit or not):

Iranian Diplomat Alleges CIA Torture

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - An Iranian diplomat freed two months after being abducted in Iraq accused the CIA of torturing him during his detention, state television reported Saturday. The United States immediately denied any involvement in the Iranian's disappearance or release.

Jalal Sharafi, who was freed on Tuesday, said the CIA questioned him about Iran's relations with Iraq and assistance to various Iraqi groups, according to state television.

``Once they heard my response that Iran merely has official relations with the Iraqi government and officials, they intensified tortures and tortured me through different methods days and nights,'' he said.

Sharafi's comments came a day after 15 British sailors released by Iran said they had been subject to psychological pressure and coercion in captivity. The sailors were captured in the Persian Gulf on March 23 for allegedly entering Iranian waters and released Wednesday.

What does it say about our country and our world when Iran has a better reputation in the world for how it treats its prisoners? I am not saying that those reputations are correct or fair, but this is America and there should be NO reason to doubt that we do not torture.

However, thanks to the Torturer-in-Chief, Bush, and his sidekick, Alberto "The Geneva Conventions Are Quaint" Gonzales, there is a devastatingly large amount of doubt.

Bush stole my country, and I want it back.