ASSESSING TORTURE
May 25, 2009
I write today as a citizen, a combat veteran and the father of a son who served a tour in Iraq. When I initially read that the Obama Administration was not gong to fight a Federal Court order to release prisoner abuse photographs, I applauded the decision and thought to myself, this is the change for which I voted. I was proud that our government trusted the strength of our Republic and the wisdom of our people to evaluate our conduct during this time of war. We are stepping up to examine the gap between our ideals and our actions. We are looking ourselves in the eye to ask, “Is this the nation we want to be? Do these acts reflect the values we ask our men and women in uniform to defend?”
These are tough questions for a nation to ask itself. Usually such reflection is forced by a conquering army or the court of world public opinion. But our nation, because of citizen activism, has chosen to do this on its own. This is exciting and empowering.
It looked as if the Obama Administration understood the importance of this reflection and the need for the people of the U.S. to see all relevant information so that we can make an informed decision about how to address this dark time in our history. Unfortunately, the President has been persuaded otherwise.
When giving an explanation on his reversal to release the photographs, President Obama said, "In fact, the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger."
The President has been given faulty information. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan, the resistance fighters and the terrorist have all seen the Abu Ghraib photos and know first hand the humiliation of occupation. McClatchy New Service reports Imad Abass Idrass, a member of the U.S. backed Son’s of Iraq Sunni militia commenting, “When people see foreign soldiers drive down their streets, or enter their homes, that makes them angry, too.”
I think it is important to remember that it is the acts carried out at the behest of Bush Administration officials, not the photos, that will enrage people. The photos will have more political impact here in the U.S than on the battlefield.
Harith al Obaidi, the head of the largest Sunni Muslim bloc in Iraq's parliament and the deputy chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, dismisses the Administration’s concerns over the photos.
"The people who want to express their opinions through violence are already trying their best to do so," Obaidi said. "Showing them a few pictures wouldn't make them any more able to do it."
McClatchy went on to report “Obaidi called on Obama to release the photos and to hold any perpetrators of abuse publicly accountable. Keeping the pictures secret will only bolster suspicions that the American government is trying to suppress evidence of more widespread abuse.”
Allowing the public to see the evidence of the acts shows good faith to all and that the U.S. is not hiding evidence. It will go a long way in rebuilding U.S. credibility as a nation that strives to be fair and just. The release of the photos will create goodwill with the people of the world, in particular Muslims, many of whom question if the U.S. wars is a policy of war against their faith.
Releasing the photographs will show that we as U.S. citizens can face our shame and emerge better from the experience. It will show that our Republic is strong and can weather most any storm. It will allow the people of our nation to assess what our government has done in our name and act accordingly.
I ask President Obama to follow his initial gut feeling to release the photographs. The world is waiting to see if the U.S. is prepared to live up to its own ideals and shoulder the full responsibility of its actions. Will we be transparent, or will we hide behind nebulous arguments like national security to veil the ugliness of our acts? I think we are stronger and better than that. I think the world wants us to be. It is waiting to see.
Michael T. McPhearson, a native of Fayetteville North Carolina was a field artillery officer in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, also known as Gulf War I. Michael joined the Army Reserve in 1981 as an enlisted soldier at the age of 17 and attended basic training the summer between his junior and senior high school years. He is a ROTC graduate of Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. His military career includes 6 years of reserve service and 5 years active duty service. He separated from active duty in 1992 as a Captain.
Now living in Saint Louis Missouri, Michael is currently the Executive Director of Veterans For Peace.
His volunteer social and economic justice activist work include membership in Military Families Speak Out, as a coordinating committee member for the Bring Them Home Now campaign against the U.S. occupation of Iraq and as a Co - Chair of United For Peace and Justice.
In December of 2003 Michael returned to Iraq as part of a peace delegation to examine the state of the occupation first hand. He has also traveled to Istanbul Turkey and Bologna Italy as a speaker on the U.S. peace movement and world peace.
He is the father of a son who has served one tour in Iraq and has since separated from the military.