United States Slammed By Amnesty International

From Associated Press: Amnesty International Takes Aim at United States in Annual Human Rights Report Amnesty International branded the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a human rights failure Wednesday, releasing a 308-page report that offers stinging criticism of the United States and its detention centers around the world. "Guantanamo has become the gulag of our time," Amnesty Secretary General Irene Khan said as the London-based group launched its annual report. Amnesty International called for the camp to be closed. The annual report accused the United States of shirking its responsibility to set the bar for human rights protections and said Washington has instead created a new lexicon for abuse and torture. "Attempts to dilute the absolute ban on torture through new policies and quasi-management speak, such as 'environmental manipulation, stress positions and sensory manipulation,' was one of the most damaging assaults on global values." Here is the flimsy US response mentioned in the same AP story to these damning criticisms: The U.S. government says it continues to be a leader in human rights, treating detainees humanely and investigating all claims of abuse, according to Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, a spokesman for the Department of Defense. He had not seen the report and declined comment on it. This is the usual response to any criticism of this Administration's policy on anything they have to get away from in order to give themselves time to think up a more convincing lie.In its' introduction, amnesty International described this about the United States: The USA, as the unrivalled political, military and economic hyper-power, sets the tone for governmental behavior worldwide. When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights, it grants a license to others to commit abuse with impunity and audacity. From Israel to Uzbekistan, Egypt to Nepal, governments have openly defied human rights and international humanitarian law in the name of national security and "counter-terrorism". Unfortunately, this is definitely the case. Therefore, it only stands to reason that every tin-pot dictator in any country can now use this model of the United States' actions as justification for committing their own acts of abuse. Now, when King George uses his favorite line that "freedom and democracy is on the march" we now know he is really saying that the freedom to kill and torture is what is on the march, and other countries can now do so under the shadow of what the United States is doing with his authorization. You know? It is bad enough that this undermines the credibility of the United States throughout the world. The more horrifying fact is the untold numbers of people who are tortured, maimed and murdered using the justification that if the U.S. can do it so can we.