Friday, June 16, 2006

David Hicks documentary; The President Versus David Hicks

June is torture awareness month, but naturally, once aware, you cannot limit yourself to one designated time to raise awareness as becoming aware is like peeling an onion; people need constant exposure, here and there to warm up to the idea that torture is actually occurring. Americans in general are so removed from the day to day military activities, in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the facilities such as Guantanamo Bay, that, news goes in one ear, and out the next.

Yes, 'torture' is not exactly water cooler talk, small talk when at the park with the kids and having a conversation with another parent..dinner conversation, anyone? I do believe that people who function at a higher level of morality, e.g., seek to place the whole wild world in a greater context than the narrow confines of their own little existence, will naturally gravitate towards wanting to learn about this. The majority of people, having to eak out a living or just having other things on their minds, are the ones that need to become more aware of their political and social environment. The world is bigger than their own cosmos. And outside their cosmos..ugly things have occurred in the name of... .


Take David Hicks, sold by the Northern Alliance to the US. Read about him on the site fairgofordavid.
David was captured in Afghanistan in January 2002. Since then, David has been a prisoner at the American naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. No charges have been laid against him, no date has been set for a trial
Read David Hicks facts here.


Terry Hicks, David's father has always said the following, which is what most people want for all the prisoners taking by the US;
Since he learned his son was in the military jail, Terry has maintained that all he wants is for the Americans to charge David, if they have any evidence, and give him a fair trial..

Terry and others, including David's laywers argue that the Guantanamo Bay trial will not be fair because it will be a military tribunal in which the normal civil rules of law do not apply. For example, evidence obtained under interrogation will be admissible. The Pentagon has also recently stated that prisoners may be kept at the jail indefinitely if they are believed to be a threat to the US.


He's been campaigning for this ever since. Terry Hicks protesting his son's indefinite imprisonment, replicating the space his son David was in for solitary confinement, here seen in New York City.

Please read one of the very few interviews Terry Hicks has given.This one dates the year 2002.

I like the point that Terry Hicks has taken. If my son is guilty, put him on trial where there is accountability. However, the Bush administration has gone about from day one in pursuing war, pursuing legal changes, trying to undermine everything that could possibly hold them to the high standard that elected officials are supposed to be held to. The reason this is not a real democracy is that the majority of people have abdicated taking part in it. It's the only way to keep government officials (including any President), honest.

9 comments:

  1. Great stuff Ingrid. Please keep the great comments coming. I will try to do better with reguards to creating civil discourse worthy of an adult trying to keep sanity during the summer months. (laughing)

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  2. Yes, humour is a great coping mechanism for situations that are just too idiotic ... That is why I had to do a post on Lewis Black monday...and introduced him to one of my UK regulars (osterley times) who ended up putting the whole HBO special on his blog..there are different ways that lead to Rome, the funny one with twists and turns is usually the best
    Ingrid

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  3. Can you believe I just had my user rights stripped from DKos for this article?

    http://donkephant.blogspot.com/2006/06/lord-specter-last-of-sith-lords.html

    I guess they didn't see the humor in the piece.

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  4. what do you mean user rights? I will quickly check out your site if I have time because I am on my way out, but could you pls explain? What's this..DKos no humour? Hey, as an Independent I would say..of course they don't , ha! will check..
    Ingrid

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  5. In my opinion, DailyKos has become quite inhospitable if you don't agree with Kos or his longtime users. I had the last straw when he went off on Jason Leopold earlier this week when Rove's lawyer claimed that he's off the hook.

    Democratic Underground has become like that as well. That's why I don't show up on either site anymore.

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  6. Robbie, don't know if you checked out the link I had to Robert Jensen's article on fundamentalisms or Davidson Loehrs', but in essence, whether it's left, right..there are gobs of people on either side who are just as intolerant and a lot of those feed off their anger, intolerance, need for control and conformity..it's not the issue, it's the type of person that will take the same attitude when it adopts another issue..intolerant will remain intolerant. Liberal does not necessarily equal 'tolerance'. Too bad you had those experiences though... people get set up to expect more from 'the other side' because the 'OTHER' side is demonized..so the 'our side' has got to be better..right?
    (confusing enough for ya? haha)
    Ingrid
    ps how was jury duty? I got summoned as well but had to decline as I'm not a citizen..too bad..

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  7. I wasn't selected for jury duty. Things are back to normal.

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  8. user rights=posting and commenting rights.

    I had to write an apology letter to the Admin.

    I guess they thought using the picture of Arlen during chemo was in poor taste. I think they missed the point of the article.

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  9. Robbie, that was a good thing then wasn't it?
    Cyberotter, let me get this straight; they use someone else's pic but you cannot use the one they post on their site? As for the posting and commenting rights, I am not clear on that. Was it an original post from the DailyKos? Well, I guess it's good to know alllll those rules before signing up anywhere..even 'friendlies'...
    Ingrid

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