Khaled el-Masri - Terrorist or A Case of Mistaken Identity
Recent news accounts talk about horrible things that happened to a Lebanese-born German man who was mistaken for a terrorist, something that could now happen to any US citizen, thanks to the "Patriot" Act. It is not just Americans who are not safe, though. As the story of el-Masri illustrates, this could also happen at any time to anyone living anywhere in the world as a result of the present cowboy, "Shoot and ask questions later" policy imposed on the CIA by the Bush Administration.
Khaled el-Masri is now in the US trying to have his day in court against the US government over his illegal abduction and transportation to a prison in Afghanistan where he was tortured. Turns out that even when the CIA knew that they had made a mistake, they did not immediately let him go, letting him languish in unspeakable conditions for more than two months.
Seems that the US government has apologized to the German government for kidnapping one of their citizens, but they have not apologized (or compensated) the actual person who was injured, and perhaps permanently emotionally scarred by the experience, something that should not be taken lightly considering the poor guy has a wife and 6 kids to support. So what is el-Masri asking for? $75,000 to compensate him for his lost time and injuries. He says he would even settle for something as small as a simple apology. Gad! it is easy to tell this guy is not an American! He should be asking for millions in compensation!!!!!
So, what do the big American legal gorillas overseen by Attorney General "I love torture and think its a good thing - just don't do it to me" Gonzalez do? They try in every way they can to squash this man's day in court because they are afraid any court case will force them to reveal details of how the CIA operates in terrorism cases. All I can say is that if this IS the way they operate, they have to be stopped cold! el-Masri could be any US citizen; and if the CIA is allowed to do the things they did to him, what is to prevent them from doing it to you or your loved ones. I'll tell you what........absolutely nothing!
This is a warning all citizens of the world should take note of. The US is a rogue state and becoming more roguish as time goes by. The US Congress and its people have to stop this juggernaut before it it too late. If indeed the US is a country that operates under the Rule of Law, then there have to be laws that the populace must insist their government adhere to, no matter what. If they don't, the people can expect one of these days that THEY or one of their kids or maybe one of their parents will end up like el-Masri. Spirited away with no notice or explanation, troubled, confused, afraid, tormented, physically abused, exposed to unspeakable horrors that will live with him for the rest of his life, even though he did absolutely nothing wrong.
That my friend is a living hell, and a cause we should be willing to fight to the death to stop!
Khaled el-Masri is now in the US trying to have his day in court against the US government over his illegal abduction and transportation to a prison in Afghanistan where he was tortured. Turns out that even when the CIA knew that they had made a mistake, they did not immediately let him go, letting him languish in unspeakable conditions for more than two months.
Seems that the US government has apologized to the German government for kidnapping one of their citizens, but they have not apologized (or compensated) the actual person who was injured, and perhaps permanently emotionally scarred by the experience, something that should not be taken lightly considering the poor guy has a wife and 6 kids to support. So what is el-Masri asking for? $75,000 to compensate him for his lost time and injuries. He says he would even settle for something as small as a simple apology. Gad! it is easy to tell this guy is not an American! He should be asking for millions in compensation!!!!!
So, what do the big American legal gorillas overseen by Attorney General "I love torture and think its a good thing - just don't do it to me" Gonzalez do? They try in every way they can to squash this man's day in court because they are afraid any court case will force them to reveal details of how the CIA operates in terrorism cases. All I can say is that if this IS the way they operate, they have to be stopped cold! el-Masri could be any US citizen; and if the CIA is allowed to do the things they did to him, what is to prevent them from doing it to you or your loved ones. I'll tell you what........absolutely nothing!
This is a warning all citizens of the world should take note of. The US is a rogue state and becoming more roguish as time goes by. The US Congress and its people have to stop this juggernaut before it it too late. If indeed the US is a country that operates under the Rule of Law, then there have to be laws that the populace must insist their government adhere to, no matter what. If they don't, the people can expect one of these days that THEY or one of their kids or maybe one of their parents will end up like el-Masri. Spirited away with no notice or explanation, troubled, confused, afraid, tormented, physically abused, exposed to unspeakable horrors that will live with him for the rest of his life, even though he did absolutely nothing wrong.
That my friend is a living hell, and a cause we should be willing to fight to the death to stop!
