GITMO and the American Christian Churches

The Bush/Chaney administration did a number of things to America after the 911 attacks.  They changed our very nature.  They changed our government policy regarding how we treat others and what is allowable in the treatment of prisoners accused of supporting terrorism.  They used unfounded fear and lies to convince a majority of Americans that unless America changed its values it would be destroyed. 

Many Republicans (McCain, McConnell, Graham, etc), some Democrats (including our Christian President, Obama) and many churches refuse to have these actions investigated. 

Let us, Christian Americans, look at what we did at GITMO and in prisons around the world, to God’s creatures – human beings, accused terrorist supporters, in our control.

The list of government approved interrogation methods included the following:

• Starvation
• Restraint in painful positions in order to cause pain and suffering, for hours, days and weeks and prisoners were told the pain would never stop
• Head slapping (beatings)
• Head slamming into a plywood wall, you handcuff the prisoner hands behind his back and blindfold him, then without warning slam his head into a plywood wall
• Withhold sleep for days and in some cases weeks causing mental illness
• Keeping prisoners in a cold room naked until hypothermia starts
• Threatening to hurt the prisoner’s family including their wife and children 

By the way all these actions are against US law and international law and if used by your local police would result in criminal charges for those who used theses cruel methods along with those who ordered them used.

Those ordering this mistreatment of prisoners all claimed to be Christians; Bush, Chaney, Rice, Gates, Tenet, Hayden, Goss and the list goes on up to 500 that knew what was being done.

What has always amazed me is no one resigned.  Not one official in the Bush administration refused to support these inhumane acts, these Un-Christian acts.  No one went public to condemn these actions as un-American and UN-Christian. 

No churches came out against these actions and demanded those responsible be investigated and if found to have broken the law be charged and brought to justice. 

Now both Republican and Democrat Senators refuse to have any of this investigated and so does our Christian President.  Past CIA Directors also want those who committed war crimes to go free and keep their jobs.  I say shame on you all.  What will you say to Jesus when he asks why you did this?  Most will tell him the same thing Dick Chaney told Pat Leahy on the floor of the Senate, “Go F--- yourself.”

To me the level of hypocrisy is almost beyond belief.  These people went to church, prayed and proclaimed their Christianity.

One can only image Bush, Chaney, Rice, Hayden, Tenet and a few other Christians kneeled in the Oval Office saying a prayer something like the one below:

“Dear Heavenly father, help our interrogators inflict the maximum amount of pain and suffering on these suspected terrorist supporters and force them to confess to the crimes we know they committed.  We need no hard evidence, no proof that would hold up in a fair trial, we know they are guilty, break them down and force a confession in the name of our personal savior Jesus Christ amen.”

Chaney even bragged about ordering these acts.  To this day not one person in the Bush administration has apologized for these actions.

Let’s be clear who was treated this way.  Thousands of prisoners were subjected to one or more of these treatments.  We know for sure that about a dozen (12) are terrorists, but 90% of the others were not.  None of the others were ever found guilty of any crimes or of attacks against America, with the exception of the 12.  Thousands have been released after suffering terrible treatment in the name of America. 

Many who took part in the actual mistreatment are still on the job in the military and in the CIA.  Some are in positions to order similar treatment.  Why would we ever trust these people again to act in a lawful and moral way?       

Matthew 22:37-40 

37”And He said to him, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'

 38"This is the great and foremost commandment.

 39"The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'

 40" On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

 Oh yes they are our neighbor and we did not love them.  If you were falsely accused and help in a foreign jail would you want to be treated this way?

Matthew 7:12 

GOLDEN RULE –

12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 25:44-46 

The Judgment

 44"Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

 45"Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

 46"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Hundreds of Afghans were picked up by the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and sold to the Americans as Al Qaeda for $3,000 each.  Over 90% were not Al Qaeda and yet they were taken to prisons in Afghanistan, GITMO and around the world where they were mistreated.

These human beings were not allowed an attorney for years until the court demanded they be given one.  They were not allowed a simple hearing until the court order demanded hearings.  They were held for years without seeing anyone except their prison guards who were mistreating them.  What we did was criminal, against US and international law and it was against all the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Where is the moral outrage from the Christian Churches?   

We should demand an investigation.  If we find people committed crimes they should be forced to take responsibility for those crimes. 

Please email your elected representative and tell them what you think.

 http://www.senate.gov