Shortly after moving to Sydney, I would find myself in similar conversations with various individuals after they figured out I was from the US, which usually didn’t take them long after I opened my mouth. I was frequently asked who I would be supporting in the upcoming election. After responding Obama, the conversation would immediately turn to the Bush Administration. Two items usually discussed were the torture of detainees at Guantánamo and the lack of communication skills exhibited by the President. These issues weren’t discussed (politically) in terms that we (Americans) would classify as liberal or conservative. However, the fact that I made it known I supported Obama certainly opened the door for candid conversation regarding the 43rd President of the United States. I found the questions raised by many of the Australians I talked with to be the same ones I had been contemplating: How can we justify torture as a means to protect democratic societies? Why can’t the US President speak English properly and communicate effectively? These are neither liberal nor conservative questions, but they are questions about human dignity and language usage within a culture, respectively. Honestly, it has been weeks, if not months, since I have given these topics any serious consideration, until yesterday morning, when I read this interview with Specialist Brandon Neely, who was an MP at Guantánamo. It is a personal account of what he witnessed while stationed there. He speaks candidly and succinctly about torture. His interview is part of the Guantánamo Testimonials Project conducted by the UC Davis Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas. Of particular interest to me, because it fits nicely within the scope of this blog, Neely discusses his conversations with Australian detainee, David Hicks, who was the first person to be tried and convicted under the U.S. Military Commissions Act of 2006.
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