El Tiempo, Colombia
Bush as Bad as bin Laden? In Some Ways, Worse ...

By Daniel Samper Pizano  

Translated By Barbara Howe

September 19, 2006
Colombia - El Tiempo - Original Article (Spanish)



Can one compare the democratically elected
George W. Bush (above) to terrorist mastermind
Osama bin Laden? (below). In many ways,
according to Daniel Samper Pizano, he's worse.

—BBC NEWS VIDEO: French report that
bin Laden is dead, Sept. 23, 00:01:44
RealVideo


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It's time to decide if Colombia will continue to support Bush's barbarities, and if so, why.

The civilized world has recently suffered two devastating attacks. The first perpetrated by al-Qaeda left 2,941 innocent people dead in the United States; the second perpetrated in retaliation by George Bush left many more dead, and destroyed some of the most widely-observed norms of justice and human rights. In just the first month of bombing in Afghanistan (in December 2001) there were 3,767 civilians killed. In the war in Iraq and the chaotic violence that it unleashed, civilian deaths n just the past July and August totaled 3,330.

Of course there are differences between Osama bin Laden, ringleader of a theocratic terrorist movement and George Bush, a popularly elected president of the most powerful democracy in the world. Nevertheless, the two have done comparable damage to the United States and the rest of the world: bin Laden with his insane and merciless crusade, Bush with his policy of illegal war and combat methods rejected under universal legal norms: illegal detentions, torture and kangaroo courts ...

Eight days ago marked the fifth anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks. It was a moment to remember those that have been lost and learn from past mistakes. But nothing seems to teach Bush, as he has presented a proposal to Congress that would legalize the tortures committed in the past, authorize them in the future, and exempt the United States from some of the rules of the Geneva Conventions, the global treaty meant to limit the savagery of war. "What is the meaning of [the words] human dignity?" he asked sarcastically, [in reference to what he said was the vague wording of the Geneva Conventions].

If the law passes, the CIA could detain suspects in secret prisons for indeterminate periods of time, interrogate them under torture and judge them under special military tribunals. Many dictatorships have done this, but on the margins of the law. Now the president of a democracy that has wanted to set an example is attempting to consecrate such barbaric statutes as part of Federal law.

Almost every Democratic Congressman as well as a growing group of Republicans (whom Bush accuses of "leaving the public defenseless") has opposed this illegal attempt, in addition to venerable former judges, lawyers of the Armed Forces, and generals such as Bush's ex-Secretary of State, Colin Powell. According to him, the proposal would make the world, "doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism." The most prominent members of the foreign and domestic press are scandalized by Bush's proposal, and many sympathetic governments view with horror this historic regression.



Former Secretary of state and Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, in his most
open disagreement with the Administration
since leaving office, has warned against the
President's latest proposals on torture.


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And what about Colombia? We know that because of government decisions taken without public debate, we are the only South American country that is taking part in the war against Iraq, and is supporting Washington's bellicose adventure. But we ignore the why, when and how of the way we got involved in this assault against international law. Digging through the archives reveals that on December 12, 2003, our ambassador to the U.N., Luis Guillermo Giraldo, declared in the Security Council that Colombia "supports the attack against Hussein," and believes that in this case, the "use of force" is justified.

Colombians have the right to say whether we want to continue being associated with this atrocity; whether we agree with it that Uribe backs this contempt for the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions; and if we are okay with the existence of secret prisons for torturing prisoners of war. It's time to clarify things and have the national debate that was never permitted by Uribe and Giraldo. As if we citizens didn't even exist.

Spanish Version Below

¿Qué pitos tocamos en Irak?

Septiembre 29 de 2006 - CAMBALACHE

Es hora de aclarar si Colombia sigue apoyando las barbaridades de Bush y por qué lo hace.

Dos ataques devastadores ha sufrido el mundo civilizado en el último lustro. El primero, perpetrado por Al Qaeda, asesinó a 2.941 personas inocentes en Estados Unidos; el segundo, perpetrado por el gobierno de George Bush como respuesta al primero, ha dejado muchos más muertos y destrozado varias de las más insignes normas de justicia y derechos humanos. Solo en el primer mes de los bombardeos contra Afganistán (diciembre del 2001) habían muerto 3.767 civiles. En cuanto a la guerra contra Irak y el caos violento que desató, los civiles muertos en julio y agosto pasados suman 3.330.

Por supuesto que hay diferencias entre Osama Ben Laden, cabecilla de un movimiento terrorista teocrático, y George Bush, presidente por voluntad popular de la más poderosa democracia del mundo. Sin embargo, el daño que ambos le han hecho a Estados Unidos y al mundo es comparable. Ben Laden, con su cruzada despiadada y delirante; Bush, con su política de guerra ilegal y la justificación de métodos de combate repudiados por normas universales de derecho: detenciones ilícitas, torturas, tribunales de bolsillo...

Hace ocho días se cumplieron cinco años del atentado de Al Qaeda. Fue un momento para recordar a los desaparecidos y corregir errores. Pero no parece aprender Bush, que presentó un proyecto al Congreso para legalizar las torturas cometidas, autorizarlas en el futuro y eximir a Estados Unidos de acatar algunas reglas de la Convención de Ginebra, el tratado global que hace menos salvaje la guerra. "¿Qué quiere decir eso de dignidad humana?", comentó con sorna. Si pasa esta ley, la CIA podrá encerrar sospechosos en prisión secreta por tiempo indeterminado, interrogarlos bajo tortura durante y juzgarlos con tribunales militares especiales. Muchas dictaduras lo han hecho. Pero al margen de la ley. Ahora el presidente de una democracia que ha querido ser ejemplar pretende consagrar semejante estatuto bárbaro como parte de los valores jurídicos nacionales.
A este atentado se oponen casi todos los parlamentarios demócratas, un creciente grupo de republicanos (a quienes Bush acusa de "dejar inerme al pueblo"), venerables ex magistrados, abogados de las Fuerzas Armadas y generales como el ex secretario de Estado de Bush Collin Powell. Según este, el proyecto "hará que el mundo dude de la base moral de nuestra lucha contra el terrorismo". La más importante prensa nacional e internacional está escandalizada por el proyecto de ley de Bush y muchos gobiernos amigos de Estados Unidos ven con horror este salto atrás en la historia.

¿Y Colombia, qué? Sabemos que, por decisión inconsulta de nuestro gobierno, somos el único país suramericano que está en guerra contra Irak y apoya la belicosa aventura de Washington. Pero ignoramos por qué, cuándo y cómo nos metimos en este atropello a la legalidad internacional. Hurgando en archivos aparece que el 12 de diciembre del 2003 el embajador ante la ONU, Luis Guillermo Giraldo, declaró en el Consejo de Seguridad que Colombia "apoya el ataque contra Hussein" y justifica en este caso "el uso de la fuerza".

Los colombianos tenemos derecho a saber si seguimos siendo socios de esta atrocidad, si Uribe respalda el desacato a la ONU y la Convención de Ginebra, si le parece bien la existencia de cárceles secretas para torturar prisioneros de guerra. Es hora de aclarar las cosas y que se un debate nacional que nunca salió del despacho de los doctores Uribe y Giraldo. Como si los ciudadanos no existiéramos.

LA MUERTE DE UN DECIMERO. Acaba de morir uno de mejores poetas populares de Colombia. Con la desaparición del bolivarense Alejandro Martelo Escobar -improvisador de décimas y abogado de corbata y cotizas¿ el folclor nacional pierde a uno de sus más entrañables personajes.

cambalache@mail.ddnet.es