-The 28th Of July: Liberty Leading The People 1830; Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) In times such as our present day, unity among the people has never been emphasized as it is now. January of 2009 marked the new reign of what we hope to be a light shed on an eight year rule of tyranny, better known as the Bush Administration. While some refuse to see the evils of what occurred under this time period, the media has surely not been so weak. Documents and testimonies have hit the public at an alarming rate, which has overwhelmed readers in both a positive and negative way. The positive reinforcement provided the public with proof that laws and treaties were broken, such as Geneva Conventions, the War Crimes Act, and the Convention Against Torture. Other crimes that were reinforced by the documents were the obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence, perjury, lying to Congress, and breaking the Civil Service Reform Act, as well the Hatch Act. With so much information, the negative reinforcement has burned itself into the back of readers’ minds, reading detailed information pertaining to water boarding, hanging (by means of torture, not of death), starvation, beatings, and sleep deprivation. However, no amount of text can compare to the bone chilling voices of first hand inmates that were tortured under rule of our president (Bush). Some of these testimonies included Syrian-Canadian citizen Maher Arar’s firsthand experience (http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/ara101807.pdf) as well as those recently acquired by the International Committee of the Red Cross (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22530).
“These past few years have been a nightmare for me. Since my return to Canada, I have
lived in constant psychological pain. This pain manifests in various forms. I feel emotionally distant from my family, including my wife and children. I am still fragile. I have lost confidence in myself and am easily overwhelmed. I have lost the ability to multi-task, which is essential for my engineering profession. I can no longer concentrate for more than a short time. I have nightmares and recurring flashbacks, and constantly fear flying and being kidnapped again. My body is slowly healing, but the cognitive and psychological scars are still with me”-Maher Arar
lived in constant psychological pain. This pain manifests in various forms. I feel emotionally distant from my family, including my wife and children. I am still fragile. I have lost confidence in myself and am easily overwhelmed. I have lost the ability to multi-task, which is essential for my engineering profession. I can no longer concentrate for more than a short time. I have nightmares and recurring flashbacks, and constantly fear flying and being kidnapped again. My body is slowly healing, but the cognitive and psychological scars are still with me”-Maher Arar
In response to recent events, we as a people must come together in unity and have a strength that is long overdue. Our current economy is in shreds due to improper leadership on behalf of George W. Bush, and our reputation, America’s, isn’t far behind. By not investigating and bringing up what really happened (Truth Commission) and prosecuting officials of the Bush Administration who condoned such actions, we are showing all other countries that abuse of power is acceptable. Although some argue that “a truth commission is needed but prosecution is not”, Senator Patrick Leahy, we as a country have a duty to enforce that no one person is above the law. We all must abide by the law, whether it is the richest of Congress or the poorest of the streets.
We as America have a big weight on our shoulders, that weight being to be the prime example of what a country should be. We must allow integrity to guide us to being a strong, centered, and powerful country. With liberty leading the way, we as a people will follow in unison. With such a powerful bond and leadership, one that we hope to see in current President Obama, there will be nothing that we as a country cannot overcome, whether it’s a war or a recession. We will follow integrity, righteousness, and truth in our quest to learn from past mistakes, fix current ones, and ensure that our following days are brighter than those that were before it.
We as America have a big weight on our shoulders, that weight being to be the prime example of what a country should be. We must allow integrity to guide us to being a strong, centered, and powerful country. With liberty leading the way, we as a people will follow in unison. With such a powerful bond and leadership, one that we hope to see in current President Obama, there will be nothing that we as a country cannot overcome, whether it’s a war or a recession. We will follow integrity, righteousness, and truth in our quest to learn from past mistakes, fix current ones, and ensure that our following days are brighter than those that were before it.
