Monday, February 28, 2005
"Extraordinary rendition"
"We feel dismay, anger, devastation, utter shock and disbelief. The very foundation of our faith is shaken." ~ Gerald Mansholt, bishop of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which was the church that the suspect in the BTK killings belonged to.
BTK = Bind Torture Kill
It's Called Torture
By Bob Herbert. NYTimes (no login required)
A Massachusetts congressman, Edward Markey, has taken the eminently sensible step of introducing legislation that would ban this utterly reprehensible practice. In a speech on the floor of the House, Mr. Markey, a Democrat, said: "Torture is morally repugnant whether we do it or whether we ask another country to do it for us. It is morally wrong whether it is captured on film or whether it goes on behind closed doors unannounced to the American people."
[...]
I asked Pete Jeffries, the communications director for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, if the speaker supported Mr. Markey's bill. After checking with the policy experts in his office, Mr. Jeffries called back and said: "The speaker does not support the Markey proposal. He believes that suspected terrorists should be sent back to their home countries."
Surprised, I asked why suspected terrorists should be sent anywhere. Why shouldn't they be held by the United States and prosecuted?
"Because," said Mr. Jeffries, "U.S. taxpayers should not necessarily be on the hook for their judicial and incarceration costs."
It was, perhaps, the most preposterous response to any question I've ever asked as a journalist.
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