The Soviet States of America

By Michael J.W. Stickings

A truly "disturbing" story comes to us from Brad Plumer today. It seems that suspected (but never charged with anything) terrorist (er, "enemy combatant") Jose Padilla has "basically gone insane during his time in U.S. military custody, after four years of stress positions and 'total sensory deprivation.'"

Which apparently suits the U.S. government just fine. Although it denies mistreatment, it's defending its outrageous treatment of the poor man. Here's the NPR report quoted in Brad's post:

The government maintains that whatever happened to Padilla during his detention is irrelevant, since no information obtained during that time is being used in the criminal case against him.

Which is one of the stupidest and most reprehensible justifications for what amounts to torture I've ever heard. It was okay to mistreat him because nothing of value came out of it? Here's more:

[T]here are even some within the government who think it might be best if Padilla were declared incompetent and sent to a psychiatric prison facility. As one high-ranking official put it, "the objective of the government always has been to incapacitate this person."

This is truly reprehensible. On top of physical mistreatment, this amounts to mental torture -- indeed, to an execution of sorts. Padilla is still alive, but is he now other than a shell? Whatever was inside him has been destroyed. All that's left is dementia. And yet, this is what the government intended to do? Let no one ever say again that American intentions are noble and pure. At least not with this cadre of criminals in charge. Like Padilla, America too seems to be a shell. Bush and the warmongers and their allies have essentially spent the past six years destroying the American soul. And all that's left, at least at the top, is dementia.

Brad (from Digby) finds this remarkably similar to how the Soviet Union treated its prisoners. For such is what America has become.

[Creature's note: Michael's putting me to work today. These are his words, and my posting labor.]