Letter to Congress on Detention and Torture

Senator Bob Graham
United States Senate
Washington DC 20510

Thursday, December 26, 2002

Dear Senator Graham,

I am writing today with no enthusiasm whatsoever to lodge what I know is no more than a pro forma protest over the treatment of prisoners at Bagram in Afghanistan and Guantanamo in Cuba. Unfortunately, the recent press reports only confirm what has been inevitable since the passing of the “Patriot” Act and the declaration of the “War on Terror(ism)”.

The imprisonment of people known to be innocent, and the torture of prisoners by U.S. personnel or their surrogates, are contrary to everything that Americans hold dear. They reflect the worst in human nature, and are not justified by any overriding purpose or extenuating circumstances. From a utilitarian point of view, the long-term and irreparable damage done to the interests of our country by those responsible for these outrages outweighs any possible benefit by an almost infinite ratio.

Yours sincerely and with great sadness