Silence! We're Torturing
By SEAN HANNON
February 10, 2005
As a citizen of a country that is rapidly morfing beyond recognition from an envied beacon of liberty and democracy to something far different, I wrote a letter a few weeks ago regarding torture and the mounting evidence of our government’s broad application of it around the world.
In my letter, I complained of the silence in our community about the horrors being inflicted on captive individuals, not by the despotic regime we removed, but by us. My letter went unanswered. So, I am pressing the issue.
I have begun to collect signatures on a petition for a town resolution on human rights and the use of torture. The petition will lead to a Special Town Meeting. At this meeting, we will discuss the content of the petition, and debate its merits, and then vote on it. If passed, our elected officials in Washington will receive a copy of our resolution.
Why this ought to be taken up as a town issue seems obvious to me, but a few have already expressed to me their view that a community dialogue in town should remain confined to matters of local interest. In quieter times, I would probably agree with that. But there are moments in history when communities do need to look beyond their borders, and set aside partisan differences to make their voices heard as one. We’re at one of those moments, as something profoundly evil is eating away at our national character like a virulent cancer.
This is about closing loopholes, and insisting that our actions match our lofty words. This petition will be circulating around town for the next few weeks. Let’s have this meeting and this dialogue. Silence is too often received by our leadership as acquiescence and approval of the status quo. We are better than this. We can defeat the enemy without becoming the enemy.
