|
If we don't release the pictures they get to say, "See, we told you so. Hypocrites. They say one thing, and do another." Nothing good really comes of it, and it festers on, and on, and on, and on.
Or we release the pictures, hold people accountable, and people eventually get the message that we are, at heart, a nation that will NOT tolerate this being done in our names. Even if our system if capable of aberration, it is also capable of self-correction.
There will be a definite inflammation of the middle east, and it will no doubt be rather intense for awhile, but in this case the inflammation is only temporary. We can also prepare. At least something good comes out of it, unless you don't think holding torturers accountable a good thing, or restoring the tarnished image of our nation a worthwhile pursuit.
If it really comes down to lose/lose, aren't we just talking about a matter of degree? What is least painful for us, even to the point of throwing the rule of law out the window? I am not entirely convinced holding back these pictures is the least painful option, particularly in the long run.
What is the end message people will take away, not from our words, but from our actions? That we are a nation that lives by the rule of law and does not support even our leaders if they commit atrocities?
Or that we are a nation that covers up it's sins as best it can when it is in our interest, all the while claiming to be enforcing 'freedom' at the point of a gun?
Seems pretty clear cut to me.
|