Thursday, May 14, 2009

It's the law !

   I find myself apologizing to my parents a lot lately. Maybe I'm making up for all the bad things I did as a teen and never said sorry.  

   My mom come to visit a few days ago to see "Dancing With The Stars". She's a huge fan. I mean huge! She knows Gilles voting number by heart. Now remember this is the same woman that has to look up her own cell number ! And mine !  

   Anyway, this brings me to my point ... Waterboarding. I know ... Dancing with the stars? A visit from mom? What the hell does this have to do with water boarding? If you know me you know I have to give a 20 minute back story so I don't make a reference that's goes over your head. I'm not sure how the subject came up while watching morning TV over coffee (I'm sure it was that Hasselbeck women's fault) but it did. My partner and I agreed that "Yes, any prisoner should be subjected to any kind of torture ... laws be damned!" ... "If you bomb America and kill innocent people why the hell should you be free from the horrors of anything?!?!?". My mothers outlook on this was ... "its the law". Plain and simple. "Its against the law to waterboard or any other form of torture." And then she said something about Bush or Chaney lying  about it. That's when I stopped listening. He still makes my skin crawl, but that's for another blog. And yes, waterborading is a form of torture. We all know it. Anyway ... she's right. Its all here in black and white, in the Geneva Convention ... 

Chapter II : Wounded and sick
ARTICLE 12

     Members of the armed forces and other persons mentioned in the following Article, who are wounded or sick, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances.
    They shall be treated humanely and cared for by the Party to the conflict in whose power they may be, without any adverse distinction founded on sex, race, nationality, religion, political opinions, or any other similar criteria. Any attempts upon their lives, or violence to their persons, shall be strictly prohibited; in particular, they shall not be murdered or exterminated, subjected to torture or to biological experiments; they shall not wilfully be left without medical assistance and care, nor shall conditions exposing them to contagion or infection be created. Only urgent medical reasons will authorize priority in the order of treatment to be administered. Women shall be treated with all consideration due to their sex. The Party to the conflict which is compelled to abandon wounded or sick to the enemy shall, as far as military considerations permit, leave with them a part of its medical personnel and material to assist in their care.


   Now of course I have heard of the Geneva Convention in high school, oh so many years ago. But I didn't care. I stood my ground. All three of us did. As we "discussed", we, OK ... I got louder as I tend to do. We finally agreed to disagree on this topic. At least that's how I would like to remember it ended. 

   But over the last few days I got to thinking, a past time I don't recommend. It leads to introspective thoughts and soul searching. And apologies. I got to thinking ... was my mother against torture or was she apposed to it because we as a country agreed not to torture? So I called her. Turns out its both. So I agreed ... if we break this law what other laws can/will we break in the name of war? In the name of religion? In the name of human rights? We have to stand taller then countries that don't abide by these laws. Because if we don't we are no better then they are. 

   Once again mom you have opened my eyes.