American Views Abroad

 
An article came in via a discussion group yesterday, Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons---Does such barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors committed in Iraq? Written after a four month investigation for BBC Channel 4, it describes gruelling, graphic, unbearable details of what takes place in some U.S. prisons and can be read at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8451.htm. Something nagged at me that I had heard a lot of this before. Back in April 2001 there was an article in Harper's by Barry Graham, http://www.grahamslam.com/Nonfiction%20Archive.htm, entitled Star of Justice: On the Job with America's Toughest Sheriff. About two months before this article appeared, public German TV had done a special on Sheriff Joe on a Friday evening that shocked me. What made it so appalling was how the report kept hammering home how these weren't convicted prisoners of hideous crimes, but people simply awaiting their day in court. I can't recall what was worse: the pink underwear or stripes they had to wear or whether it was the foul food they were given or the chain gang. Whatever it was, I recall feeling sick to my stomach. So when that issue of Harper's appeared, I was looking forward to reading what I thought would be many letters to the editor outraged by it all. None appeared as far as I remember or could account for today. A strange eerie silence I had difficulty understanding. Around that time I recall an advertisement plastered everywhere here using the image of a US policeman which I found troubling. It projected a big guy with mirrored glasses, lots of gadgets on, distanced and untouchable. What I can't recall is what product that image was pushing, but back then I was bothered about it. And that was before 9/11.
- posted by Gloria @ 4:09 PM