Adding to what Glenn Greenwald has to say on the subject of suppressing photographs of the mistreatment of detainees, I’d like to point out that the Freedom of Information Act is one of the key pillars that helps correct bad foreign policy decisions and to prevent them from happening in the first place.
For example, if seeing images of what the government is doing, and allowing to be done, is going to inflame world opinion against our nation’s foreign policies, then, in most cases, we ought not to be pursuing those policies.
I can imagine exceptions. I certainly understand that images can be used selectively in a propagandistic way. No single image, or series of images, can tell the whole story. Sometimes such compilations can be deeply misleading. The answer to that, though, is not suppression but more information that helps give a truer and more nuanced picture of reality.
The bottom line is that it is precisely because these images, if released, will reflect badly on our government that they have the power of preventing our government from continuing to do things that reflect badly upon it. That is the real value of the FOIA. Efforts to weaken the FOIA are really an acknowledgment that our foreign policy cannot be sustained in the light of day.
The counterargument is that the policies have already changed so we don’t need this lesson. It’s a weak counterargument. If our policies really have changed, the world will see these photos as historic artifacts and there will not be any increased violence against our troops in foreign lands. It is only if the world perceives that the photos depict current policy that we’ll face increased risk. Unfortunately, that’s what our government is worried about.
I believe our policies have changed in significant ways, and I think the world recognizes that. But, without accountability, our culpability for past actions is still outstanding.
I totally agree with you and Glenn. It is the image of what we are doing now, with the rhetoric that Obama has given out to the world, that would crash and burn, if America does not follow through with its change of how we are doing things as opposed to the previous administration. This is why I think we need to get to the bottom of this today instead of letting it fester and cause more distrust for the future. The world is watching and this is gonna come to a head sooner rather than later,if left to fester. Obama better get on the stick or he will be a one term prez…..we here in America are watching too……
What a terrible thing to have such great talents wasted on just one razors edge of this whole crap image scenario.
It is not rocket science…I do not understand why they are making it so damn complex!
It’s not just weak, it’s total bullshit. It isn’t up to any “authority” to decide what “we” need to learn and don’t need to learn. Any argument against releasing the photos is simply a cover-up like any other cover-up of government crimes and misdemeanors. Hiding the photos amounts to just another expression of American exceptionalism: Because we’re us, we don’t have to pay for our mistakes or our crimes, unlike those secondary nations.
What’s more immoral, the act itself or hiding the act?
Both.
As in those who do both. I wrote that when I was thinking about Robert Mayhew and which tact he would take to defend this.
Also from Greenwald
“Once you accept that rationale — the more extreme the Government’s abuses are, the more compelling is the need for suppression — then open government, one of the central planks of the Obama campaign and the linchpin of a healthy democracy, becomes an illusion. “
And from a commenter to his diary
“It should not take a law to open up the government to inspection by the citizens. That should be the default. It should rather take a law to define what kinds of things might be kept secret if absolutely necessary.”
agreed.
the “potential blowback for our troops” excuse for not releasing the additional photos is weak.
the larger blowback would be from our own people, and from other nations, particularly Jordan; I believe the king of Jordan is on record stating something like “we are watching for the result of U.S. prosecutions for torture”.
again, it’s all about perception/the so called moral high ground– if it is revealed we are involved in the most heinous sort of torture practices, then we obviously have NO leverage over nations like China, N. Korea, Jordan, etc., when it comes to their torture issues. in fact, China tells us to f— off every time we bring up the human rights issue to them.
.
The New York Times was provided 3 extremely important internal Justice Department emails from April, 2005 (.pdf) — all written by then-Deputy Attorney General Jim Comey — which highlight how the Bush administration’s torture techniques became legally authorized by Bush lawyers.
From Firedoglake:
Pre-Emptive Strike on OPR Report: NYT Misrepresents Comey Emails, Claims He Approved Torture
Dick Cheney, David Addington and George Bush himself continuously exerted extreme pressure on DOJ lawyers to produce memos authorizing them to do what they wanted to do — not because they were interested in knowing in good faith what the law did and did not allow, but because they wanted DOJ memos as cover — legal immunity — for the torture they had already ordered and were continuing to order.
The key excerpts tell the story as clearly as can be. Comey was vehemently opposed to a draft memo written by Acting OLC Chief Steven Bradbury — ultimately dated May 10, 2005 (.pdf) — that legally authorized the simultaneous, combined use of numerous “enhanced interrogation techniques” on detainees. This “combined techniques” memo was crucial because these were the tactics that had already been used on detainees, and — after the prior OLC memos authorizing those tactics were withdrawn — the White House was desperate for legal approval for what they had already done and what they wanted to do in the future.
Comey begins by noting that OLC lawyer Patrick Philbin had expressed numerous objections to the Bradbury memo. <link>
Comey then noted that he, too, had “grave reservations” about the DOJ legal opinion: <link>
As a result of his objections, Comey went to Attorney General Alberto Gonazles to urge that the memo not be approved, but Gonzales told him that he was under extreme pressure from Dick Cheney, David Addington, Harriet Miers — and even Bush himself — to get these memos issued: <link>
Read Glenwald …
“But the article on which he based that statement was seriously flawed and greatly overplayed. It demonstrated again the dangers when editors run with exclusive leaked material in politically charged circumstances and fail to push back skeptically. The lapse is especially unfortunate at The Times, given its history in covering the run-up to the Iraq war.”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."When a government does something really dastardly it is SOP to cover it up.
The US is still refusing to release pictures taken in Hiroshima and Nagasaki immediately after the A bombs were dropped. Not only have they bottled up pictures taken by US personnel sent to document things, but they seized film from Japanese cameramen who traveled to the areas.
It is one of the foundational myths of America that we are the “good guys” and anything that counters this is suppressed.
Just for the record, a few random examples:
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Whatever the admin decides to do about the abuse pictures they have already lost the propaganda war. The nationalist recruiters in the hot spots in the world can paint a picture of abuse any way they wish and the US can’t refute the claims.
Funny how we’re moving on getting the journalists freed in North Korea, but refuse to lift a finger to do anything about Gitmo and similiar programs elsewhere. When the shoe is on the other foot, we move.
Funny how that all works.
I actually disagree with Greenwald. Releasing those photos will put our troops in danger. We released the first batch of photos and the violence in Iraq went up as a result. Obama does not want those photos released, the generals in theatre don’t want those photos released, and the soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan don’t want those photos released. We should listen to them, and not release those photos.
Look, we know crimes were committed. Any sane man, (with the exception of looney bin Cheney), recognizes that. We should prosecute those responsible to the highest extent of the law. I’m all for that, but releasing those photos would only serve as a rallying point for those who would strike out against us.
President Obama is right, Joe Lieberman is right, Leon Panetta is right and hopefully Obama will stick to his word on this. Not releasing those photos is not a weak argument, it’s a sane and rational one. I side with the troops on this one. After all, they are the ones who may have to face the potential blowback with their lives.
Ummmm NO.
These people are trying to protect a timetable for withdrawl, not the troops. If they really wanted to protect the troops then remove them. Period. They don’t want to because of politics, the who lost Iraq blame game.
The other reason is if these pictures get out there is no stopping putting the previous admin on trial probably for accessory to murder or something. This is not what Cass Sunstein and Ellena Kagan want Obama to do. Its probably what Obama ever wanted to do either.
Obama is spinning furiously to keep this stuff from blowing up and derailing his agenda. I don’t really get it though, if he actually puts these people away then he must think they could do it to him someday. But that could only happen if he breaks the law.
The other thing about actually putting the Bushies on trial would be to totally disgust the american public and especially the remaining same republicans that they were fools for listening. There could be great electoral success built into that. Assuming Krugman is correct about the economy bouncing back ( doubt it )
“These people are trying to protect a timetable for withdrawl, not the troops.“
Timetable for withdrawal should be in quotes. It is code for a ploy by means of which to buy time to engineer a permanent U.S. military presence.
Obama will remove the troops from Iraq, but if these photos are released, and the troops are still there, I can almost guarantee there will be some repercussions because of it. Obama talked to the soldiers and the generals in charge, and almost to a man, everyone of them said that releasing those photos would put us in more danger.
Obama IS looking out for the welfare of our soldiers, and that’s why he’s against the releasing of these photos.
Look, someday, I may want the release of the photos so that we may all see what kinds of crimes the Bushies did and hold them accountable, but not now. On this issue at least, I back Obama.