America’s Moral Authority

December 02, 2009  |  Posted by Danielle Belton

While there were a lot of things to debate and be disappointed about in President Obama’s speech Tuesday night announcing the troop escalation in Afghanistan, there was one point we all could agree with. He again restated that he would close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

From President Obama’s speech:

We must promote our values by living them at home – which is why I have prohibited torture and will close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. And we must make it clear to every man, woman and child around the world who lives under the dark cloud of tyranny that America will speak out on behalf of their human rights, and tend to the light of freedom, and justice, and opportunity, and respect for the dignity of all peoples. That is who we are. That is the moral source of America’s authority.

We hope the president means this, especially as news has come to light about “black jail” sites in Bagram, where allegations of torture and people held without cause were recently reported in the Washington Post and New York Times.

The President has spoke out against torture in Guantanamo, but what about Bagram? If inmates are being abused under his administration at this other notorious prison, the Administration needs to speak up and say what they’re going to do about it.

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