netflixed

I've had Taxi to the Dark Side for more than a month. I don't have a lot of free time right now to watch DVDs, but mostly I had it so long because I'm sick and tired of the Bush clan and the way they've wrecked my country. Re-visiting Rumsfeld and Cheney's disgusting dismantling of our laws and international human rights obligations just wasn't appealing. I almost sent the DVD back unwatched, but then I read in Harper's an article about the necessity of keeping pressure on the next administration to put these bastards on trial and I was motivated to watch the documentary.

So, as much as I'd like to forget what happened, it's my duty as a citizen to make sure nobody ever forgets. It's also my duty to pester people who say torture is ok to watch this movie about US soldiers killing an innocent Afghani taxi driver. At least 37 detainees in US custody have been murdered that we know about. How many of them were also innocent? How many of the thousands who were tortured or mistreated had nothing to do with 9-11 or fighting US soldiers?

I plan to write President Obama shortly after his swearing in to ask that he vigorously investigate violations of human rights and US law by the previous administration. I know this is unlikely to happen, but until the Generals and policy makers--not merely the troops involved--are held accountable for their roles in these atrocities, I won't feel like I have my country back.

Watch the interview with the film-maker's father* in particular. He was a military interrogator during WWII and the Korean conflict, and his disgust with Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld is palpable. "I always had the idea that we were on the side of the good guys," he says. "Now I've lost all faith in the American government."

*Included as a special feature on the DVD