Thankyou Amy Goodman and colleagues for your coverage of extraordinary rendition this a.m.It was a great broadcast and the timing was excellant considering the embarrassing recent "disappearance" of the CIA interrogation tapes.
The live telephone interview(with the help of Fuad,the interpretor),with Yemeni ex-prisoner Mohamed Bashmilah who was rendered to these "black-sites" in Jordan and Afghanistan and finally imprisoned back in the Yemen at the behest of the Bush administration's arbitrary 'trawl-net' for terrorists, was very painful to listen to,especially as the evidence against Mr Bashmila was almost negligable and NO CHARGES were ever brought against him.
The conditions of capture and torture were painful enough to hear about, never mind for him,and indirectly his family to undergo,but this testimony is not a surprise after reading and hearing of many other people,likely innocent(just sold for bounty),who have been'scooped' up in the Bush 'trawl net' for the real Al Qaida terrorist-scum such as Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri etc.
Personally speaking,from an ordinary peace-loving person to Mr.Moh'd Bashmilah,I am SO SORRY for the pain you were put through and the pain felt by your family.I hope your mother is well,and has had her needed surgery.It was kind of you to say, out loud,that you realise that even though you were held FOR American CIA purposes,you did NOT hold it against ALL the American people.
There are many of us who still believe in the Rule Of Law,and adherence to human rights,the right of habeus corpus,and how the collection of solid,irrefutable intelligence must be apparent and proven,to a judiciary,BEFORE subjecting individuals to incarceration and just punishment.
It's not as if the people in America DON'T KNOW that the present Bush administration is agreeable to these rendition actions.They either do,or play the game of 'EMU' whilst trying to get on with the simple life and it's everyday headaches! LOL!
It's just that the perpetrators of 9/11 are hated(not feared!)so much,by their very actions casting their disgusting hypocritical odour across the whole of Islam,which is unjust and un-islamic of THEM! This bitter-tasting passion and personal mourning blinds many people to reason,stirring up uninformed passion and distorted hatred.
The American corporate media spin has been so distorted and selectively censored that it's up to the individual,more than ever,to INFORM themselves,to get ALL sides of the story(thankyou,Democracy Now,for adding to that knowledge.
But,I digress!
I thank Moh'd Bashmilah fo his painful story.I love America very much but also understand that,like everywhere,we have many faults and mistakes to make up for.Including making sure that our country is in the hands of internationally eloquent,strong,honest,ethical and lawful people,and not those with myopic personal/corporate agendas who would embarrass and endanger the nation and it's historical legacy/reputation worldwide.
To Mr.Moh'd Bashmilah and family in the Yemen,I wish you a blessed holy season,and a peaceful and happy future!
Peace,Salaam,Shalom to all!