Sunday, September 17, 2006

McCain--REMEMBER COLONEL HIGGINS?


I listen to the latest news, with so many saying that McCain's way is the way to go in the 'torture' venue, yet I wonder if he has forgotten Colonel Rich Higgins?

There was no call for his captors to follow the rules of the Geneva Treaty when he was captured. Why not? He wore the uniform of a US military man, he wore the Blue Beret of a UN Peacekeeper.... so he was a hostage, rather than a POW? And his captors were NOT wearing uniforms, were NOT military men of any nation?

The kinds of torture that the US gov't may use is NOTHING to compare to what those who are now fighting without any uniform use regularly.

Heavy metal music? Sleep deprivation? Torture?

How about beheading, or hanging..... or forced religious conversion at gunpoint?

I cannot agree with McCain at all on this. While he was a POW, and was subjected to torture by the North Vietnamese, he was wearing our uniform, they were wearing theirs.

North Vietnam did not follow the Geneva Convention, because, it in its view, the conflict in Vietnam was an "undeclared war." Go here for the story that accompanied the photo this quote is under. The sad thing is that the world, especially us, let them get away with this thinking back then. WE called them POW's, but the enemy did not treat them as such.

Instead, today, WE want to forget that the enemy who does not follow the basic laws and customs of war, wears no uniform or other distinguishing sign that can be recognized easily at a distance, and does not carry their arms openly.... is not covered under the Geneva Conventions .

THEY remember it. We should also.

Let's not forget men like Colonel Rich Higgins. It took over ten years for our gov't to even posthumously recognize that he was a POW.




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