Op-Ed: UK Questions Continuous State of Emergency...The U.S. Should Too

A Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights report questions claims that the country has faced a 'public emergency' every year since 2001, calling for a review of counter-terrorism measures to see if they are all still justified...the U.S. should too

A report from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights reportedly questions claims that the country has faced a 'public emergency' every year since 2001, calling for a complete review of counter-terrorism measures, questioning whether they are all still justified, and warning that the Government's 'narrow' definition of what it considers being complicit in torture could be unlawful. The report found no legal basis for the position presented by Ministers which it described as "significant and worrying," adding that the case is now "irresistible" for an independent inquiry into allegations raised by Binyam Mohamed that Britain was complicit in his torture since an MI5 officer helped prepare questions for his interrogators. Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian native, was taken from Pakistan to Morocco in July of 2002 where he was handed over to agents of Moroccan intelligence who detained and tortured him for the next 18 months. In 2004, Mohamed was rendered to a secret U.S. detention facility in Afghanistan where he was tortured and inhumanely treated by U.S. officials. Later that same year, he was rendered a third time by U.S. officials to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Aircraft used to render Mohamed was registered to Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. Counter-terrorism measures taken by the Government were examined by the Committee which is comprised of peers and MPs (Members of Parliament). The Committee noticed that while the Government states that 'the protection of human rights is a key-principle underpinning all the Government's counter-terrorism work,' human rights are all too often squeezed out by the imperatives of national security and public safety. Government has Continuously Justified a State of Emergency for More Than Eight Years The report concluded that since September 11th 2001 the Government has continuously justified many of its counter-terrorism measures on the basis that there is a public emergency threatening the life of the nation and questions whether the country has been in such a state for more than eight years. Andrew Dismore, the chairman of the Committee, says there is no question that the threat from terrorism is serious and legislation is needed to counter that threat, but he questioned whether the counter-terror measures currently in place are justifiable in an ongoing basis based on the most up to date information they have. Questions were also raised over a Government definition of complicity in torture, which is quoted as "The Government's position is that the receipt of intelligence should not occur where it is known or believed that receipt would amount to encouragement to the intelligence services of other states to commit torture." The Committee could not find any legal basis for the Government's narrow formulation of the meaning of complicity. President Obama's Hypocrisy on Looking Forward and not Looking Back When it comes to America's human rights abuses there are double standards: When asked if Obama's administration was satisfied with the resolution of the past human rights abuses in Indonesia, President Obama replied 'We have to acknowledge that those past human rights abuses existed. We can't go forward without looking backwards..." When asked about whether the U.S. should use similar tribunals to investigate its own human rights abuses, and his view of other countries' efforts to investigate those abuses, Obama said 'I'm a strong believer that it's important to look forward and not backwards, and to remind ourselves that we do have very real security threats out there." As asked by Glenn Greenwald from Salon News, Why, as Obama sermonized, must Indonesians first look backward before being able to move forward, whereas exactly the opposite is true of Americans? If a leader is going to demand that other countries adhere to the very 'principles' which he insists on violating himself, it's probably best not to use antithetical cliches when issuing decrees, for the sake of appearance if nothing else. As noted by Jane Meyer from the New Yorker, documenting the multitude of lies told by Marc Theissen -- author of a fact-less, pro-torture book, former Bush speech writer and current Washington Post columnist, which in itself speaks volumes about the Washington Post's agenda and lack of credibility -- Obama's 'Look Forward/Not Backward' mentality is so destructive: "...By holding no one accountable for the past abuse, and by convening no commission on what did and didn't protect the country, President Obama has left the telling of this dark chapter in American history to those who want to whitewash it." Shielding criminals, regardless of political office, from accountability enables the glorification of crimes. 'Truths Will Either be Out or be Outed, Later if not Sooner' In 2003 William Gibson wrote:

"In the age of the leak and the blog, of evidence extraction and link discovery, truths will either out or be outed, later if not sooner. This is something I would bring to the attention of every diplomat, politician and corporate leader: the future, eventually, will find you out. The future, wielding unimaginable tools of transparency, will have its way with you. In the end, you will be seen to have done that which you did," and "It is becoming unprecedentedly difficult for anyone, anyone at all, to keep a secret."

As Gibson also noted, "If you wish to know an era, study its most lucid nightmares. In the mirrors of our darkest fears, much will be revealed. But don't mistake those mirrors for road maps to the future, or even to the present." The truth is coming out. As more people awaken to the realities of what happened on September 11, 2001, more people are pushing for the truth and realizing that the events of that day were intentionally -- and egregiously -- used to destroy their rights, liberties, and privacy. The relentless assault on the people needs to be recognized for what it is and stopped. America needs to question the continuous state of emergency since 2001 too.