Why Guantanamo still weighs heavily on America's conscience

[Rhiannon12866]

THE photograph was one of the most poignant images of the aftermath of September 11. Twenty men dressed in orange jumpsuits, eyes obscured behind blackened goggles, hands and legs shackled, cower behind chainlink fences as US soldiers stand over them.

It was taken four months to the day after the terrorist attacks, and seemed to sum up the mood of America. ''You may have brought down the twin towers'', the image seemed to say, ''but look what we've done to your leaders.''

Ten years on, little of that early bravado remains. The primitive cells where those first 20 detainees were held on January 11, 2002, have been transformed into a multimillion-dollar complex.

Despite Barack Obama's promise to close the camp, there it still stands, mocking America's claim to moral supremacy and acting as a powerful recruiting tool for the country's enemies.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/why-guantanamo-still-weighs-heavily-on-americas-conscience-20120111-1pve8.html#ixzz1j9kmYem6

[bonnieS]

1. Thanks for this.