Lessons from the Movies

[Laxman]

I came home late Wednesday night. I had a pretty contentious public meeting and I was pretty wired. My wife and kids were already in bed so I sat down to watch some television. I put on Turner Classic Movies and they were doing a tribute to William Holden. They had on two of his movies that I really like; Stalag 17 followed up by Bridge Over The River Kwai.

Now if you haven't seen these classics, they are WWII movies, one set in a German prison camp, the other in a Japanese prison camp in Burma. I turned on Stalag 17 right at a scene where an inspector (The Geneva Convention Man) had come to check on the conditions the American POW's were being subjected to. As he conducts his inspection he comes upon the camp commandant (Otto Preminger) questioning one of the Americans suspected of sabotage.(we know from earlier in the film that he actually did blow up a munitions train) Preminger's technique for eliciting a confession was to keep him standing for an extended period of time without allowing him to sit or sleep and he is near exhaustion as the inspector comes in. The Swiss inspector admonishes the commandant that "following the end of hostilities there will be such a thing as a war crimes tribunal and those responsible for inhumane treatment of prisoners will be held accountable." This leads to the end of the interrogation.

In the next film a small group of Americans that include William Holden are joined by a contingent of captured British engineers in a Japanese work camp where they are impressed into service to build a railroad bridge under extreme conditions. The prisoners are forced to work. Punishments take the form of putting prisoners in a metal box in the sweltering tropical sun without water. They are beaten. They are forced to stand at attention for extended periods in the open. There is little food, no medicine and disease runs rampant in the camp. Working on the bridge eventually becomes the prisoners' salvation as it gives them the focus and purpose necessary to withstand the harsh conditions. However, the cruelty and inhumanity of the Japanese treatment of the American and British POWs is a focal theme of the movie. Eventually the Japanese camp commander commits suicide as the honorable thing over his shame regarding the treatment of the prisoners in his charge.

Two movies dealing with the treatment of American prisoners. They portray the evil of mistreatment and abuse. They feature the importance of following the dictates of the Geneva Convention or the malevolence or immorality of failing to follow the rules, especially where American prisoners were involved. These movies depict standards that are part of our culture and allegedly indicative of the "superior" morality of our American society and values.

Meanwhile, back here in the real world...abuse of our captives, secret prisons,and Kangaroo Courts designed to convict our enemies based upon evidence they can't see or that has been tortured out of them. Use the constitution for kindling. Call the freedoms contained in Bill of Rights quaint and outdated notions. Its hard to even count the ways that our national behavior is bad. The things that are done in our names. The types of things we would not countenance if visited upon our countrymen, based in no small part on the now outdated and no longer valid notion that we would never do such things to others.

There is no "Geneva Convention Man" who will visit the White House and tell Commandant Bush that when the hostilities are over (notwithstanding the fact that there is no end to hostilities against a concept) people will be held accountable. There is no shame over our conduct that would lead our Great Decider to do anything honorable. The damage to our reputation, the diminishment of our prestige, the injury to our national soul is irreparable. Our country, the strongest, the bravest, the noblest of nations is reduced to the role of the cowardly bully. Slaves of our fear. The shadow of terrorism used as a tool to make us serve our corporate masters. Are we better off than we were five years ago? That's not even a question worth asking. The real question is if we have ever been at such a low point as a nation. Search through our history. Unfortunately, I don't think so. If that isn't evidence that its time for a change, I don't know what is.

[acmejack]

1. The International Red Cross?

But we don't allow them entry since they dared criticize us.

[tocqueville]

2. at that time the US were the good guys.... (pics)

[Laxman]

3. Great Pictures

How did you get pictures from both movies so fast?

[tocqueville]

4. google is your friend

put the names of the movies in.. then "images"...