Torture and the “Controversial” Arc of Injustice

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Torture and the " Controversial " Arc of Injustice

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 01:39:49 -0400

 

 

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/5/2005/1226

 

 

 

Norman Solomon

 

 

Torture and the " Controversial " Arc of Injustice

October 9, 2005

 

Several decades ago, " controversial " subjects in news media included

many issues that are now well beyond controversy. During the first

half of the 1960s, fierce arguments raged in print and on the airwaves

about questions like: Does a black person (a " Negro, " in the language

of the day) have the right to sit at a lunch counter, or stay at a

hotel, the same way that a white person does? Should the federal

government insist on upholding such rights all over the country?

 

Some agonizing disputes, in the media and on the ground, came to a

climax with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Suddenly, after

many decades of struggles against Jim Crow, federal law explicitly

barred racial discrimination in public accommodations and employment.

After President Lyndon Johnson signed the measure, saying " Let us

close the springs of racial poison, " controversy faded about access to

restaurants and hotels.

 

But the need for civil rights protests continued, and for a time they

increasingly focused on the right to vote. Banning poll taxes,

literacy tests and other timeworn devices of discrimination that were

routine in the South, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 followed. White

supremacists howled about states' rights, but the law took hold.

 

Meanwhile, housing remained an aspect of society replete with flagrant

bias. And " fair housing " became a new benchmark for progress in the

sights of civil rights activists. The forces of bigotry were sometimes

overt but often used coded language. During a gubernatorial campaign

in Maryland, a leading candidate pandered to white racism by adopting

the slogan " A man's home is his castle. " But for the backlash forces,

the last-ditch arguments and slogans failed. In April 1968, President

Johnson signed a bill that prohibited racial discrimination in rentals

and sales of housing units.

 

Looking back on the 1960s, it's notable that the wisdom of those civil

rights laws is now accepted by almost the entire political spectrum.

" Controversial " issues became non-controversial when advocates of

human-rights positions were able to get appropriate measures enacted

into law.

 

In a sense, for human rights, we can gauge the progress of our society

by assessing what has been settled and what is in open dispute.

 

So, today, what are we to make of the fact that torture is controversial?

 

In late September, there were new reports that U.S. soldiers have

engaged in extreme abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Sen. John McCain

responded by voicing support for a Senate measure that would require

the American military to adhere to the Geneva Convention's

prohibitions on torture.

 

Sadly, rather than just taking a moral position, McCain felt the need

to point out that torture means bad public relations for Uncle Sam:

" We've got to have it stopped. It is hurting America's image abroad. "

 

Obviously, even when McCain offers pragmatic arguments for why U.S.

military forces shouldn't be torturing people, the anti-torture

amendment is a tough sell in American politics today. " Told that the

White House was opposed to such an amendment and that the president

might veto the bill if the amendment were included, McCain said he was

unsure whether there were enough votes in the Senate to override it, "

the Los Angeles Times reported on Sept. 26.

 

Torture. Controversial. In 2005 -- not 1505, 1705 or 1905 -- in the

21st century, in a country that claims to be at the world's vanguard

of democracy and human rights.

 

Trying to gain political leverage for his, uh, controversial position

against torture, McCain was strategic during a Sept. 25 appearance on

ABC's " This Week " program. Speaking of the Bush administration, he

said: " I hope that they will understand why we're trying to do this

and why it's so important to America's image in the world. "

 

Similar arguments were made more than 40 years ago, when fire hoses

and police dogs were pointed and unleashed at young civil rights

demonstrators. And it was true: the vicious actions of a white

supremacist power structure did make the United States look bad in the

world. But that argument was far from the most compelling reasons to

support civil rights for all Americans.

 

Should the U.S. military be engaging in torture? Evidently, such

questions are now controversial. That should tell us something about

the news media's current political climate in the United States of

America.

 

" The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice, "

Martin Luther King Jr. said. But sometimes, the media framing of a

controversy indicates that the arc has been thrown into reverse.

 

_______________________________

Norman Solomon is the author of the new book " War Made Easy: How

Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. " For information, go

to: www.WarMadeEasy.com