I watched Road to Guatanamo last night. It's a fascinating first hand account of three (four, orginally, sadly) young British Asians getting caught up in US/British 'War on Terror'. It really exposes the knee-jerk, clumsy nature of the US/UK coalition's reaction in the wake of September 11th 2001 (No I won't call it 9/11, what's so special about November 9th anyhow?).
The closest analogy I can think of is trying to protect yourself from mosquitos using a sledgehammer, massive overkill, and yet also completely ineffective.
The scenes in Guatanamo were painful to watch. I found the shot of the sign outside the camp particularly ironic. The motto on it read 'Honour bound to defend Freedom'. I'm not sure exactly whose motto this is, but the only word of it that's relative in this context is 'bound'.
Those brave freedom fighters of the u.S. Marine Corps. must look back with pride on x hour shifts spent standing around preventing inmates from precipitating the destruction of American way of life by talking, praying, shading themselves from the sun etc.
It's extraordinary the Guatanamo Bay has been allowed to operate unchecked for 5 years now, how can you hold suspects for 5 years without charge? Such extended periods of incarceration on such a vague pretext is wrong in principle. However, it's the sheer ability to ignore the truth that stuns me. The three lads were being accused of being at Taliban rallies in Afhanistan in 2000, when even the briefest of checks with UK authorities would have confirmed that they were all in Britain at the time (some of them reporting regularly to police station, for goodness sake!).
I suppose it all comes down to the fact that U.S. government knows the most important thing is to be seem to be doin gsomething. This calls for bold gestures, never mind that these actions are grossly ineffective, result in yet more death, undermine valuable international institutions (the U.N, Red Cross), ignore the basic human rights of anyone who gets in their way, erodes the civil liberties of their own citizens and redners the notion of free speech in the U.S. entirely theoretical.
Bring it on... 'at a boy George.
fool...
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You should tell lots of people about this movie. I saw it and I think it's pretty good and I think Americans need to see this movie. Actually the British were stupid as well in the movie. They weren't actually helping those Pakistan British three because they asked them the same questions over and over again. It's a good movie because it puts the truth out there. You are right by the way, they wanted to make it seem like they were actually doing something and getting somewhere. That's why when they knew they were wrong or the guys wouldn't admit they were part of the taliban they stilll kept them there.
Yes, you're right, the British don't come out of it very well either: just as stupid, but more polite about it, basically.
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