PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN

I never got the whole "Proud to be an American" thing - or "Proud to be Irish" or "Proud to be from Philadelphia," for that matter. I always thought, hey, I am what I am. Should I be proud of having green eyes? It's just the luck of the draw.

However, I was always happy to be an American. I love what this country aspires to, even when she fails. But lately, I worry about where we're headed:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 - The International Committee of the Red Cross has charged in confidential reports to the United States government that the American military has intentionally used psychological and sometimes physical coercion "tantamount to torture" on prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

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The report of the June visit said investigators had found a system devised to break the will of the prisoners at Guantánamo, who now number about 550, and make them wholly dependent on their interrogators through "humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, use of forced positions." Investigators said that the methods used were increasingly "more refined and repressive" than learned about on previous visits.

"The construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture," the report said. It said that in addition to the exposure to loud and persistent noise and music and to prolonged cold, detainees were subjected to "some beatings." The report did not say how many of the detainees were subjected to such treatment.

Asked about the accusations in the report, a Pentagon spokesman provided a statement saying, "The United States operates a safe, humane and professional detention operation at Guantánamo that is providing valuable information in the war on terrorism."

It continued that personnel assigned to Guantánamo "go through extensive professional and sensitivity training to ensure they understand the procedures for protecting the rights and dignity of detainees."

The report was leaked by Red Cross officials frustrated with the organization's reluctance to take on the Bush administration publicly over this issue.

Lately, "proud" isn't a word I'd use about my country. I sort of feel the way a numbed parent must feel when her kid is indicted for murder; I just want to wake up from this nightmare.
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