«’’'iìortianò (Pbacrucr Black History Month
Page A4
February 28, 2007
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
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ShuttingOut Minority Voices
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War Legacy
W hatever happened to war bond
drives? Previous wars asked the popula­
tion to loan money to the government.
Now, we give tax cuts to the wealthiest
Americans and add to the national deficit.
Wars are expensive.
China now owns 30% of our debt and
will have severe bargaining power when
it comes to trade negotiations.
What is the legacy that we will leave?
¡A tw e ll W e tz e l
A lo h a
V oter I.D . law s
re d u c e tu rn o u t
by
J udge G reg M atiiis
ment would disproportion­
ately affect Latinos and
African-Americans, theeld-
erly, the homeless, low-in­
come people and married
women; studies show these
groups are less likely tocarry
a photo ID.
Because the law is designed to pre­
vent undocumented citizens from vot­
ing, voters would be required to prove
citizenship with a photo ID. Since most
states don’t require citizenship to ob­
tain a state ID or driver’s license, the
only piece of identification that meets
this requirement is a passport, which
can cost up to $ 1(X). Recent statistics
indicate only 25-percent of voting age
Americans have a passport; that num-
Election reform is a serious
issue in this country, one that
has to be dealt with. But denying
American citizens the right to vote is
not the way to do it.
And that's exactly w hat’s happen­
ing in states that implement new iden­
tification requirements. A new study
shows that voter I.D. requirements
designed to combat fraud may actually
reduce turnout, particularly among
voters of color.
D ata recently released by the
Eagleton Instituteof Politics at Rutgers
University shows voter turn­
out forthe 2(X)4 elections was
about 4 percent lower in states
With some states threatening
that required voters to sign
their name or produce docu­ to enact even stricter laws, it is a
mentation. Turnout was 10
safe assumption that turnout
percent lower for Hispanics
and about 6 percent lower for would be reduced even further.
blacks and Asians.
With some states threat­ This is simply not acceptable.
ening to enact even stricter
laws, it is a safe assumption
that turnout would be reduced even ber is significantly lower among mi­
further. This is simply not acceptable. norities.
Several states, includingCalifomia,
Federal law currently requires first
time voters to verify their identity. Mississippi and Texas, are consider­
Approved forms of identification var­ ing some version of a photo ID law this
ies, ranging from social security cards year.
In 1965,theU.S.madeacommitment
to utility bills to signatures. Only one
to
historically
disenfranchised people
state, Indiana, currently requires vot­
when
the
Voting
Rights Act was passed
ers to produce a government-issued
by
guaranteeing
that no American
photo ID. The federal government,
would
be
denied
the
right to vote on
however, would like to change that.
The Federal Election Integrity Act account of race or color.
If this government is committed to
would require voters to present gov­
ernment-issued identification at the ensuring all Americans are able to par­
polls. Though a Georgia court has de­ ticipate in the political process, then it
clared such a law unconstitutional, the has to find a way to combat election
American government has continued fraud without compromising the vot­
to push it ahead. The House of Repre­ ing rights of citizens.
Judge Greg Mathis is national vice
sentatives passed the measure last year;
president o f Rainbow PUSH and a
the Senate has yet to vote.
According to a report sponsored by national board member o f the South­
the Justice Department, such a require- ern Christian Leadership Conference.
NNHMMMI
Bring America Back from the 'Dark Side'
Shut down Guantanamo Bay
by
C urt G oering
Last month marked the fifth anni­
versary of the transfer o f the first war
on terror suspects to the U.S. deten­
tion facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The world was repeatedly assured
by President George W. Bush and
others that these were exceedingly dangerous prison­
ers - “vicious killers... the worst o f a very bad lot,” as
former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called
them.
Officials insisted that they were not POWs and
therefore not entitled to the protections of the Geneva
Conventions; instead, they were declared “unlawful
enemy combatants." They would be vigorously inter­
rogated, charged with war crimes and tried before
military commissions.
At least that was what we were told.
What a difference five years makes. About 775
detainees from 45 countries have been held at various
times in Guantanamo. Today, about 430 detainees
languish there. Senior administration officials have
even said that some men may be held for the rest of
their lives. Vice President Dick Cheney meant busi­
ness when he warned that the United States would be
operating "on the dark side."
Instead of being an icon of American values of
justice and accountability, Guantanamo Bay has be­
come its antithesis. It needs to be shut down.
Little-publicized information about how the de­
tainees were rounded up. let alone their abusive
treatment, should raise significant questions. An
analysis by Seton Hall University School of Law
found that of 517 cases, only 5 percent had been
captured by U.S. forces. Nearly 90 percent had been
captured by Pakistani or Afghan Northern Alliance
forces or tribal warlords and turned over to U.S.
custody, often sold for rewards as high as $20,(MX).
Leaflets dropped hy the U.S. military appealed to
what they could do with that money - “wealth and
power beyond your dream s.... enough money to take
care of your family, your village, your tribe forthe rest
of your life." It is no, surprising that random and
arbitrary arrest and detention would result.
In response to concerns that detainees were held
wrongly, the administration se, up military tribunals.
These tribunals, overseen by panels of three military
officers, were allowed to rely on coerced evidence,
and detainees had no access to lawyers or secret
evidence. Not surprisingly, this appalling process
determined that 520of the 558 detainees who had their
status review from August 2(MW to March 2005 were
“enemy combatants."
Despite these findings, no, a single Guantanamo
detainee has yet been convicted or even tried. Only
10 have been charged.
As par, of the administration's push to pressure
Congress to rubber stamp the military commissions
after the Supreme Court struck them down in June,
another 14 detainees were transferred to Guantanamo
in September after being held incommunicado in secret
custody by the CIA for up to four and a half years. The
transfer, though, has created another problem for the
government: It turned them from detainees with alleg­
edly high intelligence value to detainees with informa­
tion about possible government crimes.
The government is now arguing in court that the
information these detainees have about secret deten­
tion facilities, interrogation techniques and the con­
ditions of confinement should never see the light of
day as such disclosure would cause “exceptionally
grave damage" to national security.
Due process and the rule of law have been among
the casualties pfthe detention regime at Guantanamo.
Instead of being an icon
of American values o f justice
and accountability,
Guantanamo Bay has
become its antithesis.
Few Americans could ever have imagined that our
own government, even in the pursuit of security,
would betray bedrock human rights principles by
holding hundreds of detainees indefinitely without
charge or trial for years.
But what was once unthinkable has now become
grim reality.
The voices toclose the camp are gathering strength
and now include many former and current heads of
state (including former U.S. presidents) and the former
U.N. Secretary General.
World-renowned figures of highest moral stature
have appealed to the Bush administration to shut
Guantanamo down. The tarnished reputation of the
United States as a law-abiding and human rights-
respecting country suffers further each day the camp
remains in operation. There is only one way to fix this
mess. All detainees in Guantanamo should be charged
immediately with a recognizable criminal offense and
given a fair trial or be released unconditionally and no,
sen, anywhere to face torture or ill treatment.
Five years is too long. It is time to bring America
back from “the dark side" into the community of
nations as a country that is recognized globally for
upholding human rights and the rule of law.
Curt Goering is senior deputy executive director
o f Amnesty International USA.