With the subject of torture now before the country with the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General, I could not help but think of Sister Dianna Ortiz.
Sister Ortiz was an Ursuline Nun serving in Guatemala when she was abducted and tortured in 1989 by the U.S. supported Guatemalan military. She had been singled out because she was teaching young Mayan Indians how to read--that was considered a subversive activity.
A man in charge of her torturers spoke English with an American accent and caused her to be released when he realized that she was a U.S. citizen from New Mexico. The response of the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, Thomas Stroock (who not coincidentally is from Dick Cheney's hometown of Casper, Wyoming), along with other U.S officials, was despicable.
The U.S. accused her of being a guerilla sympathizer and said the numerous cigarette burns on her back were the result of rough lesbian sex. They also tried to blackmail her with events from her past.
Last night, as I was reading Sister Ortiz's 2002 book, I was haunted by her statement in the introduction that she was re-living these painful memories becasue she had promised the Mayan Indians in the torture chambers with her that she would never forget them. Her photo on the cover reveals too much; the fear and trauma, all too apparent. The photos inside the book from before she was abducted show an outgoing and happy person.
Gonzales and his supporters will argue that his legal analysis regarding torture and the Geneva Convention are correct. They have argued, and will undoubtedly argue in the future, that the protections of the Geneva Convention apply only to uniformed enemy combatants who are part of a recognized military force. Everyone else is fair game and deserve what they get for hiding among the civilians. The Geneva Convention is "quaint," Gonzales wrote.
Sister Ortiz was not a member of uniformed military. She was in essence accused of being a member of a guerilla force. What is "quaint" is the assertion that those who do the torturing will be always right and toruture only the "bad" guys. As the nightmare of Sister Ortiz's experience shows, it is all too easy to accuse a civilian of conspiring with guerillas, etc. and then refuse to accept their pleas of innocence.
Sister Ortiz's ordeal tells me we must reject the idea of torture as an acceptable U.S. tactic. We cannot allow those who condone torture, such as Gonzales, to become the Attorney General, the chief protector of the rule of law. The Senate should filibuster Gonzales....in remembrance of the Mayans in the torture chamber with Sister Ortiz.