Treatment of Prisoners in Guantanamo Bay is Despicable

I cannot full articulate my shock over learning of the reported manner in which our government is treating the prisoners being held in our Guantanamo Bay, Cuba military facility. To have these fanatical murders indefinitely detained against their will is simply not enough for us, is it? Even beyond the questionable indefinite detention, the atmosphere we have enveloped them in at Gitmo is despicably tyrannical and wholly un-American.

Just because these illegal combatants are being held on Cuban soil that is insufficient reason to allow us to get away with subjecting them to the brutalities of forced religion. Our nation was founded on religious freedom. This was done with the intention of allowing citizens and residents to worship any deity in any way they choose; as well as the undisturbed freedom not to honor or acknowledge any higher power.

I was overwhelmed with despair when I found out that the terrorists we are holding in custody are given copies of the Koran, subjected to religious services, encouraged to practice religious procedures, taunted with religious relics and fed menus in accordance with Muslim traditions. Their air-conditioned cells are even adorned with large arrows pointed in the direction of Mecca. We as a nation of freedom loving people cannot allow such conditions to persist!

Even in our own schools we do not subject our children to such religious fervency. We do not allow the Holy Bible or any religious text to be present in the classroom and we certainly would never utilize it in any course of study or student discussion. We discourage prayer, belittle those who are weak-minded enough to feel a need for religion, do not allow the Pledge of Allegiance and would NEVER go so far as to have an arrow painted on the floor pointing to the U.S. Flag! By many accounts we strive to prevent our nation's population having any knowledge of the church or its teachings or any embarrassing reference to the Biblical principles on which or country was established and built.

Why do we allow such hypocrisy at Gitmo? Let's insist that all religious influence be removed from these poor extremist detainees and provide them the same freedom from religion that many in our government work to provides us. Maybe by providing them with this small taste of liberty they will forgo their sworn intent to destroy our nation and kill us all.

Felt's Revelations Violate FBI Oath

So this fragile old man near the end of his life finally is provoked by money-grubbing family members to reveal himself as the infamously anonymous "Deep Throat." Once again he plods from his little corner of obscurity for reasons purely personal.

A dishonorable former federal agent who was incapable of compliance with his oath of office now faces our nation with an ignorantly shameless smile. Even the most junior agent in the FBI on his very first day with the agency is entrusted with only one initial duty. That assignment is to honor the oath of office. Sure, our nation's values have dropped enough in the past 30 years, so I guess he finally felt the atmosphere was ripe to welcome another turncoat into the public eye.

I feel it is necessary to clear the confusion about Mr. Felt being called a whistle-blower. This term became prominent 20 years ago and is used for those persons who valiantly and selflessly step forward, at their own personal and professional risk, to reveal some sordid truth that has not been properly addressed through internal channels. Like a referee blowing a whistle, this action is taken publicly to draw attention, stop the game, and proclaim a foul. Whistle-blowing is not done anonymously through secret liaisons and cryptic communications.

Double agents are usually motivated by money, recognition or revenge. The FBI's Robert Hanssen and the CIA's Aldrich Ames were motivated by money. NIS's Pollard began stealing secrets as an unsatisfied and disgruntled employee, and then later became hooked on the money. It appears that Mark Felt began with spite and has now moved on in search of recognition while in the pursuit of monetary gain.

Mr. Felt is perched on the final edge of his life, yet he now provides yet another disservice to those who trust him most now. As he thrusts his cloak of dishonor over the confused heads of his heirs, he may now step shamefully into the abyss of afterlife that awaits him. Let's hope that we can successfully sue his estate for the wrongful government pension he has quietly stolen these past several years.

Published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on June 9, 2005.