Extraordinary rendition. In effect since the Clinton Era, it is the government consented right for the CIA to legally detain and transport anyone whom they suspect of being a terrorist to secret United States prisons outside of the U.S., in far off places such as Morocco and Egypt.
Once there, the prisoners are subject to mental trauma, such as the removal of clothes and the placement of the prisoner in a small cell with little to no light filtered in. This cell is often referred to as the “hole,” an apt name for it.
Other physical traumas include the absence of water, the absence of food, and even inhumane forms of physical torture.
Nobody is safe from extraordinary rendition; anybody from an illegal immigrant to a full-born U.S. citizen can be victimized by this process. Though this method does in fact capture potential terrorists at some times, it seems that human error comes into mind here, as there have been several horror stories of the CIA making a blunder resulting in a forever traumatized human being.
The phrase, “I know that by sacrificing one I saved many” can be applicable in the case of extraordinary rendition, however, what happens when the one that you sacrifice is in fact innocent? It seems that once the CIA detains a prospective terrorist in extraordinary rendition, they remain forever convinced of their wrongdoings, continuing the physical and mental torture until the detainee either dies or cracks.
Now, I would like to hear the honest opinions of the members about this topic. I must admit, it is a very touchy one. Rendition is not only in effect in the United States but in most parts of Europe as well. Why is it a touchy subject? Well, there are just so many sides to this argument. Is it okay if they have no family? What if it’s a mother? What if it’s a father who is the sole provider of income?
What I’d mainly like to hear is if you are pro-rendition or against it. Please, attempt to leave things like, “Well of course it’s not okay if my mom gets taken and things like that. That’s just a stupid ignorant answer which is a statement of basic human emotion. Don’t bog up this debate with things like that. I honestly have started wanting to hear people’s views on the more controversial things that our government does and approves, and extraordinary rendition just happened to be the first thing that came to mind.
So yeah, that’s pretty much the explanation of it. If you want to hear more in depth, here’s the Wiki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_renditionThe floor is now open.