Castigating Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for speaking out about the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo is another example of this [Bush] administration blaming others for problems they have created.

Sen. Durbin is not the one responsible for the torture described in FBI reports, nor for revealing the scandal to the rest of the world. People in other countries are well aware of how our military interrogators are permitted to treat detainees.

permitted to treat detainees. This has seriously damaged our nation’s reputation abroad, serves as a valuable recruitment tool for terrorists and endangers any U.S. troops captured by an enemy.

Rather than recognizing the shame and disgust American citizens feel that such inhumane treatment is going on in our name, much less apologizing for violating Geneva accords and vowing to halt these abuses, the White House and some Republican lawmakers have accused our senator of a disservice to the troops and have the nerve to call for an apology from him.

The disservice is the government’s own decision regarding treatment of captives labeled, “enemy combatants.” The administration is the one who should be apologizing for permitting violation of the Geneva accords. Can we now expect, if and when American troops fall into enemy hands, that their captors will treat them according to the conventions? Certainly not! Obviously it’s our administration, not Senator Durbin, who is jeopardizing our troops.

Guantanamo should be shut down, along with military detention centers in Afghanistan, Iraq and secret locations around the world. Rumored plans to give Halliburton a lucrative contract for expansion of facilities at Guantanamo, if true, should be nipped in the bud.

Senator Durbin deserves a big thank you for forthrightly condemning the shocking mistreatment of detainees in military detention centers. Such practices are unacceptable in America. If we don’t want to be compared to repressive dictatorships, we should make sure anyone representing us stops acting like them.

We are proud of you, Sen. Durbin!

Cecile Meyer

DeKalb resident