Bush's Guantanamo Crimes

…Continue To Haunt

There seems to be no end to the horrific, evil manifestations of the Bush/Cheney eight years of darkness unleashed upon America and the World, not the least of which is the torture facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This stain upon the United States of America cannot be erased from the history books but mitigation of some of the damage caused can be helped along by closing the facility and bringing Bush, Cheney and all those involved in war crimes to justice. To do that, the truth needs to be revealed, facts gathered. Such a fact-finding movement is underway by a group you may not have thought of as being interested in such an endeavor.

As reported by LaFiga, musicians, including R.E.M, Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne, Billy Bragg, Michelle Branch, T-Bone Burnett, David Byrne, Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn, Steve Earle, the Entrance Band, Joe Henry, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt, Rise Against, and The Roots have launched a formal protest of the use of music used in conjunction with torture that took place at Guantanamo Bay and other facilities. They are supporting an effort seeking the declassification of all secret government records pertaining to how music was utilized as an interrogation device.

Tom Morello and Trent Reznor–the music of Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails were used as part the torture of inmates–are involved in the campaign. Says Morello in a statement:

“Guantanamo is known around the world as one of the places where human beings have been tortured – from water boarding, to stripping, hooding and forcing detainees into humiliating sexual acts – playing music for 72 hours in a row at volumes just below that to shatter the ear drums.”

Morello, Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist, adds:

“Guantanamo may be Dick Cheney’s idea of America, but it’s not mine. The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me – we need to end torture and close Guantanamo now”