From a US newspaper:
pRESIDENT jIMMY cARTER
Jimmy Carter's first paragraph hits where it hurts
with regard to the fundamental changes that are perceived
to have eradicated the American Bill of Rights. Some
(changes)"seem to be developing from a core
group of conservatives who are trying to realize
long-pent-up ambitions under the cover of the proclaimed
war against terrorism."
One of his concerns is for the legal standing of suspects
in this "war against terrorism" - especially as
they are sought out in countries who have already a
committment toward the US in this very regard. Suspects
are "captured" and removed from their home
territory to be "secretly incarcerated"
and he points out that "These actions are
similar to those of abusive regimes that historically
have been condemned by American presidents."
With regard to his anxiety about "a core group of
conservatives" - he protests about the almost daily
threats and condemnations in regard to Iraq and Saddam
Hussein issued by this group, headed by the
Vice-President, Dick Cheney, and other "top
officials".Also accusing the Defense Secretary, in
reference to his declaration that prisoners would not be
released wether they were innocent or guilty.Again in
reference to Iraq he allows that "We cannot
ignore the development of chemical, biological or nuclear
weapons, but a unilateral war with Iraq is not the
answer. There is an urgent need for U.N. action to force
unrestricted inspections in Iraq." and he
continues, by way of pointing out, that the alienation of
allies has nevertheless made this and other intervention
less easy to achieve because of the disavowal of U.S.
commitments to laboriously negotiated international
accords." Peremptory rejections of nuclear arms
agreements, the biological weapons convention,
environmental protection, anti-torture proposals, and
punishment of war criminals have sometimes been combined
with economic threats against those who might disagree
with us."
He goes on to condemn the administration which seems
incapable of defining Middle East policy in that. "The
president's clear commitments to honor key U.N.
resolutions and to support the establishment of a
Palestinian state have been substantially negated by
statements of the defense secretary ".Jimmy
Carter points out that the policies of America's
administrations since 1967 held to the withdrawal of
Israel from "occupied territories" .These are
suddenly referred to as territories under "so-called
occupation"co-ordinating with a policy that
apparently supports Israeli action.The sound of
belligerent and divisive voices he maintains indicate a
radical departure from the erstwhile US commitments to
"peace,justice, human rights, and international
co-operation".To which he asserts President
George W Bush and Congress must turn and reflect in order
to prevail over this government disorder.
Former president Carter is chairman of the Carter Center
in Atlanta.
The Troubling New Face of America
By President Jimmy Carter
Washington Post, Thursday, September 5, 2002
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38441-2002Sep4.html
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