The editorial board of the New York Times has called for the masterminds behind the US torture program to be prosecuted for their crimes against humanity. They claim the country cannot move forward until it comes to grips with years of systemic disregard for humanity. They call for Chaney and several members of his inner circle to stand trial.
This wouldn't be the first time a trial was used to try and restore dignity to a country. The Nuremberg Trials after World War II and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after Apartheid in South Africa attempted to achieve restorative justice not just for the specific victims of these regimes, but to help the respective countries regain international respect.
We will not have the same process here. There is a lack of political will to go after anyone except the people who exposed the torture program. There is too much financial and social power in the hands of the people who directed the program. We don't have the collective strength to face our demons or admit to our mistakes. If we can't indict police officers caught on tape killing unarmed men, we will never even consider going after the power brokers of Washington. We believe less in the rule of law or the dignity of human rights and more in the cliche concepts of "an eye for an eye" and "might makes right".
It might be a generation or more before America ever comes to terms with the crimes committed in retaliation for 9/11. In fact, we may never achieve reconciliation for this dark portion of our past, since our historical crimes against native Americans, Africans and women have not only never been resolved, but continue into the present day.
Gamal