America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

America's Disappeared
By Chris Hedges July 18, 2011 "Truthdig" -- Dr. Silvia Quintela was disappeared by the death squads in Argentina in 1977 when she was four months pregnant with her first child. She reportedly was kept alive at a military base until she gave birth to her son and then, like other victims of the military junta, most probably was drugged, stripped naked, chained to other unconscious victims and piled onto a cargo plane that was part of the death flights that disposed of the estimated 20,000 disappeared. The military planes with their inert human cargo would fly over the Atlantic at night and the chained bodies would be pushed out the door into the ocean. Quintela, who had worked as a doctor in the citys slums, was 28 when she was murdered. A military doctor, Maj. Norberto Atilio Bianco, who was extradited Friday from Paraguay to Argentina for baby
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 1 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

trafficking, is alleged to have seized Quintelas infant son along with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other babies. The children were handed to military families for adoption. Bianco, who was the head of the clandestine maternity unit that functioned during the Dirty War in the military hospital of Campo de Mayo, was reported by eyewitnesses to have personally carried the babies out of the military hospital. He also kept one of the infants. Argentina on Thursday convicted retired Gen. Hector Gamen and former Col. Hugo Pascarelli of committing crimes against humanity at the El Vesubio prison, where 2,500 people were tortured in 1976-1978. They were sentenced to life in prison. Since revoking an amnesty law in 2005 designed to protect the military, Argentina has prosecuted 807 for crimes against humanity, although only 212 people have been sentenced. It has been, for those of us who lived in Argentina during the military dictatorship, a painfully slow march toward justice. Most of the disappeared in Argentina were not armed radicals but labor leaders, community organizers, leftist intellectuals, student activists and those who happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Few had any connection with armed campaigns of resistance. Indeed, by the time of the 1976 Argentine coup, the armed guerrilla groups, such as the Montoneros, had largely been wiped out. These radical groups, like al-Qaida in its campaign against the United
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 2 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

States, never posed an existential threat to the regime, but the national drive against terror in both Argentina and the United States became an excuse to subvert the legal system, instill fear and passivity in the populace, and form a vast underground prison system populated with torturers and interrogators, as well as government officials and lawyers who operated beyond the rule of law. Torture, prolonged detention without trial, sexual humiliation, rape, disappearance, extortion, looting, random murder and abuse have become, as in Argentina during the Dirty War, part of our own subterranean world of detention sites and torture centers. We Americans have rewritten our laws, as the Argentines did, to make criminal behavior legal. John Rizzo, the former acting general counsel for the CIA, approved drone attacks that have killed hundreds of people, many of them civilians in Pakistan, although we are not at war with Pakistan. Rizzo has admitted that he signed off on so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. He told Newsweek that the CIA operated a hit list. He asked in the interview: How many law professors have signed off on a death warrant? Rizzo, in moral terms, is no different from the deported Argentine doctor Bianco, and this is why lawyers in Britain and Pakistan are calling for his extradition to Pakistan to face charges of murder. Let us hope they succeed.

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive

Page 3 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

We know of at least 100 detainees who died during interrogations at our black sites, many of them succumbing to the blows and mistreatment of our interrogators. There are probably many, many more whose fate has never been made public. Tens of thousands of Muslim men have passed through our clandestine detention centers without due process. We tortured people unmercifully, admitted retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey. We probably murdered dozens of them , both the armed forces and the C.I.A." Tens of thousands of Americans are being held in supermaximum-security prisons where they are deprived of contact and psychologically destroyed. Undocumented workers are rounded up and vanish from their families for weeks or months. Militarized police units break down the doors of some 40,000 Americans a year and haul them away in the dead of night as if they were enemy combatants. Habeas corpus no longer exists. American citizens can legally be assassinated. Illegal abductions, known euphemistically as extraordinary rendition, are a staple of the war on terror. Secret evidence makes it impossible for the accused and their lawyers to see the charges against them. All this was experienced by the Argentines. Domestic violence, whether in the form of social unrest, riots or another catastrophic terrorist attack on American soil, would, I fear, see the brutal tools of empire cemented into place in the homeland. At that point we would
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 4 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

embark on our own version of the Dirty War. Marguerite Feitlowitz writes in The Lexicon of Terror of the experiences of one Argentine prisoner, a physicist named Mario Villani. The collapse of the moral universe of the torturers is displayed when, between torture sessions, the guards take Villani and a few pregnant women prisoners to an amusement park. They make them ride the kiddie train and then take them to a cafe for a beer. A guard, whose nom de guerre is Blood, brings his 6- or 7-year-old daughter into the detention facility to meet Villani and other prisoners. A few years later, Villani runs into one of his principal torturers, a sadist known in the camps as Julian the Turk. Julian recommends that Villani go see another of his former prisoners to ask for a job. The way torture became routine, part of daily work, numbed the torturers to their own crimes. They saw it as a job. Years later they expected their victims to view it with the same twisted logic. Human Rights Watch, in a new report, Getting Away With Torture: The Bush Administration and Mistreatment of Detainees, declared there is overwhelming evidence of torture by the Bush administration. President Barack Obama, the report went on, is obliged to order a criminal investigation into allegations of detainee abuse authorized by former President George W. Bush and other senior officials.
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 5 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

But Obama has no intention of restoring the rule of law. He not only refuses to prosecute flagrant war crimes, but has immunized those who orchestrated, led and carried out the torture. At the same time he has dramatically increased war crimes, including drone strikes in Pakistan. He continues to preside over hundreds of the offshore penal colonies, where abuse and torture remain common. He is complicit with the killers and the torturers. The only way the rule of law will be restored, if it is restored, is piece by piece, extradition by extradition, trial by trial. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, former CIA Director George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice and John Ashcroft will, if we return to the rule of law, face trial. The lawyers who made legal what under international and domestic law is illegal, including not only Rizzo but Alberto Gonzales, Jay Bybee, David Addington, William J. Haynes and John Yoo, will, if we are to dig our way out of this morass, be disbarred and prosecuted. Our senior military leaders, including Gen. David Petraeus, who oversaw death squads in Iraq and widespread torture in clandestine prisons, will be lined up in a courtroom, as were the generals in Argentina, and made to answer for these crimes. This is the only route back. If it happens it will happen because a few courageous souls such as the attorney and president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Michael
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 6 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

Ratner, are trying to make it happen. It will take timea lot of time; the crimes committed by Bianco and the two former officers sent to prison this month are nearly four decades old. If it does not happen, then we will continue to descend into a terrifying, dystopian police state where our guards will, on a whim, haul us out of our cells to an amusement park and make us ride, numb and bewildered, on the kiddie train, before the next round of torture. Chris Hedges, whose column is published Mondays on Truthdig, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. 2011 TruthDig.com

6 Comments (86) Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity Frank Trembor. 1 week ago TOO LATE!

Share
Login

Buzz It
+8

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive

Page 7 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

Reply Leviathan 1 week ago

Report +17

Mr. Hedges, there is no f-cking "rule of law" and never was - "law" is just the will of the entity that commands more cash and guns than everyone else in a given region does. Forget prosecutions and political process, prepare yourself for war with the police state while there's still time. Reply 7 replies active 1 week ago Report +4

godisshit 1 week ago

Chris and many "critics" "activusts" still have faith in the system.. they are hopeless.. They don;t even dare to think of what Washington and Jefferson and many in 1776 did.. Reply 2 replies active 104963 weeks ago Report +1

Mark A. goldman 1 week ago Trouble! http://www.gpln.com/trouble.htm Reply TenthWorlder 1 week ago

Report +7

It will happen; Americans will experience that to which they have exposed, predominantly, the non-white world, and for whom they have exercised the utmost contempt. Don't hold you collective breaths. Americans placed the utmost faith and confidence in their leaders when ALL of those leaders were butchering the non-white world. That faith and confidence still exists, when the concoction of "fighting terrorists," is fed to the American people. When they came for the Catholics......................................................................................is anyone
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 8 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

listening? If no one heard and no one saw and no one tasted and no one smelt and no one felt......................it never happened. Are there still ears, eyes, tongues, noses and skin out there? Were they were all buried in the Pacific, off the Chilean coast, and in the din of the babble of the MSM, and with them, went their tongues? Before we are destroyed, we will speak in "tongues." Our tongues are now comfortably housed in the MSM. May Jimmy Jones now serve-up the Kool Aid, it is hot and I am thirsty. The world in which we live, makes death less fearful. During the '80's, the days of Reagan's Lebanese war, a poll of Lebanese found that their top-ten concerns did not include death/dying. Reagan withdrew. George W. Bush was presented with powers to butcher the world, but he never read that poll. He was soaking in a vat of rum, at that time, and of course he was smarter than Reagan. God does not speak to the dumb, but he spoke to GW Bush. And America was non the wiser for whom they were voting. Ignorance is bliss............... . Reply 1 week ago Report +16

What happened in Argentina happened under american supervision and was mostly done by state terrorists trained by the americans. That's what the cia gets paid to do. Reply 11 replies active 1 week ago Report +5

worldist 1 week ago

The REAL TERRORIST'S are from the War mongering, West and
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A0%0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 9 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

Israel, waging aggressive GENOCIDAL WARS OF TERROR & PLUNDER for PROFIT. The so-called terrorists are innocent Victims trying to defend their homelands. Sadly out gunned with the few, hand held, antiquated weapons available to them..Since the US Zionists false flag, inside job of planned demolition of the WTC 911 attacks. The http://www.worldsocialism.org/ Is opposed to ALL wars and the Capitalist system that spawns such international Criminal Terrorism Reply 2 replies active 1 week ago Report +5

John Dwyer 1 week ago

Did you see the u-tube video of the man shot to death by police in California yesterday? He ran after being accused of not paying his public transit bus fare. They shot him five times and then let him bleed for 20 minutes without any assistance. Any contacts in Libya? I think I need an AK-47 and a store of ammo. Reply 5 replies active 1 week ago Report +6

John Dwyer 1 week ago

They say don't drink the kool aid, but I think it's the Tea we have to worry about. Reply 1 reply active 1 week ago Report +6

capt jim 1 week ago

Americans are being economically Assassinated every hour of every day, many can't even afford to eat property, nor legally defend themselves from this corrupt system when charged with any crime. Their medical and dental care are non-existent, and with no hope of jobs their lives are now spent in tragic poverty, depression and complete hopelessness--Obama their hero, has left them out to dry in
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 10 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

favor of his glorious wars--God have mercy on his soul! Reply 4 replies active 1 week ago 1 2 3 4 Next Post a new comment Or post a video comment Enter text right here! Embed video Check Spelling Report

Site URL

Comment as a Guest, or login: Name Email Displayed next to your Not displayed publicly. comments. Subscribe to
None

Submit Comment

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate material will be removed from the site.

Top 10 Posts Audio of incident

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 11 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

between Canadian citizen and US immigration officer. (741 comments) America: The Grim Truth: Information Clearing House ICH (390 comments) 25,000 Jews live in Iran : ICH Information Clearing House (246 comments) The Revolution Will Not Be Deactualized : Information Clearing House: (243 comments) TSA Screener Accosts 3 Year Old Child at Security Checkpoint : & (241 comments) The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply :
file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 12 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:13 PM

Information Clearing Hous (232 comments) Qaddafi Unplugged and Uncensored: Recollections Of My Life Mu\'ummar Qaddafi &nbs (222 comments) : Information Clearing House: ICH (215 comments) : Information Clearing House: ICH (213 comments) Rarely Published Pictures Of The BP Disaster : ICH - Information Clearing House (213 comments) Comments by IntenseDebate Top 10 Posts Audio of incident between Canadian
Page 13 of 16

Click on "comments" below to read or post comments

CommentsComments Click here to learn how to post a comment .Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate material will be removed from the site. See our complete Comment Policy.

| More
Sign up for our Daily Email Newsletter
GO

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:14 PM

Please help Support Information Clearing House

One-Time Donation
$

between Canadian citizen and US immigration officer. (741 comments) America: The Grim Truth: Information Clearing House ICH (390 comments) 25,000 Jews live in Iran : ICH Information Clearing House (246 comments) The Revolution Will Not Be Deactualized : Information Clearing House: (243 comments) TSA Screener Accosts 3 Year Old Child at Security Checkpoint : & (241 comments) The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply :

Recurring Monthly Donation $ Thank you for your support

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive

Page 14 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:14 PM

Information Clearing Hous (232 comments) Qaddafi Unplugged and Uncensored: Recollections Of My Life Mu\'ummar Qaddafi &nbs (222 comments) : Information Clearing House: ICH (215 comments) : Information Clearing House: ICH (213 comments) Rarely Published Pictures Of The BP Disaster : ICH - Information Clearing House (213 comments) Comments by IntenseDebate

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive Page 15 of 16

America's Disappeared

Information Clearing House: ICH

7/27/11 10:14 PM

distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Search Information Clearing House
Search

HOME COPYRIGHT NOTICE

file:///Users/michaelprior/Desktop/America's%20Disappeared%C2%A00%C2%A0%C2%A0%20Information%20Clearing%20House:%20ICH.webarchive

Page 16 of 16