Renditions. That’s another word that’s slipped into the American vernacular in the Age of Bush, along with dimpled chads, IEDs and “internets.” Previously a rendition referred to works of art, or to the act of surrender. Now it’s a euphemism for one of America’s most unpardonable sins, something that would be literally inconceivable under any other administration at any time in our history. Try to imagine the furor in normal times if a president were to sign orders for the kidnapping of suspected terrorists, with no charges filed against them and no one to whom they can plead their case. They are then packed off to countries where torture is acceptable, where they are treated with brutality beyond description. Imagine the scandal. Yet now, nary a soul does anything more than shrug his shoulders; what was unthinkable is now the everyday.

Joseph Bosco, like so many of us, is suitably outraged a the practice.

Only a little more than half a century ago–within the lifetime of almost half of all American citizens–we denied the “Good German” the excuse of saying: “But we did not know,” or, “We were only following orders.” We put many of them on trial for war crimes and hung and imprisoned a bunch because they did know and did nothing or helped only a little bit out of a sense of duty. We did the same to Japanese who also denied complicity in crimes against humanity.

We are reading the TRUTH every day in our newspapers. We know. And we do NOTHING. Or even help a little bit out of a sense of ‘duty’ to the ‘war on terror.’ How about the men and women who fly the “rendition” planes? The men and women who type the paper work? The men and women who render food and supplies to these “know nothing” functionaries? What about you? What about that man over there waiting for a bus? What about me? You know. He knows. I know. Goddamn us one and all.

Who is going to put us and our leaders on trial and punish us for this barbarity? We have sunk to the level of those who hate and attack us. Where, when and how did we stop being that so special breed of people–Americans?

That’s for starters. Take a look at the article Joseph links to, and see if you, too, don’t share Joseph’s sense of shame. I know I certainly do.

[EDITED, 15.06 Taiwan time.]