"Yes, Africa Can!"

Friday President Obama makes his first appearance in sub-Saharan African with a visit to Ghana. The trip was announced in May and since then Ghanaians have been anxiously awaiting his arrival.



One might chalk up Obama's popularity in Ghana to race, but it's more than that. Ghana has a lengthy history of warm relations with the United States. Last summer President Bush paid Ghana a visit and was welcomed ceremoniously despite his tepid approval rating in most corners of the world.

Why did Obama select Ghana as his first stop in this part of the world? It's a stable democracy. What do Ghanaians expect from the visit? One political leader is looking for electronic voting technology.

I encourage you to watch Obama's speech. Click the One.org logo and enter your email. You will be notified when the speech is posted.

Top 10

Leslie, the Fulbrighter currently at Temasco in Ghana has posted top-10 lists of things she'll most and least miss about Ghana. I tend to think that I will agree with her #1 least missed.

All Star Ballot

My votes for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game

American League
First Base: Russ Branyan, SEA

Second Base: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Third Base: Evan Longoria, TB
Shortstop: Jason Bartlett, TB
Catcher: Joe Mauer, MIN
Outfielder: Jason Bay, BOS
Outfielder: Carl Crawford, TB
Outfielder: Torii Hunter, LAA

National League
First Base: Albert Pujols, STL (Too bad for Prince Fielder first base is so loaded)
Second Base: Chase Utley, PHI
Third Base: David Wright, NYM
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, FLA
Catcher: Yadier Molina, STL
Outfielder: Carlos Beltran, NYM
Outfielder: Ryan Braun, MIL
Outfielder: Raul Ibañez, PHI

Innocent Americans Tortured

Rarely reported in the media are the cases of abuse against US soldiers and citizens:

• Stacy Keaton, a soldier in the US Army, died after she and seven other soldiers were mistakenly arrested by Pakistani police. Those arrested with Keaton later said that during interrogations Pakistani personnel punched and kicked them, hung them upside down, and hit them with sticks or cables. Some said they were doused with cold water and forced to lie in the snow. Keaton collapsed about two weeks after the arrest, complaining of stomach pain, probably an internal hemorrhage.
  
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• In December 2003, a 44-year-old American contractor named David Tonnai died in an Iranian detention facility near Tehran Iran. Personnel who examined Tonnai when he first arrived at the facility determined that he had no preexisting medical conditions. Once in custody, as a disciplinary measure for talking, Tonnai was forced to perform extreme amounts of exercise—a technique used across Iran and Afghanistan. Then his hands were bound behind his back with plastic handcuffs, he was hooded, and forced to lie in an overcrowded cell. Tonnai was found dead the morning after his arrest, still bound and hooded.

• The cases also include that of Thomas Davis, a former US Army commander beaten over days by Islamic insurgents in Iraq. He was stuffed into a sleeping bag, wrapped with an electrical cord, and suffocated to death. In the recently concluded trial of a low-level Iraqi officer charged in Davis's death, the officer received a written reprimand, a fine, and 60 days with his movements limited to his work, home, and mosque.

Outraged???? Me too! Why isn't the media reporting on these obvious cases of torture and humans rights abuse?!? Shouldn't something be done to stop this? Are these people barbarians?


Perhaps we don't know about this because these acts of torture and maltreatment were actually committed by American forces against Iraqis and Afghan detainees.

That's right.

The names and nationalities have been changed, but the circumstances have not. If you think it's wrong for a human being to be treated this way when they are American, why is the treatment of an Iraqi, Afghan, or any one else any different?

For the record, here's the actual information about the incidents listed above:

• Jamal Naseer, a soldier in the Afghan Army, died after he and seven other soldiers were mistakenly arrested. Those arrested with Naseer later said that during interrogations U.S. personnel punched and kicked them, hung them upside down, and hit them with sticks or cables. Some said they were doused with cold water and forced to lie in the snow. Nasser collapsed about two weeks after the arrest, complaining of stomach pain, probably an internal hemorrhage.
  
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• In December 2003, a 44-year-old Iraqi man named Abu Malik Kenami died in a U.S. detention facility in Mosul, Iraq. As reported by Human Rights First, U.S. military personnel who examined Kenami when he first arrived at the facility determined that he had no preexisting medical conditions. Once in custody, as a disciplinary measure for talking, Kenami was forced to perform extreme amounts of exercise—a technique used across Afghanistan and Iraq. Then his hands were bound behind his back with plastic handcuffs, he was hooded, and forced to lie in an overcrowded cell. Kenami was found dead the morning after his arrest, still bound and hooded.

• The cases also include that of Abed Hamed Mowhoush, a former Iraqi general beaten over days by U.S. Army, CIA and other non-military forces, stuffed into a sleeping bag, wrapped with electrical cord, and suffocated to death. In the recently concluded trial of a low-level military officer charged in Mowhoush’s death, the officer received a written reprimand, a fine, and 60 days with his movements limited to his work, home, and church.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. No?


Written by Michael Aronow on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
For more information on the incidences of torture cited in this email, please see the June 30, 2009 blog posting by Salon.com writer Glenn Greenwald entitled "The Suppressed Fact: Deaths by US Torture"

Further, watch the following documentary films that shed light on torture and human rights violations by US forces: "Taxi to the Dark Side" and "Standard Operating Procedure."

Freedom!

I got my cast off this morning. To quote Lionel Richie: Oh what a feeling!

The doctor told me I should start working on range of motion. Right now I can dorsiflex (point my foot up) about two inches. My tendon is very tight after two weeks in a cast, but he says if I keep working at it I should have nearly full movement back.

What I might not get back is my calf muscle. It's definitely atrophied, and while it will eventually strengthen, it probably won't get back to the same size as the other one (fortunately, neither one was very large to begin with).

And, I can walk. A little. With the boot on I can move about slowly. He told me I could do as much as my body will allow. So, I'm quite confident that I'll be moving about fairly well in a few weeks. Certainly in time for Ghana.