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George W. Bush keeps telling us that the U.S. does not torture people. However, two psychiatrists and a psychologist are saying that Jose Padilla's extended detention and interrogation took him past the breaking point, and left him with severe mental disabilities from which he might never recover. According to The Christian Science Monitor:

Padilla's psychological condition is important because his situation marks the first time an enemy combatant in the war on terror is in a position to present a verifiable claim of abuse at the hands of US interrogators. Padilla's mental health itself is a form of evidence, mental-health experts say, and it strongly suggests that -- at least in Padilla's case -- the government's harsh interrogation and confinement tactics went too far.

Of course, the Defense Department is denying any wrongdoing. They care more about covering their asses than doing what's right. >> Read the complete article in The Monitor. -----

Authors Bio:
Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist, with a focus on politics, human rights, and social justice. She is a former Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Nobel-Prize-winning human rights group Amnesty International, and her views appear regularly in a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites. Note that the ideas expressed here are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Amnesty International or any other organization with which she may be associated.