The Corner Report

OPINION
A "conservative-leaning" writer finds common cause with "the left" over the PATRIOT Act and Abu Ghraib.

By Patrick Cloutier
Since 9-11, America's "War on Terror" has been characterized by un-American phenomonenon, namely the PATRIOT Act, a statute that gnaws at civil liberties; and the indiscriminate torture of Arab detainees in places like Abu Ghraib. President Bush wants Americans to accept these as unavoidable, but well-intentioned responses to terrorism. But torture and totalitarian statutes in America may have roots that pre-date Sept. 11, 2001.

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On the weekend of Aug. 18-19, 1995, the author (then a U.S. Army Reservist) attended a drill at the 337th Military Intelligence Company in Danbury, CT. Co-located with the 337th MI Co was the 411th Civil Affairs Unit.

On that weekend, Sergeant Chris Hogan and Sergeant Thomas Prunty told soldiers that in the future, they would sometimes be required to wear United Nations uniforms. Soldiers were then invited to ask questions. I asked whether wearing a U.N uniform was legal, since we had taken an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution.

At that, Sgt. Hogan exclaimed, "Oh no, here we go again, the Constitution!"

Sgt. Prunty told me to "tell that to the Michigan Militia." Sgt. Prunty then told those present that in the future, when orders conflict with the Oath of Service, soldiers were expected to "disregard the Oath of Service." In other words, they were expected to follow illegal orders.

After training, Sgt. Hogan approached me and said he would like to learn more about the Constitution. I provided him with the name of a woman – I’ll call her Betty -- who sometimes gave public talks on the Constitution.

About a week later, I received a phone call from a someone claiming to be a reporter, who refused to identify himself or his newspaper. He said that Betty had referred him to me. He wanted to ask me questions about the 337th MI Co., so I referred him to the unit information officer, Lt. Kozlowski. When I later telephoned Betty, she said that she had not refer anyone to me. Perhaps someone forgot that it was illegal for soldiers to falsely pose as reporters, doctors, or priests when gathering intelligence, or to spy on American citizens.

On Sept. 8, 1995, I received a phone call from Lt. Kozlowski. He told me that an unknown reporter from an unknown newspaper identified me as the author of a story about the 337th. I never wrote such a story. However, I did write an essay for the Connecticut Post titled: "Give Us Our Country Back" that was published May 6, 1995. I told the lieutenant, and faxed him a requested copy. I heard nothing until January 1996.

At drill on Jan. 21, 1996, the 337th informed me that my security clearance was suspended. The “unknown newspaper” was spun as the Connecticut Post and the 337th falsely alleged that I wrote a story that leaked details about "Blackheath," a public exercise in which civilians had been invited to participate and observe at the University of Connecticut campus in Danbury. This article did not exist, of course, so the 337th never produced the “smoking gun.” And I received a verbal warning: "You have a right to write articles with a political slant, but if you should continue to do so, you should expect that there could be consequences."

My security clearance was officially revoked on Feb. 6, 1996. That same day I lost my job.

I continued to attend drills. One day, I heard Sgt. Hogan discuss training in England where he learned British Army interrogation methods. He said that British techniques emphasized the "humiliation" of detainees. Sgt, Hogan went on to be an interrogator in Afghanistan, and wrote a white-wash about interrogations under his own name, until the news of Abu Ghraib broke; then he went under the pseudonym "Chris Mackey." Sgt. Prunty's name was changed to Sean McGinty. He became the Senior Interrogator at Guantanamo Bay. Years later, I learned that the neighboring 411th Civil Affairs Unit gleaned local newspapers for articles and authors it considers "a threat."

Why write about things that happened 10 years ago? "Give Us Our Country Back" (my very first Op-Ed) discussed House Resolution 666, which then threatened Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure. When H.R. 666 died, I thought it was over, but I couldn't see then that it was the first link in a chain that led to the PATRIOT Act and domestic spying. Likewise, when the 337th and 411th ignored the Constitution and illegally collected information on Americans, they set down a stone in a path that led to the abuse and torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere.

Recently MoveOn.org, a liberal-leaning activist group, asked me to sign a petition to encourage the U.S. Senate to filibuster extension of the PATRIOT Act. This conservative-leaning writer could find common cause with them: Without the PATRIOT Act, government abuse might be limited to the occasional misfit. With it, the government thinks it has no boundaries. I signed the petition. The Senate has since briefly extended the Act, but MoveOn has asked petitioners to keep up pressure so that the PATRIOT Act dies a permanent death. I hope this helps.

Patrick Cloutier is a writer, translator and teacher living in New Britain.