Taxi to the Dark Side
Taxi to the Dark Side chronicles the capture, 5 day torture and eventual murder of Dilawar, an innocent civilian taxi driver at United States-run Bagram Air Force Base in early December 2002. Director Alex Gibney (who also directed the – also disturbing – Enron documentary Smartest Guys in the Room) won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007.
After chronicling the torture, homicide, and certification of death given to Dilawar’s family – in English! – Taxi to the Dark Side reveals the extent to which the events and personnel at Bagram influenced further torture throughout occupied territories, including Abu Ghraib.
Gibney further uncovers the myriad ways in which the CIA upheld the letter of the Geneva Convention, while completely disregarding it’s intent. Most notable were their utter disregard for proper training in interrogation, unwillingness to discipline officers, and even encouragement to base staff to do “what needed to be done.”
I would encourage all who care about justice to pick up – or place in your queue – this important documentary, especily considering that these travesties have been perpetrated in the name of freedom and democracy.
I am further concerned (or is the word disgusted?) about a recent CNN study that revealed the more Americans attended church, the more they accept the use of torture. This reminds me of the writing of René Girard, who has asserted that instead of putting an end to violence (as it should), the cross – for Christians – has justified it.
But that’s another post for another day.
Tags: America, Taxi to the Dark Side, War
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