The following letter is fictitious, although the facts and quotes it contains are very real. The anecdotes and quotes were drawn from a 33-page report compiled by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a group of attorneys.

To: Would-be ?terrorists?

From: President GeorgeW. Bush

On behalf of my fellow Americans, I would like to say that six months after the Sept. 11 attacks which killed more than 2,800 of our citizens, our nation is still stiff in its resolve on the war on terror. If you are a suspected terrorist, I?m warning you, punishment will be harsh. My administration, in collaboration with Attorney General John Ashcroft, has established an unprecedented system of justice designed to prevent and punish future acts of terror on American soil.

Based on our record so far, I would like you to consider the potential punishment you will face if arrested on the suspicion of terrorist connections. First, you will face heavy interrogation at the hands of our INS and FBI officials. The process can take hours, and is extremely unpleasant. For an example, just look to the five Israeli prisoners who were reportedly held blindfolded in their underwear while my officials dutifully questioned them on their potential ties with terror.

In addition, do not be consoled by Ashcroft?s repeated assurances that you will have the right to a pro-bono attorney should you become our prisoner. Just take the word of one of our detainees who was held in a county jail for two months without charges: “There is a list of lawyers, but I?ve tried to call all the numbers and they don?t work. It?s not worth trying again because none of them accept our collect calls.”

If you become one of our fortunate prisoners who can afford an attorney, I assure you, your attorney-client privileges are far from guaranteed. As I write to you, my federal investigators are withholding the location of many of our prisoners from their attorneys. And, in many instances, we have been openly monitoring private conversations between the attorneys and their clients.

To make matters even more difficult, we have been rapidly transporting our prisoners around the country, which would make it extremely difficult for your lawyer and family members to find you. Of course, family visitations are a scarce privilege for you and your kind. In one instance, one of our suspect?s visiting rights were suspended for 60 days for continuing to pray while a prison guard entered his cell.

Finally, you should be under no illusion that you will be free from cruel and unusual punishment if you become our suspect. Often bound in shackles?whether we have any suspicion of violent behavior or not?our prisoners face constant physical and psychological abuse. This includes long, often open-ended terms of solitary confinement. Don?t believe me? Just read an excerpt written in a letter from one of our detainees: “I have now been in confinement for three and a half months and by the time of the next hearing I will have been here for four months. If it hadn?t been for the Koran and prayer, I would have lost my mind or had a nervous breakdown. Why am I imprisoned? Why in solitary confinement? And why under maximum security measures? I have many questions with no answers. What are they accusing me of? Nobody knows.”

In addition, as reports from inside our prisons indicate, there have been widespread beatings at the hands of our guards and officers, and a lack of medical attention for many of our prisoners. In closing, I would like to thank America?s convicted felons and violent criminals for their contribution to the war on terror. Many of our prisoners, most of which are held on immigration charges, have been placed in cells or dormitories and left to mingle with the worst of our felons. As a result, there have been reported counts of overt abuse against the suspects and the obvious psychological distress that comes with being locked up with a convicted criminal. And remember, most of our 300 prisoners are being held on minor charges and some are held on no charges at all. This I want to make clear: We will investigate terror as long as we see fit, and though none of our prisoners have faced charges directly related to Sept. 11, we will work to find a connection.

G.W. Bush

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