U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye delivered yesterday's commencement address at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson Law School.
Inouye says abuse
in Iraq has upsideHe tells UH law grads
the aftermath shows
democracy at work
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said that although the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers has "tarnished our image in the world's eye," the response underscores the strength of the American system of democracy.
"It is our ability to criticize and question our leaders that is at the heart of our democracy," Inouye told a crowd of 400 people yesterday at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson Law School commencement on the Manoa campus.
In answer to questions after the speech, Inouye said, "There's no question that the blame goes much higher than the enlisted soldiers" photographed abusing Iraqi prisoners. He would not say how high up the chain of command the blame should go, however.
"Had those inhumane acts been perpetrated by another nation, U.S. condemnation would have been swift and harsh," he said.
"America is strong enough to air its failings on national television for the world to witness," he said during his speech. "It has shocked the collective conscience of America. And we have lost the hearts and minds of many Americans already questioning the wisdom of our presence in Iraq."
Inouye praised Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, the Leilehua High School graduate whose report brought to light the extent of prisoner abuse, for "having the courage to stand up and speak up for the civil rights of those with no voices."
Inouye's remarks about the Iraq scandal came in a speech that primarily celebrated a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that set off the dismantling of government-enforced racial segregation.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the court ruling in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., that separate schools for white and black students was unconstitutional.
"There must continue to be a significant segment willing to stand up and speak up," he said, citing civil rights causes and the anti-war movement that led to America's withdrawal from Vietnam.
Inouye said that the spirit of the Brown decision was carried on in a UH program launched 30 years ago that provides extra academic support and mentoring for pre-law students who come from disadvantaged and "underrepresented" ethnic and other groups.
The senator used the commencement to announce that federal funding is in place to establish a Native Hawaiian Law Center of Excellence at the law school. "Its purpose is to support educational activities to expand the pool of expertise and knowledge in the field of native Hawaiian law," he said.
He did not say how much money has been allocated.
Inouye said he envisions the center as a resource for Hawaiians and the broader community and a measure to perpetuate the spirit of the anti-segregation ruling.
Law school dean Aviam Soifer said the center will explore the laws of indigenous people beyond Hawaii and "hopefully develop an archive. We will be building on what's already here. We are beautifully poised here to deal with the diversity that the rest of the nation is so concerned about."
