I never thought this would happen, but I read something today which made me ashamed to be an American. If you haven't read it yet, go read it now .

In the wake of 9/11, we all need to be more vigilant in protecting our people and our country. But here in the Land Of The Free:

There is no excuse, never any excuse, to deprive anyone of his freedom, without due process of law.

There can be no excuse to detain for someone for a year without access to a lawyer.

There is never any reason whatsoever to torture someone. Ever. Even if it technically wasn't Americans doing the torturing, it was clearly with our government's knowledge.

Even supposing that Mr. Arar was an active member of al-Qaida planning an imminent terrorist attack on our country, there would be no excuse for these things. Once arrested, he should be charged with a crime, and could be held pending trial, which would eliminate any threat he posed.

There are those who will claim that all this is justified in the name of security, and preventing another 9/11. Bullshit. Torturing Mr. Arar doesn't increase our security one whit, but it does deprive a family of a father and a husband, and fan the flames of those who hate us.

We must not forget, never forget, that our civil liberties are not there to protect criminals and terrorists.

Our civil liberties exist to protect us. You and me. Ordinary citizens. Because people make mistakes, governments make mistakes, and sometimes the temptation to use the power of the government to coerce is just too great for some to resist.

It is easy to think that this one case doesn't matter. It does. Because if it can happen to Mr. Arar, it can happen to you. Or to me. Or your spouse, your child, your parent, your friend, your coworker.

Mr. Arar, even though I am just one humble American citizen, but in our country we believe that even the most humble of citizens has a voice. I would like to use my voice right now to extend to you my sincerest, most abject apology for what you went through. Evidently, some of our leaders and my fellow citizens have forgotten what it means to be an American. For this, I am deeply ashamed.