Off the cuff:
I’m thoroughly disgusted by what’s happening to Americans. Almost half the country apparently thinks that torture is justified under a variety of circumstances. The circumstances that I see are personal fear, fear of dying, fear of their own pain, fear regarding personal welfare and people disguise that with some kind of caring for country.
Read AlterNet’s blog regarding “How Americans Came to Support Torture in Five Steps,” http://tinyurl.com/gagp5u “Stats show a sizable majority of Americans refuse to rule out torture entirely. This is no accident; it's the result of a mass persuasion campaign.”
Repetition, repetition, repetition courtesy of Dick Cheney and his jolly band of followers, Hannity, Beck, Coulter and Limbaugh, among the most notable/notorious.
Why are we not asking them their opinion of “enhanced interrogation” being used on Americans? Why are we not insisting on how we can justify violating the Geneva Convention? Why not ask them if they truly believe that any country has the right then…to torture? What if Hannity took a trip to Iraq and was captured? The United States would stand by and let him be quizzed using methods of "enhanced interrogation?" I guess so, under this new (apparently not so new) policy they would have us embrace.
Not only do they use repetition and mass persuasion but they also are now trying to drag the Democrats into it. They’re pointing all fingers and toes at them. To think that the GOP had the reins for eight years is a hideous thought in retrospect. They’ve not only managed to monitor the entire country with wire taps and powers of domestic invasion but they’ve thrown our principles out the window and succeeded in driving every facet of American existence into chaos and failure. And yet, there are those who still believe in this party and its (intentional?) misguided policies.
So then, America no longer wears the white hat.
America stopped being free the moment the first wire tap was installed, the moment the first blow and/or drop of water washed over a detainees face. Rights were only for those who deserved them, as dictated by the government. There is nothing free about that no matter how much they yell “SAFE, SAFE SAFE…WE’VE KEPT YOU SAFE.” But, in essence, we are not safe if we, the people, allow such a dictatorship to ever again not only disregard laws but totally disregard principles, right from wrong and the freedoms we’ve always enjoyed in this country.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
What about......
What about Texas?
Will Texas secede? I say, what a great idea! Let them. It means one less state to bail out. I’m sure that will more than make up for the taxes that are lost. It means two less senators whining and more material for Bill Maher. It means no more Texas presidents and a little less political twang. Yes, I say let them.
What about torture?
Shall we prosecute President Bush and Vice President Cheney for torturing prisoners? If we do, will we be exposing possible information that might harm the United States while we’re still at war? Will we be giving too much information to the world at large? If we don’t prosecute, then what do we do? Do we simply ignore the obvious illegal acts performed under the guise of keeping America safe? And if we don’t prosecute the former President and Vice President, and we give the CIA a pass on the past, then how can we keep those soldiers who we now know were following orders from the top, imprisoned? It’s truly a complicated no win situation. Damn the Bush administration for creating such a horrible dilemma.
What about Joe Biden?
The Republicans and late night tv hosts can make all the jokes they want to about Joe Biden. He’s a serious mind when it comes to foreign policy and he has some pretty important tasks ahead of him. He’s overseeing billions in stimulus money, leading a WH task force on the middle class and he delivered the administration’s first major foreign policy speech in Munich. I like and respect the man and I believe he was the perfect pick for Obama’s VP.
What about socialism?
The United States has always had a mixed economy. Most people simply just don’t get it. They may be afraid of socialism but they’re certainly not afraid of social security or medicare or food stamps, welfare, or public housing, public schools and public libraries, fire departments, police departments. The list is endless. The Conservatives and Republicans are using fear of socialism to undermine President Obama and promote distrust and anxiety among voters. It’s simply a constant hammering by radio heads and politicians so that come 2010 they win a few seats in the Senate and then further down the road they have at least a wing and a prayer for the 2012 presidential election. It’s not socialism we need to fear, it’s politicians.
To Be Continued
Will Texas secede? I say, what a great idea! Let them. It means one less state to bail out. I’m sure that will more than make up for the taxes that are lost. It means two less senators whining and more material for Bill Maher. It means no more Texas presidents and a little less political twang. Yes, I say let them.
What about torture?
Shall we prosecute President Bush and Vice President Cheney for torturing prisoners? If we do, will we be exposing possible information that might harm the United States while we’re still at war? Will we be giving too much information to the world at large? If we don’t prosecute, then what do we do? Do we simply ignore the obvious illegal acts performed under the guise of keeping America safe? And if we don’t prosecute the former President and Vice President, and we give the CIA a pass on the past, then how can we keep those soldiers who we now know were following orders from the top, imprisoned? It’s truly a complicated no win situation. Damn the Bush administration for creating such a horrible dilemma.
What about Joe Biden?
The Republicans and late night tv hosts can make all the jokes they want to about Joe Biden. He’s a serious mind when it comes to foreign policy and he has some pretty important tasks ahead of him. He’s overseeing billions in stimulus money, leading a WH task force on the middle class and he delivered the administration’s first major foreign policy speech in Munich. I like and respect the man and I believe he was the perfect pick for Obama’s VP.
What about socialism?
The United States has always had a mixed economy. Most people simply just don’t get it. They may be afraid of socialism but they’re certainly not afraid of social security or medicare or food stamps, welfare, or public housing, public schools and public libraries, fire departments, police departments. The list is endless. The Conservatives and Republicans are using fear of socialism to undermine President Obama and promote distrust and anxiety among voters. It’s simply a constant hammering by radio heads and politicians so that come 2010 they win a few seats in the Senate and then further down the road they have at least a wing and a prayer for the 2012 presidential election. It’s not socialism we need to fear, it’s politicians.
To Be Continued
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