YEAH, BUT THEY'RE "PRO-ISRAEL"
Last week, Congress eliminated the right of habeas corpus for non-citizens accused of being "enemy combatants," and, in the same piece of legislation in which they eliminated this, basically permitted the torture of suspected terrorists. This country, quite simply, is out of control, and I don't even know what to say on this point. This is one of those times where I do truly feel ashamed to be American. "You have no civil liberties if you're dead," squawked the NY Daily News, another newspaper that worships Bush because he's all terra terra terra all the time. There's another saying that I think is more apt: "Better to die on our feet than live on our knees." If the Constitution continues to be shredded in this matter, we are in a very real sense "dead already"; all it would take at that point is for a terrorist to just finish the job.
On September 11, 2001, 2,700 innocent people died. It was a horrible day. Yet this nation has gone through a civil war, two world wars, two wars against the British, and wars in Southeast Asia - wars with a higher death toll than that - and somehow managed, up until now, to keep its head on its shoulders. To paraphrase Captain Picard as he described a con artist, "She so thoroughly played on your fears that your people were all but ready to surrender to her." This country's collective ignorance, sloth and stupidity has given it, alas, no better than what it deserves. But those who care at all about "getting busy living" instead of "getting busy dying" have been screwed to at the treshold of being beyond the point of recognition.
I weep, and pray, for us.
On September 11, 2001, 2,700 innocent people died. It was a horrible day. Yet this nation has gone through a civil war, two world wars, two wars against the British, and wars in Southeast Asia - wars with a higher death toll than that - and somehow managed, up until now, to keep its head on its shoulders. To paraphrase Captain Picard as he described a con artist, "She so thoroughly played on your fears that your people were all but ready to surrender to her." This country's collective ignorance, sloth and stupidity has given it, alas, no better than what it deserves. But those who care at all about "getting busy living" instead of "getting busy dying" have been screwed to at the treshold of being beyond the point of recognition.
I weep, and pray, for us.
posted by EnterCenter at 9:18 AM
2 Comments:
I have a post about torture on my blog. I wonder what you think of it...
http://cultureforall.blogspot.com/2006/10/tortured-about-torture.html
As far as this bill goes...I do not believe that non-citizens captured outside this country have a constitutional habeus corpus right to begin with. Whether they should have a habeus corpus right at all is a different matter entirely.
On the one hand, I obviously believe in justice for all. On the other hand, they are using our freedoms against us, and I do not see the same constitutional shredding you do.
I do not believe torture is justified in the way that the US has tortured. Namely, I do not believe that torture outside the super strict guidelines Dershowitz set up is justified. But I also don't think torture is per se unjustified in all instances. Not when it can lead to saving a life or many lives. It also has been employed in all American wars in the history of this country.
I guess I view things differently. We are at war. When at war, you cannot afford to have full trials of enemy combatants who are caught. I cannot make it any simpler. Yes, it makes me sick that this is what is required, but war is hell. How are we going to win this war by being nice?
And frankly, I don't see this as the dissolution of all civil liberties for Americans. If I did, then I would rather die than give up the civil liberties.
But I simply do not see this as anything more than what goes along with being at war.
The problem is that are at war with ISLAMOFASCISM. It is a very real thing. We are not at war against 'terror.' By being afraid to call the war what it is, Bush has done great harm to this country and confused its citizens. We are not at war with Islam. But we are at war with those who wish to elliminate our way of life. By refusing to acknowledge the true threat we face, Bush looks like a buffoon when he says he is a 'wartime president.' War with WHAT? We cannot be at war against a TACTIC. But we can win against Islamofascism, just as we won the Cold War against Communism.
After having thought of this, I wish to amend my statements somewhat...
http://cultureforall.blogspot.com/2006/10/rethinking-treatment-of-enemy.html
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