Letters to the Editor
R.Ashen
Published Letters: 194 Editor's Choice: 8
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@ Che' Pasa....no reining in Warmongering Joe
[Read the article: Joe Lieberman, warmongering centrist]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]@ Che'Pasa
...no reining in Warmongering Joe
Truly enjoy reading your comments here at GG's UT/Salon site as they are consistently very good.
I do think we Americans will need to come to terms with the idea that the DC DEMS are quite likely not going to put up much of a fight over American ME long in place policies.
I also think American militarism is fully wound into that American ME policy formation.
The DC DEMS may move some details around or alter some wording or specific concerns but the general American thrust in the ME is to carry on with what the British Empire put in motion several decades ago in the 20th century.
The corporatists are signed on to this,the high powered money interests are signed on to this and it is certain the American military and the the militarism it is funded in the near trillion dollars per year range nowdays is on board too.
Dick Cheney is the current point man and it is certain he is fully intent on implementaion of corporatist/globalist ME desires and goals. It's the American Empire concept---you know--- the one all Americans fully considered,debated and voted on.
I don't think he cares much about the ethics/morals either of how it is being brought about.Several hundred thousand dead Iraqis,millions now reduced to being refugees. Over 3,500 now dead Americans plus thousands more maimed. Doesn't seem to faze Dick Cheney. Just as long as it is put in motion and in place. So what is Dick up to these days? Hell...lets attack Iran and kill lots of Persians too. Dick Cheney is indeed our very own General Grevious.
If I were an Iranian living in Iran anywhere near known military value targets I would be very apprehensive at this point.
I do consider Dick Cheney to be a war criminal. G.W.Bush is certain to attain worst president ever status until an even worst contender supercedes him. It is all tragically pathetic.
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Self Importance and Exception
[Read the article: Joe Klein's stirring defense of Lewis Libby]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Perhaps Lewis Libby has lots of juice with lots of "leading denizens" of WashDC and thats fine. It also is obvious that Dick Cheney condoned some nasty business which "Scooter" seems to have decided was doable and he did it. He got caught doing it. Went to trial. Was unable to win a 'not guilty' outcome and now faces thirty months of jail-time.
L.Libby has lots of powerful friends who care about him for any number of reasons evidently very much. That is noble.
As I recall when Martha Stewart was swept up in some serious legal wrong lines crossed/got caught activity she went to trial and also was found guilty. Lots of people were upset with that outcome. Martha has a huge follower/fan base.
She did go to prison. Did the time for the crime.
When pundits start drawing exceptions around "who" deserves to not be taken up in the legal process because they are either well known,well connected or present the right credentials of "who they know" or what "viewpoints" they exercise that is a very slippery slope.
If we move the sort of thinking J.Klein is advancing to a Wall Street setting and people get to cross lines,money and funds are open to lawbreak activity but the line crossers are not held accountable or seen as being 'guilty' because they are "good people" the money crowd would be damn leary of them all. Enron of course remains the best example of where that kind of porous thinking/motivation comes to or out at.
Lewis Libby was breaking laws,got caught and was found to be guilty. His lawyers appear to have been competent. The judge appears be honest and not corrupted by outside influence.
It is likely Dick Cheney is not guilt-free in this matter and it is likely he fully knows it too. It is too bad Lewis Libby exercised poor judgement and allowed himself to be taken up in activity that led to his being found guilty.Dick Cheney ran some redlights here somewhere and Lewis went along with it.
Dick Cheney is not stupid and Lewis likely is not either. So whatever the choices made or not made were Lewis Libby did make them. Dick Cheney made them. Wrong choices were made.
The final point is Lewis Libby made some bad choices and our American system of justice works/worked to correct that.
Lewis Libby's friends and pundits like J.Klein should respect all Americans rights that justice is done here.
If they don't get that then some serious rot and decay has come into play as to how they view justice and the idea of law and what having laws means. Are they that dense or just that corrupted by their own sense of self-importance and exception?