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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
The striking thing about "fed up" and his rant is his emphasis on the domestic political ramifications of discussions and opinions about the Abu Ghraib "incidents".
The problem is that we're not talking about steel tariffs, or zoning laws, or some other relatively mundane issue of everyday politics. We are talking about the torture and murder of human beings who have had NO trial or any sort of judicial oversight in their treatment while being held as prisoners by the US military, an institution once considered realtively noble by world standards.
Hitler's party rode to victory on a platform of German (Aryan) dominance and the scapegoating of Jews and others for Germany's problems. Since this political formula was "successful" (at getting Hitler installed into power), does that make it right?
At what point do we stop focusing on this insane "red state/blue state" tug-of-war crap and find some common ground in basic moral values as Americans and human beings? The indefinite detention and abuse/torture/murder of faceless middle-eastern men might play well to the lowest common denominator of some American voters, but does that make it justified? Many of those held in Gitmo and other US detention centers were not even apprehended in the actual commission of acts against US forces, but rather are there because of cash-reward-subsidized 'tips' by their neighbors. It is very likely that some of them are not guilty of any sort of aggresive intentions towards the US. It is equally likely that at some point they will have to be returned to their countries, and now they WILL have a good reason to hate America. Does that sound like a smart way to try and eventually end this conflict?
Stop the madness. "Fed up", do you believe in God? Who would Jesus torture? Please put down the Ann Coulter columns, shut off the Limbaugh show and return to the world of feeling human beings, where many people manage to love their country fervently and STILL recognize that ALL fellow men (and women) everywhere deserve some basic minimal rights to live in peace and receive some kind of justice, regardless of nationality.
That notion might seem idealistic or unrealistic in the age of nuclear weapons and terrorism, and it damn well should because that's what America is all about. Our founding fathers were starry-eyed idealists when it came to the basic rights of men to live in freedom and with justice, consequences be damned. They were somewhat ahead of their time in that regard and I like to think that is part of what has made America so succesful as a nation. Ben Franklin never shrugged his shoulders and dismissed slavery as the work of a "few bad apples" so he could forget about it and sleep well when he went to bed at night. He argued passionately for abolition of slavery even at the Constitutional convention, even though he was at that time in the minority and died without seeing his efforts bear any fruit. He never gave up his ideals. He was an American.
Arguing that non-US citizens are not entitled to full Constitutional rights is one thing, but arguing that it is somehow okay to torture, kill or even "indefinitely detain" people who have not been proven guilty of anything by any sort of judicial process simply because they are "foreigners" is simply inhuman and UN-American, period.
Let me clarify a few things before you start assuming that I am a neocon or anything but a good old fashioned American. I may tend to vote Republican because I have conservative ideals, but during the last election I voted for 4 Republicans and 2 moderate Democrats who held similar beliefs as my own. That's what we are talking about here is it not? Our elected officials executing the WILL of the people? It may not be ALL the people, but it certainly is a majority of them.
I served 20 years in the military and I was OUTRAGED and ASHAMED about what those RESERVISTS did probably more than the average person. They put a black eye and a stain on a military service that is, without question, an idealistic institution that defends the right of every American citizen and also projects the will of America and its people. An overwhelming number of these American's will gladly sacrifice their their lives to make sure American's are safe. Those same American People who begged us to go into Somalia, Haiti, Grenada, Bosnia, Iraq (I), and Iraq (II). Without fanfare, without question, those orders were executed professionally with some of our brethren giving the ultimate sacrifice.
I could give you a 6 hour lecture on how reservists are not the "norm" in the attitude and professionalism of a full time military unit. It takes a lifetime of dedication and selfless sacrifice to by into the Military's Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and consequently all of the training involved in how to treat POW's, etc. Do I think that if these lower enlisted soldiers were all fulltime soldiers would this NOT of happened? Maybe, but I can assure you that it would have came to light much quicker and with swift justice for all of those involved. It is YOUR duty as a soldier to DISOBEY an UNLAWFUL order. These young soldiers were intimidated and/or caught up in the moment and felt they were doing their duty. Even the female reservist GENERAL in charge succumbed to pressure to "turn a blind eye to these OGA's" because of (I am going to assume here based on experience) an intense pressure to achieve results in COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE.
What frustrates me the most is the average Joe or Jane thinks that the President personally authorized this, and that is so removed from reality. Let's analyze exactly what happened. OGA's (Other Government Agencies) over zealously interrogated individuals in an attempt to save YOUR life, MY life, and YOUR family’s life. Some of these individuals were CONTRACTED into SERVICE with minimal back ground checks completed. Was it wrong, absolutely. Should they be punished? Absolutely. But my main point is that we do NOT have to AIR every grievance against our government ALL the time, especially when it ENDANGERS the lives of American Warriors in a time of conflict. Ms. Walsh's article impacts the lowest on the totem pole first. The ground pounders, the ones doing their duty without question. It may filter up to a dissatisfied electorate come election time, but at a huge cost to those who simply want to do their duty and come back home to you and I.
Liberals may conclude that if we NEVER would have went to WAR this may NOT have happened. They are RIGHT in that assumption. But they are WRONG if they think we will never have to exert our political and military influence onto another country. That is idiotic, ideological, fantasy. They TRULY have not learned about the HISTORY of mankind. I do know that IRAQ could have let in the inspectors BEFORE the WAR and diffused this quite a bit, if not completely. That was a MAJOR part of the selling point - They had WMD or they were going to make WMD. Recent video transcripts bear this out as truth. Saddam and friends were discussing the who what and why of it. But their conclusion was that they were going to wait for the world to go back to their business (and out of theirs) before they resumed production and research. Even President Clinton said, "Iraq presents a CLEAR and PRESENT danger to America." If they would of done that (let the inspectors in), and we still went to war, I would be more likely to side with those who question the reasons why. Yes, there were terrorist training camps in IRAQ. We did NOT know EXACTLY WHO they were training, and I would not think it would be wise to WAIT and see either. But I am not totally convinced that pretense alone would have made an overwhelming majority of us jump on board what was sold to Congress, you, me, and everyone else.
In conclusion, it's true I don't want Salon to publish this crap for our soldier’s sake. I want them to INVESTIGATE stuff like this and bring it to the attention of OUR elected OFFICIALS who, if they have a spine, will stand up for what’s right for you and I and use their political influence to get to the bottom of it. We, as citizens, do not NEED to know everything our government does AT THAT VERY MOMENT. Do we need to know later, absolutely, but during a military or covert operation, or negotiation, nope - we don't. That's why we elect these folks to begin with, so they can do our bidding and make sure all American's voices are heard. I welcome the liberal viewpoint, because what shape would this country be in if we ALL AGREED on EVERYTHING?
But mostly I am thankful for those who continue the tradition of selfless military service, so we can exchange viewpoints without fear of reprisal, imprisonment, or worse. I just hope the LEFT will at least SUPPORT the military in ACTIONS, not words. And sometimes, that might mean, NOT PUBLISHING a STORY until LATER.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
