Ultranormal

Category: current events

  • No Excuses, No Rationalization

    Torture is prohibited by law throughout the United States. It is categorically denounced as a matter of policy and as a tool of state authority. Every act constituting torture under the Convention constitutes a criminal offense under the law of the United States. No official of the government, federal, state or local, civilian or military, is authorized to commit or to instruct anyone else to commit torture. Nor may any official condone or tolerate torture in any form. No exceptional circumstances may be invoked as a justification of torture. US law contains no provision permitting otherwise prohibited acts of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to be employed on grounds of exigent circumstances (for example, during a state of public emergency) or on orders from a superior officer or public authority, and the protective mechanisms of an independent judiciary are not subject to suspension. (Report of the United States to the UN Committee against Torture, October 15, 1999, UN Doc. CAT/C/28/Add.5, February 9, 2000, para. 6.)\
    With today’s revelations about white phosphorus, and the continued revelations about “black sites” and Cheney’s continued lobbying for torture exemptions, it’s high time someone goes to jail.\
    I’ve never been more disappointed in my country. I was embarrassed by the Lewinsky thing, because I saw it as a case of sexual harassment. I thought impeachment was the right thing to do, because there was obvious wrong-doing and a crime was committed (even if it wasn’t the one they charged him with). But this? THIS?!\
    There is no excuse. There is no rationalization. There is no way to cover this up or make it go away. Our government has committed atrocities in the name of “freedom” and put a huge bloody mark on our flag that may never go away. It’s time for people to stand up and say “no more”. Write your congressman, write your senator, write the President. This has to stop, and those responsible have to be held accountable.\
    bq. US law contains no provision permitting otherwise prohibited acts of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to be employed on grounds of exigent circumstances (for example, during a state of public emergency) or on orders from a superior officer or public authority, and the protective mechanisms of an independent judiciary are not subject to suspension.\
    It’s already the law, and we’ve already broken it. In the past, we’ve gotten exemptions for US soldiers and military leaders from international courts, but you know what, this is a case where it may be justified to turn Bush, Cheney and anyone else who endorsed and passed down the pro-torture rules, over to the Hague. It’s not the soldiers’ fault, it’s their commanders.\
    This makes me think of Abu Ghraib. Since we now know that torture was a part of the policy, what does that mean for Lyndie England and the other enlisted soldiers who were found guilty? Why hasn’t anyone in a position of authority been held responsible?\
    We’re supposed to be better than this. We’re supposed to be land of the free, home of the brave, not the land of the war criminal, home of the torturer. We can’t spread freedom if we’re also spreading torture, death and oppression. They’re mutually exclusive. You can’t build a democracy from the scorched bones of women and children. You can’t wipe away the stain of secret torture prisons without someone paying the price for it.

  • Virginia is For Winners!

    Huge congratulations are in order for Tim Kaine, who won the Virginia governor’s office convincingly. But, more important to Loudoun county, ~~both Bruce Roemmelt and~~ Dave Poisson won!!! I don’t know what this means for trends, or projections for 2006, but a big thank you to the Loudoun County Democrats. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more this time. I should be all healed and ready to go in ’06!!!\
    I feel bad that Creigh Deeds lost. I really liked his platform and his ads were positive and heartfelt. I hope he runs again for something in ’06.\
    UPDATE – In my drug-induced haze, it looks like I spoke too soon and Bruce actually lost. Sorry, Bruce!!!\
    UPDATE #2 – The Attorney General’s race is really really close and there will probably be a recount. Right now, the Republican is up by .08%, but I’m not sure absentee’s have been counted, and I’m pretty sure there will be a recount. We’ll see what happens…

  • Probing The Wrong End

    GOP leaders urge leak probe into secret prisons report\
    I would think that whoever leaked the information would be covered under the whistle blower law. The tactic is illegal, and they’ve uncovered illegal activity. Classified or not, the leaker should be given a medal, not investigated.\
    Again, the GOP has it backwards:

    • The crime is the torture, not pointing out the torture.
    • Outsourcing torture is worse than doing it ourselves. It’s a cowardly act.
    • The traitor is the one who drags our country’s reputation through the mud, not the one who points it out.
    • The traitor is the one who ignores treaties and established international law when it suits their narrow purpose.
    • The liar is the one who said no one in the White House was involved in the leak when they knew they were, not the one who revealed the lie.
    • The patriot wants us to live up to our ideals, not throw them away at the drop of a hat.
    • The patriot points out failure in the hope of fixing them, doesn’t cover them up hoping to save face.
    • The hero does the right thing even though it’s hard, not the expedient thing because it’s the easy choice.\
      The moderates in the GOP that I truly respect: McCain, Hagel, Snowe, Warner and others, are not in control. The crazy cold and culture warriors are driving the ship of state into the rocks, and it’s time for the sane members of the party to do something about it. McCain’s push for the anti-torture legislation, which shouldn’t even be needed because torture is already illegal has revealed the cracks in the Administration’s armor. “We don’t torture, but we want exemptions in case we do… you know, torture.” is not going to fly, because the memos written by the Administrations lawyers redefining torture and dismissing those same laws and treaties are already out there.\
      The problem, Mr. President, is that we don’t trust you any more. We were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt after 9/11, but no longer. You’ve lied and failed too many times for us to believe anything you say. You saying “We don’t do torture” has no value after “I’ll fire anyone involved in the leaking of classified information”, and “We know right where the weapons of mass destruction are”. You’re going to have to give us more proof than a smirk and a wink. Stop the obstruction and give us some real proof..

  • Advice For The President

    CNN asked their viewers to give President Bush some advice, and some of it’s pretty good. I’ve decided to give him some too:

    1. Don’t trust your judgement. You’ve hired some really unqualified, unethical and despicable people to work for you. You have more convicted felons working for your adminstration than any administration in the history of the country. You may not have done all the bad things they’ve done, but you’re ultimately responsible for their actions because you’re the boss. Next time, hire people who are actually qualified for the job, not your friends and patrons.
    2. Stop listening to Dick Cheney. See number one… The man led us into Iraq, turned us into torturers and outed an undercover CIA agent. I know you’re too blindly loyal to fire him, but please, please please stop listening to him.
    3. Listen to the American people. A hearty majority of us think you lied about Iraq, and no longer think you’re a man of integrity (between 55-65% in the latest polls). That same majority thinks that Karl Rove should be fired. We’re right. Yes, we know you’re loyal, and the investigation is ongoing, but the indictment of Scooter Libby pretty much lays it out that Karl leaked to Matthew Cooper and probably Novak, and you know that. You’re the President. You know more about this than Fitzgerald does, and we’re going to hold you and your party accountable for it. Come clean. Get rid of Rove, Cheney and anyone else involved, and tell us the truth. You promised us in 2000 that you would return “honor and integrity to the White House”. Holy cow have you failed. You still have three years to try.
    4. Start answering our questions and fire Scott McClellan. Have you watched the gaggles in the mornings? They’re the most embarrassing exercise in futility I’ve ever seen. Scottie (and you too) refuse to answer questions, and we’re tired of it. If you want us to believe you, you have to tell us the truth.\
      Mr. President, I don’t like your administration. I don’t particularly like you. But, I love my country, and I’m tired of the rest of world laughing at us and/or hating us. We’re The United States of America. I expect more out of my government than dodges, lies and torture. I expect the transparency, honor and honesty of a true democracy. I expect competance from those my President appoints, and responsibility taken when things go wrong. You’ve failed on all counts so far. I hope you’ll take some advice and fix things before it’s too late. If you won’t listen to me, or the 160 million people who think you’re a liar, listen to the smart people in your own party like Chuck Hagel, John McCain, John Warner and others who aren’t crazy, aren’t (or soon to be) convicted felons and who honestly want to do the right thing. They, among others, have been trying to tell you the truth, trying to help you, but you keep going back to the same wrong people over and over and over.\
      UPDATE: Oh, and we’re on to the publicity tricks too. You think this means anything? You knew what they were doing, and if you didn’t, it says more about you than it does about them. You can’t say you didn’t know what was going on and that you didn’t approve because it makes you look like an incompetent leader. You can’t say you knew because it makes you complicit. There is no clean way to weasel out of this one, so you probably shouldn’t try. Just tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may.

  • Wrong Is Wrong

    CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons\
    How do we justify this? If this is against the law, both US law, and treaties we’ve agreed to as a country, and the President can’t sign a “finding” that breaks the law – how were we able to do this? Why didn’t someone in the government put a stop to it?\
    Are we so far gone as a country, so without ethics, so without a moral compass, that we’re not all outraged by this? We’re in the business of torture.\
    I’m ashamed of my government. It’s time for us, as a nation, to take a long hard look at ourselves, and how our government represents us.\
    We should demand better. There are solutions to terrorism and to the other problems that plague us that don’t require torture and don’t require us to turn against our better nature.\
    Shame on us for not demanding better. Shame on us for re-electing the fools who brought us here. Shame on us and Congress and our courts for not holding them accountable.

  • The Buck Doesn’t Stop, It Gets Swept Away

    Mike says it best\
    I had a whole long post I was working on, but Mike’s post says everything I’m feeling, and does it better than I can. Go read it. Think about what’s happened to our country, to our institutions. Governing is a job for grownups, not for strutting, insensitive frat boys who make jokes about rich white men’s houses while poor people are dying in filth.

  • Earth To Wolf

    From this week’s Newsweek‘s quotes page, from the bearded one himself, Wolf Blitzer:\
    bq. That’s my job. I’m a newsman. That’s what I try to do, is make news. And you try to avoid news. That’s your job.\
    Wolf, you’re a newsman. Your job is not to make the news. Your job is to report the news. Where did you get the idea that you’re making the new? From Woodward and Bernstein, Rupert Murdoch, Lois Lane? No wonder no one in this country knows what’s going on, or what’s really important. You’re too busy making the news instead of telling us what the hell is really going on!\
    Oh yeah, and no wonder I don’t watch CNN anymore. It’s become one step removed from LA local news following car chases and calling it the news. CNN used to be something important. It used to be good. Now, it’s a bad imitation of Fox, which is a bad imitation of a news organization.\
    And people wonder why we get all our news online now. We don’t like the made up news, Wolf, with the exception of The Daily Show. At least Jon Stewart’s honest about it.

  • Scientology

    There has been a lot of talk lately about Scientology. Most of that is probably to do with Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. Then of course the media had to make it an even bigger story by talking nonstop about Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. What I don’t get is what is the big deal? The teachings of Scientology are a little odd, but frankly aren’t all religions? I don’t want anyone to start bashing Scientology, but I seriously don’t get why people are freaked out by it. Tom Cruise most definitely shouldn’t have called out Brooke Shields by name, in my opinion, but if he is against something like mood altering drugs, I have no problem with him speaking out. (And I am on some.) Other religions don’t belive in blood transfusions and some don’t believe in partaking in modern medicine at all. I know they are secretive about things, but again, so are many other religions. Is this “freak out” just because this is a 20th C religion? A lot of people call it a cult. Why is that? Again, wouldn’t most religions be considered cults then? So, if any of you know why the media is making such a big deal about this, I would love to hear it.\
    P.S.- Watch Veronica Mars on Wednesdays at 9pm on UPN.

  • Lenny Bruce and The Culture of Life

    Before my last trip to Ireland, I stopped by our local used bookstore, and picked up some reading material. One of the books was an ancient paperback: The Essential Lenny Bruce. I’ve been picking at it a little bit at a time since then. It’s really hard to read standup, but I read something a couple nights ago that has been sticking in my head. I can’t shake it. So, I’m going to share it with you, so hopefully you won’t be able to shake it either.\
    bq. Cause the weird part we get hung up with, “I am pure and I am good, and those people are dirty and those murderers are bad and I am so pure, I’m so good that I have to murder those murderers.” And then you end up getting screwed up.\
    How frightening is that? Have you ever heard a more succinct and spot-on description of pious anger? This is the motivation that leads people to kill abortion providers, to threaten the lives of judges, to celebrate life by ruining or ending the lives of others. That’s not a “culture of life”. It’s a culture of acceptable losses, and blatant hypocrisy wrapped in some twisted Christian vocabulary but without any meaning at all.

  • What I’ve Been Up To

    I’ve totally redone the categories, so they’re more tag-like. I’m also slowly going through all the posts I did while I was on Blogger, over 600 of them, and moving them to their appropriate categories. It’s been fun going back and looking at some of the stuff I wrote a few years ago. It’s a lot of fun.\
    Tonight, I got to my posts around September 11th, now in a new category called terrorism that’s slowly growing. I expect the memories to come flooding back when I get to the sniper attacks here in DC. For us, they were almost worse than September 11th. It went on longer, and had the whole area wracked with fear for so long – all at the same time the anthrax scare happened. All of it local, all of it random, all of it could strike anyone at anytime.\
    Keep an eye on the categories. They’ll keep moving around, and I’ll be redesigning the archives page in the near future.