I spoke earlier about how fear is keeping Congress from allowing President Obama to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay. This is the consequence of that fear. It’s a credit to our country that a detainee can get himself heard in the pages of the New York Times. But a truly decent country would do something about it. We don’t. We don’t because we have too many cowards in office. We have too many cowards in office because too many of us are cowards.
I am ashamed of you. I am ashamed that we are so afraid that we will tolerate injustice on a massive scale just to avoid having to feel any small pang of fear.
There’s much to be ashamed of currently, I’m ashamed the increase in the child poverty rate.
Maybe now we can dispense with the partisan baloney– on this issue, Guantanamo, and several other major issues, the “democrats” in congress offer zero leadership and moral authority. they are no better than repug congresspeople
As much as I agree with Booman and you about this issue, and as much as I’m ashamed and angry about the behavior collectively of our representatives in Congress,the fact of the matter is that the members of Congress who are willing to close Gitmo are, overwhelmingly, Democrats.
OK, where are the loud/frequent demands that Gitmo be closed from these democrats?
Have they heard about what is going on there lately? the hunger strikes? how many suicides now?
I’d like to nominate the Drone program, and the lack of its transparency, as examples of institutionalized cowardice.
That really doesn’t make any sense.
Remember when christians only feared God. Now christians are the 21st century definition of paranoia.
No. The real “21st century definition of paranoia” was written by William Burroughs in the 20th century.
“A paranoid is one who is in possession of all the facts.”
As the old joke goes, you’re not paranoid if they’re out to getcha.
The digtally-enforced security state is in full bloom now. Disagree at your own risk. Even dropping out of the digitally surveilled world…besides being almost impossible…would be noted by the watching machines.
Disagree at your own risk.
Bet on it.
Booman complains about the cowardice of the American people in his post here. We have every right to be afraid. We are living in a digital Guantanamo. Bet on that as well.
AG
Yes Gilry, it’s chilling, isn’t it? A nation of small-minded macho cowards: the US was defied and thwarted in Iran about 34 years ago and the powers (and the media masses) that be are still obsessed with taking revenge (even if they might privately think their role in Iran was, to put it mildly, questionable); and about 3,000 people were massactred, and a bunch of expensive real estate destroyed, on 11 Septermber 2000 and the country went into heavy bedwetting mode from which it will, evidently, never recover (who was it again who said those events were good for Israel?). Who would have ever thought it would come to this?
Yes. It’s chilling.
But I have to disagree with you about the “nation of small-minded macho cowards” thing. The population of the U.S is afraid, but it is afraid for the same reason that mice fear cats. We no longer have much of a defense against our oppressors except stealth and secrecy. And the users? The controllers? Macho cowards, maybe. But small-minded? Not. Large minded, on many levels. Looking at the big picture and deciding to win. And…on plentiful evidence…they are winning. Their “small-mindedness” lies in their inability to recognize and obey the commandments that have been handed down by the wisest among us for thousands if years. Moral commandments that are in reality simply recipes for the long-term survival of human social systems.
So it goes.
“Small-minded cowards?” How many among us are ready to end up naked in a jail cell like Bradley Manning? Not very damned many, bet on it. And you can bet on this, too. Pvt. Manning is sorry he stuck his neck out. The controllers made sure of that and they also made sure that we knew about it. A cautionary tale.
The solution?
I have none, except survival. When this house of cards falls…or if the almost impossible happens and it recovers and begins to prosper again…I will try to be here to help. That’s the only solution that I can offer.
Later…
AG
Yup.
Sure Gitmo is a good example, but it is nothing compared to the huge damage we caused by letting ourselves get panicked into a really stupid war in Iraq. Over 200,000 dead, over a trillion spent and Americans are just moving on. No awareness, no remorse, no lessons learned.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Benjamin Franklin