“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
– Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
I realize I should try to come up with something significant to say here, but I think Teddy did a good enough job himself. Just seems like something to remember as we get closer to elections, and commit more atrocities worldwide.
This is to Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who was “more outraged at the outrage” against Iraqi prisoner abuse:
Dear Sir,
I understand your feelings. They are present in my 4-year-old when he feel he has been wronged. America is a great nation. America is a civilized nation. As such, we live be certain rules. We hold life, liberty, dignity, and other principles in high regard. We believe we have high moral standards. We believe in a presumption of innocence. We do not act like savages and treat other peoples as objects for our own amusement. We do not, in general, condone sodomizing prisoners. When we reduce ourselves to the level of savagery shown in the Iraqi prison abuse photos, we disgrace ourselves and our principles.
If a nation as great as America cannot show restraint, cannot show respect, cannot show dignity and concern, how can we expect others to do so? You are not judged by your greatest acts, but by your most base. It is hard to get more base than what we have done in Iraq. We are not treating the Iraqis as equals, but as objects. As far as I know, we have not actually constructed any death camps, but is this behavior much different than that shown by the National Socialists in pre-WWII Germany? Do you consider the Iraqis to be an inferior race, somehow not worthy of the international laws that protect others?
If, as the Red Cross states, our own military intelligence estimates are that 70 to 90 percent of the Iraqis detained were “arrested by mistake”, then you are condoning the abuse and torture of innocent civilians. What exactly is the difference between you and any of Saddam’s thugs? Between you and Hitler’s followers? The only difference I see is that you are part of the group that is currently in power, and the regimes of Saddam Hussein and Adolph Hitler have toppled. If you are outraged by the outrage, you are either not paying attention, or are of the same evil as those you claim we are protecting Iraq and the world from. Either way, you have shamed yourself, you have shamed the people of Oklahoma, and you have shamed America.
My conversion to the Dark Side is complete. I watched my wife go over and scoffed at her, how easily-led she was, how willing to lock herself in to a predetermined path. Then came Vally, showing me the power and ease of using the dark side. I liked my freedom, [...]
I went to sleep last night with the warmth of August and awoke to a cold house and a day of bright skies and bitter winds. That, and the piles of freshly-fallen redwood leaves tells me that summer left with Vally and fall is upon us. Goodbye, summer. Goodbye, Vally. [...]
the wedding party’s gone and all that remains is an arch, a tent and a billion tiny grains of sandy beach and footprints fading in the wind
Today’s invasive terror brought to you by the colour yellow.
Saturday is my day for quiet reflection and self-aggrandizing pomposity. Saturday is the day I ask the Big Questions. Why am I here?* Have I led a good life?** Where the hell did I leave my book? Seriously, where is my book?
This is but one of several heads mounted along the walls of my grandfather’s house. They used to scare the hell out of me when I was younger.
Poor Aaron has a love/hate relationship with sheep: He loves the way they taste, but hates the way they always want to trample him into dust. So with that in mind, here is his exciting 2006 Mutton Bustin’ ride. All 5 seconds or so of it.
The goldfish is dying. He quit eating on Friday, and has been swimming sideways since Saturday. I can see him gasping, but beyond providing a quick and (hopefully) painless death, have nothing I could do for him. Poor little guy. It would be kinder to end his life now, but [...]
Okay, twenty more minutes to the Rapture. Have you made arrangements for your pets yet? I think I’m going to sit this one out, thanks. The kids and I have decided that watching Dr. Who is more exciting.
Okay, I’m hiding this image before it gives my viewer (viewers?) siezures.
Not logged in