My friends, grab your pitchforks, we have some retarded assholes to pike upon fire.
Hello, my good friends and esteemed readers, Joe P. Reagan here. Today there is one question on my mind that I'm sure many of you share as well. America, what the f*ck are we doing?
Today as I woke up and flicked on the tube, there was the most interesting and cute story. The story was done with the overlying theme of our valiant fight against all things terrorism and our need to continue to bring freedom to a savage world.
The world is so dark and savage, apparently, that it is up to the US to be the one shining beacon of light. Anyone who stands in the way of our light shining is a no good terrorist and not a human. The last sentence was courtesy of what is apparently Bush logic.
As many of you know, George Bush and friends have been accused of torturing 'terrorists', aka things that aren't people by US government standards, in the ongoing 'War Against Terror'. The most notorious of the places where we interrogate terrorists, dissenters against the US and other affiliated brown-skinned folks who regularly say 'Allah' have been in both Abu Ghraib and the well known Guantanamo Bay.
As time has progressed, it's become pretty obvious that the terror detention facilities are apparently places where the US does not have to play by any rules. Things like Geneva convention and human rights violations mean fuck-all when we can have Jack Bauer style interrogations to bring query to potential enemies of the US in a civilized manner...
Civilized Treatment of Suspected War Criminals
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More Image Results for Abu GharaibSince these images should not be foreign to any American with access to technology, especially those in media and government, it seems a bit shocking to hear about the featured news story for the day.
For some reason,
there are still both media pundits and folks in the American public who truly feel what is essentially torture is alright, as long as it guarantees American safety.
Our dear friend and colleague Dick Cheney is a fan of an inquisition technique known as water-boarding.
As
Dock touched upon in a blog on the subject:
"A prime example of this [torture] involves new reports of a practice called 'waterboarding'. In short, it is said to be a technique currently used by our intelligence to interrogate suspected terrorists and plotters against the US. The technique involves immobilizing a person by lying them on their backs, hands pinned to side, and tilting the head back.
As this is done, the head is placed downward on a slope and water is forced into air passageways to primarily induce gag reflex and drowning sensation. Water intake and asphyxiation can occur under these conditions."
It's clear that the notion of torturing suspected war criminals has come from the highest echelons of US government and has been spun into being something good and necessary for us by our right wing media pundits. Despite all this, it is us, the people, who hold part of the blame for letting our standards slip to such low levels.
What is the price of freedom and safety? Is it becoming no better than what we hate?
Since the time of WW2, America has sold itself as the land of opportunity, freedom and human rights. Our leaders have plucked upon the harp of progressive society, sounding out that America is the place where reason rules over emotion, where democracy and respect rule over suspicion and malevolence.
It seems these are easy chords to play when we think we're all safe, but let the media mock up reports that make a scapegoat out of our attackers (e.g., Arabs that may or may not be terrorists), it seems our noble motifs go out the window.
We're willing to nod and accept a bit of torture here and there. Our leaders get away with saying grunts like Lynndie England acted on their own. We become a nation where fear of the unknown outweighs our drive to hold up our standards in holding life and humanity above all else, even at the risk of terror attacks.
And that's where we are today, my friends. We have a disjointed nation where confused people know torture is wrong, yet are willing to allow it to happen and try to mentally justify their slip in reasoning. We allow anyone broadstroked as a terrorist to fall out of human standing, and we allow the government to do whatever they please to these folks. It's all in the name of freedom and safety, so we turn a blind eye.
This is something the Germans may have allowed to happen during the 1930s to 40s, for those who are aware of basic history. Allowing a segment of society to be blacklisted and exploited by utilizing a go-ahead term ('Jim Crow the coons' in antebellum south, Japs in WW2, Pinkos in 50s, hippies at Kent state and terrorists of the aughts) is always bound to bring the lowest moments and times of our society.
Friends, we must stop this idiocy because I fear of where it can lead. Tension continues to increase between America and countries in the middle east, namely Iran. I fear that a war against Iran and the resultant demonizing of Muslim-Americans, and those abroad, can cause some of the lowest atrocities of human history to occur. The media is ripe for creating such a scenario, and our politicians aren't above protecting our political landscape from such a scenario. Torture of individuals can and will expand, and an blase American public who has been convinced to sell out humans for the faux-blanket of security will be to blame.
These things aren't some far away story. The possibility of sanctioned and condoned torture, this day and age, by one of the the most powerful nations on Earth is a reality. Our media can use euphemism to call it what they want, but we --the public-- need to be smart enough to hold our politicians feet to the fire and say,
Look, water-boarding and things of this nature is torture. My US does not stand for this, what about you?" This is our role as Americans.
A Roman poet once wrote
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?. Who watches the watchers? Who overlooks those who are entrusted with upholding our government?
In our society, it is foolish to entrust our life --and national identity-- to media and government. Every entity with human influence is not beyond corruption. Our 'watchers' can be just as easily swayed by its own lies, propaganda and deceit as any one of us.
So quis custodiet ipsos custodes? When all of America learns the answer to this question shouldn't go beyond a mirror in your home, we will then figure out what the fuck is wrong with our country.
Until next time...
=Joe P. Reagan=