by Carl Pwccaman, Unknown News
May 21, 2004
America has approached a crossroads. Not all of us are inclined to go in the same direction. Some have compromised their own integrity, conscience, and character.
The responses of Americans as a whole, as reflected in our overall discussion, attitudes, and behaviors, will be crucial in holding on to our social/political health. Even if those of us who are going in basically the correct direction turn out to be the majority, it would nonetheless be true, that the way some of us respond to a minority that are going in the wrong direction, will also have a significant effect upon our future. It is crucial that America chooses a more decent and healthy ethical direction.
Yet we cannot avoid the fact that we will have to deal to some degree with a mean-spirited and inhumane current within our culture, one that involves the vicious scapegoating of liberals, outsiders, and foreigners, and one that disregards concerns for civil or human rights. We will have to deal with the unhealthy aspects/the perverse aspects of American culture, for many years to come, regardless of the results of the 2004 election, because cultural tendencies and currents are a larger concern than any one leader or party.
Bush and the Republican party have encouraged many of the unhealthy cultural tendencies that we see today. Voting against them, defeating them, can give us some political space to change the political environment. But it is still true that these kinds of cultural trends will not disappear overnight. It could take decades for our country to work through the issues that are involved.
In the days following the revelation of the scandalous abuse of Iraqi Prisoners by American forces/agents, several points struck me as being important to share and discuss. We cannot expect anyone else to voice our observations and concerns quite the way that we can, speaking for ourselves.
Right now we all owe it to ourselves and to the future of America, to attempt to see clearly and to say what we see to others. It is important to think such things through publicly, and so it is our duty to speak up, even at the risk of overstating the obvious. We need to focus on some important principles and speak out. We need to encourage others with the knowledge that they are not the only ones who see, and that they are not the only ones who care or who are raising their voices. We already know some of the things that must be done, but it helps to re-affirm these decisions.
Certainly we cannot expect the media to encourage us, guide us, or to serve as a model. We have to do this ourselves, each one of us, for ourselves. Speak, discuss, challenge, protest! Let us use the freedoms that we have, and let us assert freedoms regardless of the intimidation, and regardless of what anyone attempts to take away.
The following issues struck me as crucial and especially relevant right now; they will continue to be relevant throughout the foreseeable future:
1: Issues of Torture, Abuse of Power, and Lack of Accountability are Now in Widespread Consciousness in America...
No conscious adult with any clear sense of reality, can legitimately claim ignorance of any one of these issues. Neither can we legitimately deny the relevance of these issues to our own speech, conduct, or voting behavior.
The issue of sadistic treatment, severe humiliation, rape, murder, and torture of prisoners in occupied Iraq, is no longer a little-reported concern of peace and human rights activists. It is no longer in the sole domain of the purveyors of littler-reported, “unknown news.” It is a globally reported reality, and it reflects on the messages/signals sent by the Bush administration regarding the lack of concern about human/civil rights abuses, disrespect for the Geneva convention, lack of accountability to other branches of government, and complete disregard for any outside criticism.
It also makes painfully obvious the problem of how this attitude of the Bush Administration has filtered down and effected Military Intelligence, police, soldiers, contractors, and various others involved in the “War on Terror.” It just isn't acceptable for anyone to dismiss concern about these issues. We cannot allow such concerns to be sidestepped as either alarmism or mere politics.
Due to this context, we need to demand that the resulting criticism of Bush, criticism of America, criticism of Republicans, and criticism of the Military, must be heard, must be respected, and that such criticisms are no longer derided or dismissed out-of-hand. What does it mean? There is a Choice that America is being Confronted With... It is a choice made with conscience, in the psyche, collective as well as individual, that concerns bullying, humiliation, abuse of power, sadism, and torture.
Our actions, reactions, thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behaviors, and choices will reflect our character and our ethical/moral/emotional development as human beings. Because there can be no legitimate claim to ignorance of these issues, demonstrations of ignorance must be understood as a choice on some level, conscious or otherwise.
Those who say they are outraged at all the moral outrage towards torture (Senator Inhofe, Scarborough, Limbaugh, and Savage) are making deliberate choices. Those who silently support and trust an Administration that has displayed little concern for accountability (Bush supporters), are making choices, too. And those who stay silent, or who do not bring up these issues, are also making choices.
America as a whole must choose what our character will be like, for the future; and individuals are deciding just how damaged the culture and character of America will be, just how difficult it will be to create and sustain a healthy political, social, and psychological atmosphere in America. 2: Right Now there is a Referendum on the Culture of Mean-Spiritedness and Unaccountability...
Several phenomena are fitting together to form the picture of a very perverse culture: cavalier attitudes towards the mistreatment or torture of suspects and wartime enemies; an acceptance of an America that is far too brutal and vicious; an ignorant mindset that is tolerant of dismantling the system of checks and balances; disregard for concerns about abuse of power.
There can be no doubt any more, that for some who vote to re-elect Bush, it will be a complete moral failure, an erosion of their own conscience, an act of denial, and a choice to identify with a culture of meanness, bullies, control-freaks, and dominators; it will also be a failure to firmly condemn torture and sadism. There is a very real current of cruelty that we have seen ebbing and flowing over several years.
Since 9-11, there have been serious discussions in the media about whether some degree or other of torture is ok, to prevent terrorism. In those discussions, abysmally ignorant and evil pragmatists have served as featured panelists, “talking-heads,” and as call-ins. In many instances these people were given too much consideration and too much respect for their opinion.
Then there is a general meanness that is widely accepted towards critics of President Bush and the critics of Republicans. On the one hand, there is such mean-spiritedness. We cannot understate our concern that there have been serious discussions of when and if various forms of torture are acceptable, and also unprincipled discussions of how different sorts of human beings can be denied some or all civil or human rights, as this relates to the War on Terror. And other attitudes manifest a mean-spiritedness, a viciousness towards critics, and an “ends justify the means” way of solving problems in America.
Even the most reasonable and sincere criticisms of the War or the President have consistently resulted in the cruelest of speech throughout the media. Someone with a moderate stance can even be the recipient of a tirade of verbal abuse in the media, and some moderate Republicans have been targets of humiliation and intimidation, for disagreeing with the President and their party on some minor point.
On the other hand, there is also such a lack of accountability. Requests by the Congress to meet with the Administration, or to have some input and oversight regarding the War on Terror, and various investigations, have all been frustrated by an Administration that disdains dialog.
The Bush Administration tends to take offense, or refuses to consider, any disagreement or any alternatives, while continuing to demand that everyone simply trust them, claiming the need for secrecy or privilege, along with more power. Many in America simply have not been valuing or understanding the importance of the Bill of Rights, separation of powers, checks and balances.
Each of these tendencies, by themselves, has its dangers. But these trends cannot co-exist without resulting in an unacceptably high probability of abuse of power, as has been graphically demonstrated by the photos of abuse and torture in Iraq, abuses that were perpetuated by US soldiers/agents, following the lead and tone of President Bush, their Commander-in-Chief, and Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense. Ultimatum: This Perverse Culture must change...
The culture that is belligerent, that enjoys humiliating others, enjoys being rude and angry, and likes "kicking ass"; the culture that excuses far too much in the name of some notion of perfect safety or American exceptionalism; the culture that bullies or simply ignores those who demand accountability and transparency of the Executive branch; the culture that is ignorant or even hostile to notions of balance of power and separation of power, checks and balances, and other key constitutional principles; the culture that erodes civil rights and due process rights; the culture that prefers to dominate with a simplistic, whimsical, autocratic, and domineering style… this whole culture is on referendum, or at least it should be, given the well-known facts of extreme abuse of prisoners in Iraq.
This culture must change, for the sake of the mental health of our country.
To some degree the outcome of the next election will have bearing on this, but it is also a problem larger than the Presidency itself. We need to de-escalate much of the hot-headedness and reaction that is fomented by the media, pundits, politicians, and local reactionaries.
Someone like Joe Scarborough, who uses the language of morality one minute, while arguing against the tactic of moral equivalency, should not be able to expect to get away with turning around and demonstrating a depraved moral relativism, as he minimizes the problem of torture by US soldiers and continues to scapegoat liberals. At least he shouldn't expect to be seen as representing the voice of morality when he sympathizes with Senator Inhofe for being outraged by the moral outrage at torture, and then defends Rush Limbaugh's minimization and rationalization. Such unprincipled switch and bait on morality can be called empty rhetoric, manipulation, propaganda, demagoguery.
It can be called Bonapartism. You can compare it to tyrannical or fascist sorts of reactions, attitudes, and techniques of manipulation. But you cannot call it morality.
They shouldn't be so cocky that they can get away with associating themselves with morality. It is perverse to claim that America has the moral high ground, that America represents freedom and democracy, and to expect enthusiastic patriotism, and then to minimize the importance of the Geneva conventions, civil rights, and human rights, and refuse to discuss issues respectfully with one's sincere democratic critics. It is perverse to expect less accountability when there is such consolidation of power and such inhumane abuses.
But our culture is perverse enough for this sort of thing to be prevalent, as our country has accepted a ridiculous degree of meanness and lack of accountability. This has to change. 3: Propaganda, Manipulation...
Many of the voices in the media and on Capitol Hill, are minimizing the scope of the problem. They prefer to focus upon reinforcing what they see as positive gains in Iraq, and they promote not just damage-control, but PR and propaganda about the greatness of our military and our country. They also promote Empire under the guise of spreading Democracy.
They may express the view that such treatment of prisoners of war in Iraq is inconsistent with America's values, is unacceptable, etc. But their efforts to say something positive or to minimize the problem, their inordinate concern over appearance, is a large part of their communication. It is stated that it is a few individuals, not the system, before the investigation has even gone far enough to make that conclusion.
For some time, there has been a dangerously high degree of acceptance of whitewashing. We definitely need to discus the aspects of military culture, as well as aspects of our culture at large, that encourage bullying and humiliation. We definitely need to expose and denounce those in intelligence, military, or civilian circles, who find torture to be acceptable.
The issues are far too serious for us to be tolerating propaganda and manipulation. There is too much that needs to be discussed. Distractions about appearances, side issues, and damage-control, are not acceptable. What to do: The Acceptance of Empty Rhetoric needs to be exposed for what it is, with clarity. Propaganda and Manipulation need to be exposed for what they are, and denounced...
At a time like this, empty rhetoric praising Bush, Rumsfeld, or soldiers, as well as the convenient assumption that there are not broader systemic problems, may in some cases be more about individual's shock and denial. But at its worst, it is about blatant attempts to manipulate.
Knee-jerk support of Bush and the troops, as if they were always, in the main, right, is a dangerous delusion. For some it is fanatic. It is sometimes tied in with religious issues that involve apocalyptic views about the “end-times” (see the Politics of Christian Domination.)
There is also the tendency of the religious right and Republicans in general to intimidate with moral presumption upon others who hold differing views, on matters that do not involve real harm or on matters that well informed and well-meaning adults of good conscience can disagree. Manipulations and attempts to pressure, intimidate, and propagandize, are on referendum to a significant degree, or at least they should be, given this current scandal. It only serves to steer perceptions and facilitate the smokescreen, to presume that the significant causes of abuse are not aspects of the system or culture, or that there are not larger problems involving the attitudes within institutions.
Such assumptions are in fact an unwarranted conclusions that have been arrived at before there has been a decent investigation. It is a forgone conclusion for political purposes. To suspect that there are larger systemic or institutional problems is in fact warranted. But to presume that these factors are not among the issues involved, is an unacceptable bias. These things need to be exposed for what they are, to our best ability, with clarity. 4: Cultural Acceptance of Scapegoating...
Among politicians, media figures, and the call-ins to CSPAN and various talk shows after congressional hearings, etc., far too many react by demonizing Democrats, opponents to Bush, Liberals, etc. This was the reaction to some after several Democrats made suggestions that Rumsfeld resign. It was also the reaction of some to morally necessary criticisms of the Bush Administration and the Military and Intelligence communities, criticisms related directly to these sadistic abuses in Iraq.
That so many react by demonizing those who are outraged at torture, is disturbing (Republican Senator Inhofe said he was morally outraged at all the moral outrage about torture.) It indicates a deep sickness in some layers of our culture.
Sometimes this demonization and scapegoating is blatant and extreme. And yet for some reason, even in debate shows that dominate 24/7 news coverage on several channels, our culture is such that there is typically no response of indignation at the scapegoating.
There is very little challenge to it at all. All evils are projected onto scapegoats, and there is continuous and hysterical derision of a whole list of types of people who are designated “poison containers.” Liberals, the media, and lawyers certainly get there share of vitriol thrown at them, and so do Democrats when they speak up against anything, no matter how reasonably they voice their dissent.
The 24/7 media is a force of intense reaction and meanness in general, encouraging all sorts of reactionary tendencies in society. Non-citizens, Arabs, prisoners of war, illegal combatants, anti-war protesters, and civil rights/human rights activists have been demonized repeatedly, day-in and day-out. It is particularly Liberals, and anyone who is detained for any reason in the “War on Terror”, who are dehumanized.
Bush and his administration as a whole, including Rumsfeld, certainly set the tone, over and over, that Geneva conventions were “legal technicalities” and that the ends justified the means when dealing with 'evildoers' on our 'crusade.' The media, particularly the conglomerate news mega corporations, have voluntarily escalated the scapegoating, and have gladly taken talking points from the Administration or Republican National Committee.
While reactionary scapegoating is probably seen as good for ratings, and hence profitable to the media as well as advertisers, it is also true that several of the news agencies are owned and managed by friends of the Bush Administration.
In any case, dehumanizing, demonizing, and arrogantly discrediting any who do not step in line with Bush Administration, is a widespread problem from the White House to the 24/7 cable news networks, to the editorials and radio talk shows, and on down. It has had quite an intimidating effect, especially in regions that support Bush. It has been going on for far too long, and has been far too pervasive. Fanatic Bush-supporters who scapegoat liberals and Democrats, or anyone else, need to be confronted, consistently, and more loudly, whenever possible. One distorted image the media presents is that such attitudes are normal American attitudes, and another distorted image is that this kind of thing is acceptable...
It is a good idea to bring up the situation, in those or similar terms, to co-workers, family, friends, and associates, even if the topic seems to come out of the blue. We cannot rely on the media or other people in our environment to bring up the issues that matter to us.
In any case, it is our personal responsibility to voice our concerns, and we cannot shirk it by waiting for others who may not choose to speak up, or who may not be able to speak up.
The attacks made in the media, and by certain officials or politicians, are so prominent, and the images presented are so skewed, that it is difficult sometimes to tell how much this represents the very unreal culture of make-believe and the general current of news/media/political hysteria (see Hysterical Media, Hysteria and Reaction Part I and Part II). The image conveyed by the media is that this sort of scapegoating is ok. Though it is difficult, it is necessary for us to attempt to break through these images.
One image is that this scapegoating is a normal American attitude, and another image is that scapegoating is acceptable. There is a discrepancy between the tone of the media versus everyday dialog amongst people who happen to disagree.
A real conservative that you associate with may not be as fond of scapegoating, but the media tells them it's part of being a conservative. Those who are fond of scapegoating won't be confronted by simply watching cable TV or going to the Internet. Studies have shown that people tend to go to websites that already reflect their interests and reinforce their own viewpoints.
But if you interact with them, then you can present another norm, one that is decent and that shows a way that is not about scapegoating or demagogy, a way that also speaks out against the total lack of decency in media attacks on liberals. 5: Deflections/Distortions/Disconnect with Reality... This severe disconnect with reality mirrors the processes that lead to the abuses in the first place...
As divided as our country is, the so-called culture-war or cultural divide being so extreme, and the political divide correspondingly sharp, the intensity of this scandal of torture, is going to elicit reactions on all sides. A response of numbness as the mind buffers the shock of the images, alternating with outrage and various other intense emotions, is already apparent among many.
For some, clinging to positive images of hospitals that work in Iraq, rights for women, the removal of Saddam, the images of decent service-men and women, and other political or economic changes that they approve of, serve to buffer the sense of betrayal and horror. For others, positive imagery serves as smokescreen, PR, manipulation, and ultimately, propaganda that is totally inappropriate, shameless, and disconnected from what is starkly real and relevant right now in Iraq as well as in the US.
For those who are more in touch with, and more comfortable with assessing their own outrage and disgust, very serious questions are being raised, and serious challenges and criticisms are being brought out into the open.
There are, in fact, appropriate targets of outrage and disgust: we need to blast away at lack of accountability, lack of credibility in the military and US agents abroad, and lack of credibility of the Bush Administration at home, the systemic encouragement of a hysterical view towards the enemy, the Machiavellian use of contractors in order to avoid accountability to military command, and of course we need to blast away at things like bullying and humiliation, torture, sadism.
But Donald Rumsfeld, as well as other Defense spokesmen, and several Republicans, expressed more obvious and pronounced indignation the release of the pictures by CBS. That's what served as their focus, initially, when grilled by Congress. Rumsfeld kept pointing out the impact of the pictures compared to words in reports that indicated torture and inhumane treatment.
Ultimately, one of the most serious disconnects that we are dealing with, is a disconnect from the reality of human relationships, a lack of empathy or concern for others. This cannot but lead to a distortion or erosion of ethics, a blindness to moral realities, and a recklessness towards principles of freedom and democracy. There are many things we need to be vocal about, because we do have the right to speak, and education and dialog can shift cultural tendencies...
Every effort to educate people about the nature of hysteria and scapegoating, to remind people of the importance and meaning of constitutional principles that can protect our country from abuses of power (checks and balances, accountability, civil rights, protections of minorities, separation of powers), every effort to inform people about the techniques of manipulation and propaganda, and very effort to stress the seriousness of the problem of the torture of prisoners and what it means for America and the 5th and 8th Amendments, is helpful.
We need to stress the importance of the Bill of rights, especially the right to remain silent, and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, denouncing all torture and coercive interrogation techniques. But how do we re-focus on the seriousness of the issues, correct the distortions, and re-connect people to reality?
Those who take great pains to recount positive things done by soldiers, or done in Iraq, need to be re-directed, perhaps gently at first. They can be reminded that torture of any kind simply should never have happened, that accountability is very important, and that this is definitely not the time to be trying to persuade people about the goodness of our military.
And they can be told that it is not the time to be assuming in any way that these are small issues. The inappropriateness of their positive spin should be pointed out. For those who are doing damage-control, it makes sense to be quite a bit firmer.
We can vehemently stress that finding out the truth, working to avoid such abuses, and making sure that torture never happens at the hands of US agents or troops again, are the real important issues right now. We can insist that other issues are besides the point, that it is not respectable to side-track the discussion, and that deflecting the conversation is not in good taste.
For opportunists who are manipulating or attempting to promote propaganda, outrage is appropriate. It is very important to counteract the distraction tactic of anger at CBS's release of secret photos; we need to dismantle the view that covering up torture helps the troops in any way; we need to denounce the idea that we should deny or cover up such abuses; we need to condemn the rationalization that exposing such evils would harm US soldiers.
We need to firmly oppose the notion that the timing of revelations of torture should ever have been up to the unaccountable Bush Administration decision-makers, or the Pentagon. It was necessary to expose the fact that torture was going on, in order to prevent extreme inhumane abuses. Also, exposing such facts is a part of maintaining one's character and integrity.
The fact that Rumsfeld made a big deal about how the pictures really made it hit home, and that this wouldn't be the big issue without the pictures, also needs to be dissected. The words indicating torture and inhumane abuses, didn't show up on the radar-screen as grave and serious, and Rumsfeld said that it didn't occur to him to be important to share this with the appropriate congressional committees, with the president.
That is what he was saying. He needs to be exposed for that. This sort of lack of perception is consistent with serious psychological denial, and it is also consistent with a defect in ones ability to have empathy or concern for others.
And that's something Rumsfeld shares with President Bush, who insistently told Bob Woodward that he didn't have any doubts about going to war with Iraq, as if he didn't have the ability to criticize himself or suppose that he could be wrong. Bob Woodward cut him some slack and said he didn't believe Bush on this.
The issue is that people who have any empathy for those effected by their decisions, do wrestle with doubts. They may come to the best conclusion that they can, and be resolved and confident, but they also recognize that they are not perfect. Caring about the effects on others, they are bothered by such decisions.
If Bush says this type of worry doesn't enter his mind, I'm concerned that he could really be that arrogant, narcissistic, and lacking in concern. Especially since he feels God choose him to be in charge of America, and has a messianic spin on his role in the world.
Bush can be described as an autocratic and arrogant, whimsically decisive, spontaneous and persistent man of action. There are real dangers to watch out for, as leaders who have these qualities can become a definite menace.
Indeed, some have considered Bush's “can do no wrong” attitude, his arrogance, narcissism, and apparent lack of empathy (and his past as a bully who enjoyed torturing frogs) as evidence of a sociopathic (or anti-social) personality, while others compare Bush's personal leadership style to that of the founder of Fascism, Benito Mussolini. Even if such comparisons are discarded as speculative profiling and partisanship, it is still wise to admit the potential problems of such character traits in a leader, especially in a country that values freedom and democracy.
We certainly do not owe Bush any trust, anyhow. How can trust be owed? The REALITY is that trust can be earned over years and then lost in one day.
And the torture of prisoners under his authority as commander in chief, encouraged by the signals Bush and his administration have sent since 9-11, is certainly enough to warrant considerable loss of trust. It is certainly not in our interest to allow any deflection from serious questions to continue without challenge, to let distortions spiral out of control without correction, or to risk America's further disconnect from reality. And we must remain very troubled about the future of America, and vocal about it. Some other points that bear mention:
In previous articles, I've stressed the importance of solidarity and networking (Power and the Vast Majority of Us). I've also highlighted the problem of anti-solidarity (Anti-Solidarity: Bigotry, provocateurs, personal bs, conspiracy). These things are especially important right now. For one, the fact that we have political space should not be treated as a given. Since we can rely on political space, we must use it and increase our efforts at education, dialog, and speaking out against abuses, and that is more important today than it was even a week or so ago, and it is certainly more true than a year ago, or two years ago.
It is particularly caustic and perverse that now, in the context of these totally unacceptable sadistic abuses, abuses that happen to bolster the moral high hand of Bush critics, there is still so much rhetoric that demonizes liberals, democrats, and critics of the Administration. It is the perversity of it that is so dangerous. It is perverse that many continue to scapegoat Bush's critics, at a time when those who are acting under Bush's authority, guidance, and executive power prove to be sadistic, and even expect to get away with such things, without any expectation of accountability. They even took pictures of their war crimes, as if there was nothing wrong with it. The organized nature of these abuses suggests to some who have had experience within the CIA/Military Intelligence communities in the last couple years, that the pictures were attempts to document what sadistic torture and interrogation techniques worked, and which ones were less effective.
This scandal, and people's reactions to it, create a climate that is more prone to polarization. With that polarization, if Bush supporters are more uncritical, more zealous, and more demagogic, then they become more of a menace. Given the way that Bush is bolstered by his supporters and handlers, if he is re-elected, it increases the potential of abuse of police or other powers at home. The most zealous Bush supporters, at a time like this, in the context of a sadistic torture scandal, may indeed become volatile and unpredictable. Unfortunately, some of them may become deployable. It is a question of the die-hards who think it is ok to abuse prisoners of war, it is a concern about those who wish to fight for a Christian Nation, it is a fear of those who wish to conquer Babylon because of 'end-times' religious views, and it is also consternation about the clear and present danger of true-believers who support Bush, who hate liberals with all their heart.
That is what our country will be deciding on, and it will be part of the next election. But it goes further than the presidency. What kind of country do we want to live in?
© 2004, by the author.
What do you think?
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Those who say they are outraged at all the moral outrage towards torture (Senator Inhofe, Scarborough, Limbaugh, and Savage) are making deliberate choices.
Those who silently support and trust an Administration that has displayed little concern for accountability (Bush supporters) are making choices, too.
And those who stay silent, or who do not bring up these issues, are also making choices. |
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It is perverse to claim that America has the moral high ground, that America represents freedom and democracy, and to expect enthusiastic patriotism, and then to minimize the importance of the Geneva conventions, civil rights, and human rights, and refuse to discuss issues respectfully with one's sincere democratic critics.
It is perverse to expect less accountability when there is such consolidation of power and such inhumane abuses.
But our culture is perverse enough for this sort of thing to be prevalent, as our country has accepted a ridiculous degree of meanness and lack of accountability.
This has to change. |
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This scandal, and people's reactions to it, create a climate that is more prone to polarization.
With that polarization, if Bush supporters are more uncritical, more zealous, and more demagogic, then they become more of a menace.
Given the way that Bush is bolstered by his supporters and handlers, if he is re-elected, it increases the potential of abuse of police or other powers at home.
The most zealous Bush supporters, at a time like this, in the context of a sadistic torture scandal, may indeed become volatile and unpredictable.
Unfortunately, some of them may become deployable. |
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We certainly do not owe Bush any trust, anyhow.
How can trust be owed?
The REALITY is that trust can be earned over years and then lost in one day.
And the torture of prisoners under his authority as commander in chief, encouraged by the signals Bush and his administration have sent since 9-11, is certainly enough to warrant considerable loss of trust. |
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Knee-jerk support of Bush and the troops, as if they were always, in the main, right, is a dangerous delusion.
For some it is fanatic.
It is sometimes tied in with religious issues that involve apocalyptic views about the “end-times.” |
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| We need to blast away at lack of accountability, lack of credibility in the military and US agents abroad, and lack of credibility of the Bush Administration at home, the systemic encouragement of a hysterical view towards the enemy, the Machiavellian use of contractors in order to avoid accountability to military command, and of course we need to blast away at things like bullying and humiliation, torture, sadism. |
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The issue is that people who have any empathy for those effected by their decisions, do wrestle with doubts.
They may come to the best conclusion that they can, and be resolved and confident, but they also recognize that they are not perfect.
Caring about the effects on others, they are bothered by such decisions.
If Bush says this type of worry doesn't enter his mind, I'm concerned that he could really be that arrogant, narcissistic, and lacking in concern.
Especially since he feels God choose him to be in charge of America, and has a messianic spin on his role in the world. |
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