Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Pop Quiz
Read the following, then answer the question:
Recently, the government of Iran kidnapped a Greek man who happened to be Jewish, while he was attempting to enter Italy, because they suspected him of association with people attempting to overthrow the government of Iran. He was stripped, beaten, shackled and drugged, then flown to a secret prison in Syria, where he was held for four months, until it was realized that he was the wrong man. He was let loose in Lebanon, and told to walk away without looking back. When he attempted to sue the Iranian government for compensation, his suit was rejected by all courts.
Question: Was this act an extreme violation of human rights, or a legitimate defense of the safety of the Iranian government and people?
You have twenty minutes to write your essays, starting now...
Finished? Pencils down, good. Now... let's fix that opening paragraph...
Recently, the government of the United States kidnapped a German man who happened to have Lebanese ancestors while he was attempting to enter Macedonia, because they suspected him of association with the perpetrators of 9/11. He was stripped, beaten, shackled, diapered and drugged, then flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan, where he was held for four months, until it was realized that he was the wrong man. He was let loose in Albania, and told to walk away without looking back. When he attempted to sue the US government and CIA for compensation, his suit was rejected by all courts, including the Supreme court, due to "National Security" reasons.
Q: Would you like to change the answer you gave to the first question, or do you wish to be morally consistent? Read the story of Khaled el-Masri, then get back to us.
Short version: America kidnaps a citizen of another country in a third country, beats the shit out of and tortures him (in secret in a fourth country) until they figure out they have the wrong man, then the Supreme Court decides that this man has no right to sue. If that isn't very, very wrong, then I don't know what is. Our current government long ago lost any moral authority. Incidents such as this one just prove what should have been obvious to everyone as early as March 2003, if not earlier. It just proves that every last member of this Administration, the Supreme Court and the Congress deserve their own little adventure in extrajudicial rendition, to be dragged to some damp dungeon in the third world, tortured silly, then forgotten to rot.
That's all they deserve -- the elected who would perpetrate such acts; the elected who would do nothing to stop them.
Mourn for America, for it has been taken over by jackals; by evil men who make the Nazis look innocent. Mourn for America, for it is not the country you grew up thinking it was. Mourn for America. It has been murdered by fascists who lust for nothing but oil, power and wealth.
Mourn for America, but do not mourn for yourselves, for you are the last remaining ones who can do something about it. If the Bald Eagle of Freedom and Liberty is to fly again, it can only take wing with the help of the People -- the only true power in this country, for the moment.
Recently, the government of Iran kidnapped a Greek man who happened to be Jewish, while he was attempting to enter Italy, because they suspected him of association with people attempting to overthrow the government of Iran. He was stripped, beaten, shackled and drugged, then flown to a secret prison in Syria, where he was held for four months, until it was realized that he was the wrong man. He was let loose in Lebanon, and told to walk away without looking back. When he attempted to sue the Iranian government for compensation, his suit was rejected by all courts.
Question: Was this act an extreme violation of human rights, or a legitimate defense of the safety of the Iranian government and people?
You have twenty minutes to write your essays, starting now...
Finished? Pencils down, good. Now... let's fix that opening paragraph...
Recently, the government of the United States kidnapped a German man who happened to have Lebanese ancestors while he was attempting to enter Macedonia, because they suspected him of association with the perpetrators of 9/11. He was stripped, beaten, shackled, diapered and drugged, then flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan, where he was held for four months, until it was realized that he was the wrong man. He was let loose in Albania, and told to walk away without looking back. When he attempted to sue the US government and CIA for compensation, his suit was rejected by all courts, including the Supreme court, due to "National Security" reasons.
Q: Would you like to change the answer you gave to the first question, or do you wish to be morally consistent? Read the story of Khaled el-Masri, then get back to us.
Short version: America kidnaps a citizen of another country in a third country, beats the shit out of and tortures him (in secret in a fourth country) until they figure out they have the wrong man, then the Supreme Court decides that this man has no right to sue. If that isn't very, very wrong, then I don't know what is. Our current government long ago lost any moral authority. Incidents such as this one just prove what should have been obvious to everyone as early as March 2003, if not earlier. It just proves that every last member of this Administration, the Supreme Court and the Congress deserve their own little adventure in extrajudicial rendition, to be dragged to some damp dungeon in the third world, tortured silly, then forgotten to rot.
That's all they deserve -- the elected who would perpetrate such acts; the elected who would do nothing to stop them.
Mourn for America, for it has been taken over by jackals; by evil men who make the Nazis look innocent. Mourn for America, for it is not the country you grew up thinking it was. Mourn for America. It has been murdered by fascists who lust for nothing but oil, power and wealth.
Mourn for America, but do not mourn for yourselves, for you are the last remaining ones who can do something about it. If the Bald Eagle of Freedom and Liberty is to fly again, it can only take wing with the help of the People -- the only true power in this country, for the moment.
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