America has long been a beacon. Sometimes not a good one, but we have certainly seen ourselves as a "City upon a Hill," and prided ourselves on our human rights record. Now....
Let's list the things that America can no longer lecture the world:
Torture. Think about that last one. Our government can no longer, with a straight face, lecture states that have used torture as an interrogation device. We used to chide them. But now... Thanks Dick. Thanks W.
6 comments:
Streak- Good post- nice list. However, I found that if you read further you'll see that we indeed don't torture. What we actually do, and what the McCain amendment would prohibit, is subject detainees to "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment". See, no mention of torture. Sleep easy. It seems that every time this topic comes up on the news someone's job is to say, "Well now, we need to clarify (or define) just what we mean by torture here." So, W can stand there and say "we don't torture" and then play definition games all day long. Pretty disgusting that we are having the conversation! What was that about W's administration being the one to "ask not only what is legal but what is right"? (Link to video and transcript of this at http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/26/bush-legal-right/)
BTW- excellent blog on the McCain amendment and how the Stevens/Cheney modifications could make things even worse than they are now is at http://balkin.blogspot.com/2005/10/beware-augmented-mccain-amendment.html
Later Streak
BB
Yeah, Streak, you see it's rather complicated. It depends on what the definition of 'is' is . . .
Thanks Bootlegger, nice to know we don't "torture." Bucky raises another great point. Why is it that conservatives who mocked Clinton for parsing "is" (and rightly so) now are saying things like, "well, technically, we don't torture," or "she wasn't technically a covert agent?"
Ah, and don't forget using chemical weapons on the Iraqis, at least according to an Italian media outlet.
For years I told my Law, U.S & World history, and government classes the Habeus Corpus is what made us different from all other countries. That our government could not arrest someone and just throw away the key without due process of law. Jose Padilla (american citizen) has been held without charge for nearly four years, but the American Patriot Act allow this to happen. Without that that one protection we are truly a bannana republic.
FYI: Here's a story updating the case greek shadow refers to above:
U.S. Can Confine Citizens Without Charges, Court Rules
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