The Bush Administration has long been ridiculed by the international community as converting the United States from a leader in human rights to the very symbol of the violation of core principles of human rights. However, few were prepared for the utter hypocrisy of watching the Administration condemn China for its use of torture on the very same time that President Bush vetoed a ban on the use of torture in the waterboarding bill. Now China is using our torture program to defend its own abuses.
Chinese spokesman Qin Gang has accused the United States of “exercising double standards on human rights issues” in its condemnation of his country. There is little question that we are applying a double standard when both the President and Congress has struggled to preserve a well-defined form of torture. This hypocrisy will become more acute when our soldiers are waterboarded by other countries who will quote the President and various members of Congress in saying that it is perfectly appropriate.
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Nothing like “we told you so”.
There is a theory that seems apt: the US government, corporations and media have been taken over by sociopathic/psychopathic people. Such people have no ability to empathize with other people’s suffering nor can they imagine what others may think about a decision they make (it requires the same empathy ability to role play the other side). Thus the abomination of torture doesn’t phase them. The idea that their example will send the wrong message to others doesn’t occur to them either – as that requires empathizing and imagining what others are thinking.
And it goes on from there: they manage to ruthlessly walk right into these kinds of outrageously obvious blunders without a second thought.
Unfortunately these same people have mistaken the difference between the adjectives “largest” or “sole” with “infinite”. They act as if being the largest or only superpower means the US is infinitely large and thus can ignore everything and everyone else.
Which, of course, is not the case. Largest != Infinite. We do not have infinite military resources to wage multiple wars – we’ve now see that proven as we have destroyed the military. We do not have infinite cash or economic power as we enter a recession of our own creation through insanely stupid policies. We do not have infinite charisma and adoration as a nation as we’ve discovered our bad acts finally have a limit of acceptability and forgiveness from our allies and friends.
scared:
I can tell from your writing that you likely are a high school student in an American school, and are somewhat dismayed at the attitude you think is prevailing among your native-born peers with respect to the curriculum. There are many flaws in American public ( and private)education and you have identified several, but one thing you may want to consider is that America has an obligation to educate everyone and not just a select few as some other nations do who track their students into academic and vocational pathways. You might also want to consider that of the 779 Nobel Prize winners 22 were of products of the Russian education system, in whole or in part, while 304 received all or some of their education here. One of the things I hope you are learning here is that blanket statements are rarely true, and that each system offers some things that the others do not.
You certainly have some valid criticisms of our present administration but calling it fascist goes too far. Like many governments,it teeters on the brink of many disasters, and in an effort to preserve itself and the nation, it slips in and out of normative conduct. This is not unique to America, and as I am sure you have noticed there is a decided trend to retreat from some of he excesses of the present Administration. You can read about that here on most any thread you find.
There is much to love about this Country, its ideals, and its people,and you have stumbled into a forum that showcases much of what is good about us. I say “us” because regardless of your previous affiliations you are here now and an American in every sense of the word, with all rights pertaining. Few other countries will embrace and welcome your culture, your attitudes and even your criticism as this Country will. You have the unique opportunity to do something positive for your peers by explaining your concerns and moving the group closer to the place you want it to be. In doing so you will prove me right, and fully take your place as a true American. I wish you all the best.
ConsiderThis, I didn’t watch the Engineers Slideshow, but I agree with your later point. The government and other large organizations put profit and money above humanity. The government and the people that run the government behind the scenes lead their own agendas that are above the public. It can be even said that the government is fascist. Major corporations are not not to blame either. . The greatest example is he Iraq War, we are there fighting just for major oil tycoons(like the Bush family) to make major profits. The longer we stay there the more oil prices go up, so the more they make. Some might even attribute this to the federal reserve and how it works(taken from the movie Zeitgiest on Google videos, search it or here is a link for another site http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/JohnJudge/linkscopy/DCTPFA911.html). Also, an example would be the recent AA airplane safety checks. The companies have put the safety of the people to save some money on repairs.
Another point I want to add is that the governments is fascist. They keep the public at bay by spreading lies and nurturing ignorance. Most kids today think school is a waste of time, but for the wrong reasons. Right now most kids are ignorant and lazy so they say having no school is good. The real reason is school is under-par and teaches you little to no practical skills and low grade basic skills, it doesn’t teach kids to think and doesn’t train their minds. In the USSR, India, and other countries I can’t name off the top of my head they were taught to memorize. This in turn expanded their mental capacity. They were taught to think logically and rationally, most American advocates say that their program fosters more logic and thinking. Instead, they worry about glamorizing, media icons, and movies(not to say I don’t like these thing but I don’t center my life around them). I can see in my school that very few people use logic in their decisions doing really stupid things and thinking they are so bad-ass for doing it. The curriculum of any school in America is so far behind Russia even to day that kids in Russia learn Algebra 1 in 4/5 grade while in America we start learning algebra in the 7/8th grade. Probably the only reasons at age 14 that I think about these things is because I came from Ukraine.
Hey, Kermudgeon —
If you’ve watched the Architects and Engineers Slideshow, all 300 and some pages of it, you will probably have to agree that America did it… not all of America, just those with the power and evilness of spirit to put profit above life and morality.
VC:
I have no idea what the difference is between moral and physical courage. I have always subscribed to Hemingway’s classic definition that courage is “grace under pressure.” Your actions seem close enough for me.
The one thing that distinguishes the coup of the American Government from any other period of time is the patient planning and the great number of willing accomplices.
It has been my opinion that the ability of neo-conservatives to accomplish their goals of privatizing key areas of our government and rounding up religious fanatics to run cover has been amazing and incredibly powerful. This is not restricted to the “Christian” faiths. There is and was an incredible amount of ‘Orthodox Jewish’ support for a Bush Presidency. No doubt some reading this are immediately going to recommend I seek treatment; but the support is not only a matter of record, it was quiet, reliable and determined.
The Democrats have assisted willingly by regularly folding like a cheap camera right into the fetal position. Former Marine Harry Reid doesn’t lack courage – he lacks collateral. Behind him are at least a half dozen “Ted Steven’s” type points to ponder just waiting to burst onto the scene. Pelosi’s Wing-man Hoyer, walks on a carpet of wall-to-wall lobbyists,
Democrats have been operating from a sitting position for so long – they are bit atrophied and this electorate better not consider that they have anything in the bag – because nothing is certain except George Bush’s legacy, and even that is changing before our eyes because of the “historians” that are busy changing history. It must be, McCain is running on a platform that essentially validates most everything that Bush has allegedly accomplished.
Torture Bans!!! How did we get to torture bans ?? Why do we need a torture ban ?? Because this Presidential Administration wants cover for every crime it has encouraged. If we ban it, we have historically created the precedent that we needed a ban, therefore creating the argument that all other previous authority must have been open to interpretation. This Congress has been little more than back up singers.