I used to bristle (okay, I'd scream too) whenever Chimpy and the Dark Lord would use "national security" as justification for whatever lawbreaking, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. that they did during their time in power. Stop torturing? No way, national security would be threatened! Tell the truth about the bogus WMD in Iraq? Hell no, national security depends on keeping everything secret! Reveal that Chimpy's people knew Wall Street was headed for a major-league Krakatoa-level blowout? Fuck no, people--national security relies on keeping this stuff quiet!
Now it seems that Obama has heard that song too, and he's singing it just as loud as Chimpy ever did:
In a reversal, the White House says President Barack Obama is fighting the release of photos showing abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan because he believes their release poses a national security threat.
Now tell me: just what "national security" is threatened by the release of photos depicting what EVERYONE already knows our soldiers did, photos that EVERYONE has already seen?
Apparently, Obama made this crap decision "after the top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan told the president they feared the release of the photos could endanger their troops." Um, excuse me, military dudes? I think your troops are already pretty much in danger all the damned time. I guess that's what happens when you play War in other people's backyards. They kinda tend to get pretty fucking pissed off when your toy guns turn out to be real.
Some generic White House official claimed that releasing the photos "would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan." Kinda missed the boat on these things too, don't ya think? How much more of a debacle can we have in Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention Pakistan)? Our soldiers are already being killed, more every day. The terrists already "hate us for our freedoms," remember? And their strength is growing every damned day, thanks to the constant fuck-up of Chimpy's handling of the war.
It really disappoints me to see Obama playing the same cards and wimping out on revealing almost anything that reflects badly on the war criminals of the Chimpy Administration. Even when he authorized the release of Chimpy's torture memos, Obama made sure to promise that he wasn't prosecuting anyone.
Where's that whole "change you can believe in" thing Obama talked about? Where's the Constitutional law scholar who was going to restore our rights and freedoms and retrieve our Constitution from the shit-basket Chimpy threw it into? Where's the guy who was going to end these stupid wars, bring our troops home, and stop dumping money into the war profiteers' bank accounts?
I love the way Obama speaks. I like the things he says, and how he says them. Compared to the near-daily fear I had that Chimpy would declare martial law any second, I feel pretty good with Barry Obama in the White House. I believe Obama when he says he's for the little guy, not the corporate behemoths.
But this whole war thing, and the war crimes of the Chimpy Administration -- on these counts, he's no nearer to bringing us justice than the war criminals themselves. And that makes me really really sad.
20 comments:
It is very frustrating. I'm so sick of D.C. (Dems. Reps, Corporations and Media) deciding for themselves what the proles need.
Torture is wrong. It's morality can't be wished away.
And in the meantime Dick Cheney is on the circuit, demanding the release of previously classified documents...what?
Me too.
As if not showing the pics will change anything.
great post! I'm thinking all this stuff too and getting discouraged.
I wrote about this with a slightly different view, but my newest idea is that the ACLU should prevail, as long as the photos are published without any blurring out of pubes, balls and dicks.
I think the neo-cons and war loving Bible thumpers would be so offended, they'd scream--okay, put Bush and Dick in jail, just stop making us look at Taliban balls!
Fine. If you'd rather our troops face 2,176 rounds per day instead of 2,175, then I guess you just want them all dead, pinkos.
The lie in the whole official protest is that the new fotos pose a threat to USer troops.
They do not.
The fotos are no more dangerous to troops than fotos of cancerous lungs is to smokers.
What poses the danger is the behavior that the fotos represent; and that is that the bally-hooed nobility of the USofA is just so much bullshit...
And that is not diminished on whit by the suppression of these fotos...Nobody's in any doubt anymore that USers are more humane or more honorable, than anybody else...
I don't need to see them. As as soon as news came out more pictures would not be shown, I conjured up the old ones. I bet a lot of others did too.
I look at it this way. Officials in the Bush administration broke the law and created a dark, ugly, festering sore on our belief about what American represents. I want some justice about this. We know the people who are responsible and we should condemn their actions as long and loudly as possible.
But I don't want to see the sore lanced open. It would be too painful.
it is not the pictures that concern me -- it is the road being taken -- obama is falling right into the power road - the same with the military tribunals
while others are not there yet - i am fast becoming discouraged with him
I know, me too. What is it about the military that seems to intimidate Democratic presidents? I truly believe that Obama had good intentions in this regard when he came into office, just as he did about Don't Ask Don't Tell. But once the military leaders got his ear it all seems to go out the window. Similar to Bill Clinton who also said he'd reverse the policy of no gays in the military and ended up wimping out with DODT. It seems as if they just don't have the nerve to stand up to the military somehow. Harry Truman didn't have those problems! He said the military should be integrated, and voila, it was done.
In Obama's case, is it only the military? Or is Dick Cheney's little tour working to make him overly cautious that something might happen if he had to let some of these prisoners go and then he'd get blamed for "making us less safe"?
Whatever the reason it is frustrating.
SWEET JEEBUS--I typed up replies for each of you and stupid Blogger ate them! Dammit!
I'll just say that you all bring up good points. I read somewhere that the biggest problem with the USA is that "the rulers are not of the ruled." I agree with that. They all belong to the MONEY party; left and right are just stupid labels to amuse themselves with and to express whether they're pro-choice/gun/etc or not. But their true affiliation is with MONEY--corporate for-profit government.
And if the Dark Lord's HELL'S a-POPPIN' tour is having ANY effect on Obama, then we're in even bigger trouble than I thought.
OK, I got the part about Bush and Cheyney having horns! I also got the part about the deep recession we are in. I even got the part about Bush and Hoover cusing Recessions. Hoover, unlike Bush, parlayed a Recession into a Depression with Tax Hikes.
Obama was keen to blame Bush for everything, just like FDR blamed Hoover. FDR did nothing to end the Depression, and even prolonged it in 1937 by jumpstarting it. What will Obama do?
We've had dozens of Recessions before, especially a severe one in 1913, when the President knew to butt out and let the Captains of Industry (ie, John Pierpoint Morgan) handle it. FDR, unlike his cousin Teddy, wallowed in self-pity and did nothing.
Eventually, most recessions fizzle out on their own in about 9 months, the worst of which last 15 month. This Recession dates to July 2008, and will last at least till June 2009, making it a 12 month Recession. Recessions linger if something is allowed to hang the Economy, as FDR allowed a certain something to do. Blaming Bush for the Troubles of the World may be correct for a 12 month Recession, but what if this Recession lingers? If this Recession lasts for 15+ months, blaming Bush will simply not solve anything. Bush left 5 months ago, and is no longer a factor in anything.
After July, this becomes the Obama Economy. If there are sticking points in the Economy that prolong it, Obama should address it NOW in his Budget. FDR protected the Unions in his Economy, which prolonged the Great Depression to Pearl Harbor.
What is Obama going to do?
signed,
MV=PT
You know, ANONYMOUS, people who got work in the Depression, and were able to feed their families thanks to Federal projects, might take issue with your assertion that FDR did nothing/prolonged it. Plus, we still reap the benefits of those projects today. The WPA paved roads, built sewage lines and treatment plants, airports, bridges, schools & parks.
And personally, I can't think of a single person in my life who hasn't benefited from the Fair Labor and Standards Act, which allows for a minimum wage and controls on how many hours you can be forced to work.
I'd say you have to be a pretty hard-core "the free market is a god that will fix all things" to believe that FDR's policies were detrimental, and your antipathy towards labor unions is evident. Also, your "after July, this becomes the Obama Economy" is a real giveaway of a wingnuttery mindset.
What Vikkitikkitavi said, and your assertion that "Bush left 5 months ago, and is no longer a factor in anything" made me laugh so hard I almost choked. Thanks for that.
All right, all right--this is NOT an economics wonk blog. And when you start bashing Vikkitikkitavi, you're stepping over the line. One of you said "I really don't want to go through this again." You don't have to. I'm deleting anything you do on this blog. Have your "intellectual" conversations elsewhere.
No doubt about who's got my back!
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