On Feb 18, 2009, at 7:23 AM, LuKreme wrote:
On 17-Feb-2009, at 14:46, Christian Brunschen wrote:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7892387.stm>
While it is certainly true that the actions of the US and allies have
weakened, if not destroyed, human rights laws I think there is another
issue that is much more basic.
When people see that the government they live under does not honor the
law, or honor people's right, they themselves are more likely to not
honor the law, or other people's rights. It's much like growing up in
a house where your parents are yelling all the time, you're much more
likely o react to confrontation by yelling at others.
Seriously, the damage that president Shithead did will be being felt
for at least the next couple of generations, regardless of how
successful Obama is.
I think it goes much deeper than that. I don't know the underlying
causes but it clear that Bush and Cheney were more the beneficiaries
of a deep strain of cowardice that crept into the American character
sometime in the last decade or two. After all, Cheney announced that
he intended to violate his oath of office and turn the US government
into "a government of men, not of laws" because he thought that was
necessary after 9/11. Hardly anyone raised an eyebrow. More alarming,
Cheney recently said "at least 61 of the inmates who were released
from Guantanamo during the Bush administration — “that’s about 11 or
12 percent” — have “gone back into the business of being terrorists.”
This is a shocking admission that 88 or 89% of the people released
from Guantanamo were innocent non-terrorists. Yet no one in either the
liberal or conservative punditry or the MSM expressed any shock.
Recently Obama said that the first responsibility of the president was
to protect the safety of the American people. What happened to
defending the constitution or securing liberty?
Maybe it's just a function of an aging population but I believe that
every former administration through Ronald Reagan's would have been
ashamed to advocate security over justice or national honor.
This is the optimistic viewpoint. The pessimistic theory is that it is
sadism that has infected the American character. When I remember the
cheers Romney got at the republican debates, it is hard to dismiss
this thought.
--
Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to
those who do not wish to hear it.
-Samuel Butler, writer (1835-1902)
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