I don't think it's the beans that cause flatulence...I think it's the RICESecretary of State Condoleeza "I've got an oil tanker named after me" Rice chastised European leaders on Monday, saying that before they complain about secret jails for terror suspects in European nations, they should realize that interrogations of these suspects have produced information that helped "save European lives." Just when you think that reality and, may we dare dream, decency might be seeping into the periphery of this administration someone opens his/her mouth to slam that solid steel door shut in a resounding "no flippin' way". No examples of how Hans and Geeta's lives have been miraculously spared because of our affinity for electrodes to genitalia or repeated near drownings, but by golly, if they say it's so, it's so! Kidnapping, sorry, "picking up" that pesky German journalist and detaining him for five months all the while interrogating and torturing him was met with this from Doctor "of Death" Rice - as with all policies mistakes will be made. Should a mistake have been made, we will rectify that mistake. Let me get this straight. Is this a legitimate defense now? I "pick up" someone who, I don't know, annoys me, maybe. I take that person to an undisclosed place, interrogate and torture that person. I then find out oops! Twin sister! That's ok, because, now there is the Rice Rationale. Gee, sorry, it was a mistake. Strike that, no apology, real leaders don't apologize, ya pansy! One word will do - mistake. Last time I checked, picking up the wrong shampoo was a mistake. Incorrect spelling was a mistake. Calling the wrong number on your phone is a mistake. I'll even stretch it to changing lanes without looking and almost side-swiping your neighbor is a mistake. How should one go about determining whether something is a mistake or not? Think back to the term do over. A do over means that you failed to do something right the first time, but because it won't cause any personal or societal harm and is really rather innocuous, it can be re-done, if you will, without causing any real repercussions. Kick ball crazy spin kick ? Do over! Picking the wrong color shirt for your sweetie? Do over! Atomic bomb...no do over. Holding people in foreign countries and pulling out their fingernails, drilling holes into them with drills, burning them with acids and other chemicals, beating them mercilessly....no do over. This is not a mistake. This is policy. This is what we do and for which we are known around the world. We are oppressors. We are occupiers. We are bullies. You cannot set a policy of torture and abduction, and then dismiss the terrible fallout. If you set a policy like this, and you completely back it, then for crying out loud have the balls to be honest about it. You believe in it, don't you? Why shy away? Why act like secret prisons, hideous torture, death squads etc. are false rumors? I find it mind-boggling that Rumsfilled is now whining about the negative spin of the media. Geez. You can go into any abusive household - where dad is hitting mom, mom is hitting kids, kids are terrorizing peers and find some semblance of goodness - they feed their dog, the dad said good job when the kid hit a home run. Does that erase the fact that the family is dysfunctional? Sure there are good things going on, Rummy, but the bad far outweigh the good, and we need to give these guys back their economy and get the heck out of there. Ok? Is that alright with you, buddy?
Recently I heard a clip of our pal Don pretending to be completely clueless about alleged "death squads". Death squads...what is this of which you speak...hearsay...nonsense! Oooh-k, Donny, back on the meds, sweetheart. You and yours orchestrated it - you set it up! Can you spell Alzheimers? Very good.
One more thing....I keep hearing sovereign being thrown out in the same breath as Iraq - as in "Iraq as a sovereign state" "Sovereign state Iraq" "The sovereign-ity of Iraq-edness". I had no idea that sovereign actually meant "occupied". Seriously. Look it up. They re-wrote webster's dictionary. Just kidding, but you wondered there for a moment didn't you? Welcome to crazytown.
Sovereign (as defined by Webster)
superlative in quality : excellent b : of the most exalted kind : supreme c : having generalized curative powers d : of an unqualified nature : unmitigated e : having undisputed ascendancy : paramount 2 a : possessed of supreme power
Comments
I think we should ban torture in general, but there may be times when we must have information and an exception is called for. For example, a 6 year old boy is kidnapped, tied up in a bag and placed in a hole near a small German town. The local police official was able to capture the suspect in close time and proximity to where the boy was buried. The suspect refused to cooperate. The 6 year old's oxygen was limited and time was running out. The police official did threaten and ultimately use physical force to extract the boys location from the suspect. Was it torture? Yes. Unfortunately, the boy died within minutes before the police got to him. Very sad, and the reason why, we must, as Lincoln said, never surrender from the game leaving any availible card unplayed. I do not promote torture but I am not foolish nor irresponsible enough to believe that we can totally remove our option to do what we must do in a "ticking bomb situation." To believe otherwise is foolish.