I wonder whether this guy will be seen by the Tea Party movement (or by the New Barbarians) as a hero, or as a terrorist.
Showing posts with label torture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label torture. Show all posts
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"Waterboarding Wins" (EN)
(UPDATE after the jump)
Exactly one year into Obama's mandate, the Democrats are losing Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, which they had held for 57 years. Just as Obama's election was the most improbable thing to happen, so is this huge upset by Scott Brown.
Yesterday's debacle in Massachusetts, most observers agree, was wholly preventable for the Democrats. A combination of ineptitude, overconfidence and complacency from the state party, combined with the perceived ineffectiveness in Washington and the resurgence of culture wars, made it possible for the Republican underdog to campaign as the change candidate and win against a totally uninspiring Democratic opponent, notwithstanding her 30-point lead in some polls just weeks before the election (!!!).
But this also speaks of America's confusion and very volatile emotions these days.
Exactly one year into Obama's mandate, the Democrats are losing Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, which they had held for 57 years. Just as Obama's election was the most improbable thing to happen, so is this huge upset by Scott Brown.
Yesterday's debacle in Massachusetts, most observers agree, was wholly preventable for the Democrats. A combination of ineptitude, overconfidence and complacency from the state party, combined with the perceived ineffectiveness in Washington and the resurgence of culture wars, made it possible for the Republican underdog to campaign as the change candidate and win against a totally uninspiring Democratic opponent, notwithstanding her 30-point lead in some polls just weeks before the election (!!!).
But this also speaks of America's confusion and very volatile emotions these days.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Where America's Founding Principles Came to Die (EN)
Three months ago I wrote:
The real, mortal danger comes when a civilization's core values are compromised from the inside. When the very things that distinguish it from its enemies are trampled by those who claim to be their defendants. When those who make the decisions at the centre give away moral superiority for the sake of some temporary tactical advantage. When in the fog of war one forgets what he or she ultimately stands for and morphs into something else.
In absolute, atemporal logic, this is the biggest threat for a civilization: to lose or compromise its core principles. From there on, it's only a matter of time before it succumbs to historical erosion.
What emerges from Guantanamo seems to confirm the worst fears.
Read Andrew Sullivan's text after the jump. And his other today's pieces that are linked from there. Read carefully. And reflect.
Sadly, the mindset that made it possible seems to be back, and its champions ride the wave again. We'll talk about that soon.
I would just say now that America increasingly hysterically has begun to hate the hope that it voted for little more than a year ago.
I ultimately don't much care about Obama, he's just a guy. And yes, he maybe screwed up a thing or two. But this is not about him, it's about us.
God save us.
The real, mortal danger comes when a civilization's core values are compromised from the inside. When the very things that distinguish it from its enemies are trampled by those who claim to be their defendants. When those who make the decisions at the centre give away moral superiority for the sake of some temporary tactical advantage. When in the fog of war one forgets what he or she ultimately stands for and morphs into something else.
In absolute, atemporal logic, this is the biggest threat for a civilization: to lose or compromise its core principles. From there on, it's only a matter of time before it succumbs to historical erosion.
What emerges from Guantanamo seems to confirm the worst fears.
Read Andrew Sullivan's text after the jump. And his other today's pieces that are linked from there. Read carefully. And reflect.
Sadly, the mindset that made it possible seems to be back, and its champions ride the wave again. We'll talk about that soon.
I would just say now that America increasingly hysterically has begun to hate the hope that it voted for little more than a year ago.
I ultimately don't much care about Obama, he's just a guy. And yes, he maybe screwed up a thing or two. But this is not about him, it's about us.
God save us.
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