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| Demons All - Republicans' assault on the dignity of Senator Dick Durbin |
| 06.21.05 (10:33 am) [edit] |
From the floor of Congress, June 21, 2005, Republican representatives in the House, call for all manner of censure of their colleague in the Senate, Dick Durbin of Illinois. They complain that he has injured "our troops" by his statement last week that holds the White House's waiving of Geneva Conventions to account in this time of war on Terrorism. Republicans seem to believe that Durbin's description of an FBI report of the torture of detainees, is akin to accusing "our troops" (which military force has not been referenced even once in Durbin's statement,) of behaving like Nazis. While Durbin suggested the described torture might be misidentified as the actions of such dictatorships as Pol Pot, Stalin or Hitler, I urge readers to notice that Durbin's charge is consistently and appropriately against the Bush administration's assumption of "new thinking in the law of war." This administration's belief that so-called "enemy combatants" during this war on terrorism, are not subject to the Geneva Conventions, seems to support the dehumanization of persons identified as enemy without evidence and due process. That a Christian administration would support the dehumanization of anyone is already beyond me, but that's an essay of its own, however related to the abounding hypocrisy of the governing of this nation during these awful times. All I can say is "Read the statement." It can be easily found at http://www.senate.gov/~durbin/gitmo.cfm where Durbin has posted his Senate floor statement in full. On C-SPAN's Washington Journal, a caller suggested (and I can see the thirst amongst the Republicans in the House of Representatives) that Durbin receive the same consequence that befell Trent Lott after he publically agreed with Strom Thurmond's historic defense of segregation in the United States. Despite Thurmond's having shifted from his then-racist world view, apparently Trent Lott continues trapped within the Jim Crow aversion to sharing this country with people of color. Alas, I fail to see how Durbin's address to the Senate floor urging the White House to bring treatment of prisoners of war back to the standards of the Geneva Conventions is in any way like Lott's Freudian slip at Thurmond's birthday party that betrayed his own still-racist take on America. Political process in the House of Representatives and on the floor of the Senate is at grave risk of being infected by the human attraction to dehumanizing solutions that come with the desperate fear associated with events the like of September 11, 2001. When we sanction the kind of torture and abuse that is repeatedly documented with both written statements and photographic images, we subject ourselves as a nation, supposedly in pursuit of "freedom for all," to a prophetic handshake with the very Satan that contemporary Christians seem to see in every dark corner where customs are not understood by Christianity. Torture and abuse of human beings wherever it is found, is evil, any way we cut it. To implement torture and abuse of detainees, is to broadcast images of ourselves (specifically of our governing administration, which is supposedly elected by the people of the United States) to the rest of the world as accepting a demonic doctrine. It feels ludicrous to me as I behold my own blurring of American political policy with a discussion of Christian philosophy - especially to the extent of mentioning the evidence of Satanic influence. But the Bush White House has declared itself to be led, even selected by the hand of God as George W. Bush understands that hand of God. Then flows ready acceptance of Alberto Gonzales's advise that defies both Geneva Conventions in this time of war and our own Constitution of these United States. I personally fear Bush's inability to distinguish between "what Jesus would do" and what looks to me like the work of some classic version 'the Devil.' Torture and abuse of human beings, of any beings, for any purpose is evil. Period. As Durbin points out in his [entirely secular] Senate address last week, the United States Supreme Court has now rejected both Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, and George W. Bush's detention policy during this war on terrorism. The Court's ruling then, rings true now, and is so supported by our contemporary Supreme Court: "The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and people, equally in war and in peace, and covers with the shield of its protection all classes of men, at all times, and under all circumstances. No doctrine, involving more pernicious consequences, was ever invented by the wit of man than that any of its provisions could be suspended during any of the great exigencies of government. Such a doctrine leads directly to anarchy or despotism." |
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| Joe Biden for President |
| 06.20.05 (10:13 am) [edit] |
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Just reading in the Washington Post that Biden will seek the Democratic nomination for President of the United States http://tinyurl.com/e2bbe, I'm now challenged by one of my more troubling character flaws. Since he [Biden] so confidently supported giving Dubbaya sufficient war powers as to invade Iraq, I've carried a grudge that just won't die. In the end, if Biden's a choice, though, I guarantee I'll lend him my support way sooner than I'd do for Mark Warner. (Warner was a fine governor to follow the likes of those other sons of Virginia, Allen and Gilmore - and may have saved the state, but for our single-term limit. He just seems too green for the work necessitated by contemporary political storms.) Biden's positions and political integrity, aside from the war-thing, have been encouraging and integrity-filled: pressing the administration's nose in the wisdom of the Geneva Convention vis a vis Gitmo; and pursuing the resistance to appointment of Bolton to United Nations Ambassador are only two actions holding my loyalty. His work during the Contra-Gate hearings, as well as the Thomas judicial appointment hearings were laden with dignity and intelligence. Besides, Biden does seem to generally have "the right stuff" for the executive position - particularly since Dubbaya so lowered the bar.
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| Non-binding Senate Resolution and Apology on Lynching |
| 06.16.05 (3:57 pm) [edit] |
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Senators George Allen (R - Va) and Mary Landrieu (D - La) did the right thing on Monday, yet still in the spirit of defending against the realities of white privilege and power. Apologies were offered on behalf of their ancestral senate (and notably something like 16 senators declined to sign on to the resolution) but there's such a long road ahead toward addressing personal racism. What comes immediately to mind is the highly commented-upon tale of Allen's having had a confederate flag in his home (naturally his prerogative) and worse a hangman's noose displayed in his law office, back in 2000 and discussed in print by the Associated Press (Bob Lewis, 11/2/2000.) Allen was cloyingly moved by a conversation with Dick Gregory's urging him to take a stand for justice in light of all the suffering endured by survivors of Jim Crow lynchings - where was his remorse over the stain of profound racism found in his home and workplace all of five years ago? His reflection on that reality would go a long way toward persuading me that he's given this matter genuine and personal consideration, hence yielding such a spring of warmth and longing for justice in this land.
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| Downing Street Memo |
| 06.16.05 (3:41 pm) [edit] |
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This afternoon's procedings on C-SPAN3 left me feeling as heartened as I've felt since Jan '00 when I hoped the stealing of the election in Florida would be redeemed. John Conyers led a hearing that should support the arrest of the Republican administration's "Project for the New American Century." What will it take to bring this nation to its senses? |
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