Go back to:
The Gantseh Megillah

The Outspeaker
6/2/2009
Issue:
10.05

Joel Wayne The first truly idiotic and puzzling decision of the Obama administration is his recent decision to bar the release of photos detailing US military abuse of prisoners in Iraq, and Afghanistan. His rational makes absolutely no sense at all, and this decision, paired with his virtual silence on the issue of universal health care make me uncomfortable. I am beginning to see ads of the “Harry and Louise” type on television. They are being financed, and run by the same group who “swift boated” John Kerry. They maintain, through anecdotal,   and unsubstantiated claims that England’s public healthcare system denies care to critically ill people, as well as putting such people on long waiting lists. These assertions are as false as the libellous charges against Kerry were, yet the administration is silent. Why not a series of prime-time messages from the Man himself, refuting these baseless lies? A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey revealed that 61% of Americans favor an increase in the Government’s influence over their health care plans. Slightly more than six out of ten think the government should guarantee health care for all Americans. With this level of public support, why the stubborn opposition from Congress, including Democrats to a public option? We all know the Quisling Lieberman is in the pocket of the insurance lobby, could the ENTIRE CONGRESS be in their pockets as well?

Torture… 

The President argues that releasing torture photos could further antagonize our enemies. He is also on record as believing that the graphic depictions of torture, and other abuses could put our troops in further danger, i.e.: if captured, they would be more likely to be subjected to more “cruel and unusual” treatment than if their captors had not seen the pictures.

What?

We just got rid of an administration that treated us like children; the last thing we need is another of the same stripe. Do you really think that our enemies are ignorant of the fact that we tortured prisoners, or that they are capable of hating us more than they already do? If you are afraid of antagonizing an enemy, don’t engage him in warfare. In any case, what the hell difference could pictures make? Now that everyone in the world knows they exist, don’t you think that releasing them might demonstrate to that world that we are serious about our commitment to seeing justice done? How is suppressing evidence supposed to mollify our enemies? How would this protect our troops? I doubt that releasing photographs would have any appreciable affect on beings that videotape the beheadings of journalists and then go eat dinner.

Barack is starting to worry me.

      

I imagine you’ve all been aware for some time now that our blessedly former vice-president has been in full cry of late; doing his mendacious best to put a fresh coat of paint on the rotten record of the silly administration he was a part of.

He has been lying, which is nothing new, the signal troubling aspect to his tour is the attention he has been getting from the media. Every second his bloated face occupies the screen is another second that might have been used for productive debate and real journalism. He equates with “Jabba the Hut” from “Star Wars.” 

The following is from the NYT:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says former Vice President Dick Cheney's claims -- that classified CIA memos show enhanced interrogation techniques like water boarding worked -- are wrong.


Former VP Dick Cheney has been a vocal defender of Bush-era interrogation techniques.

Levin, speaking at the Foreign Policy Association's annual dinner in Washington on Wednesday, said an investigation by his committee into detainee abuse charges over the use of the techniques -- now deemed torture by the Obama administration -- "gives the lie to Mr. Cheney's claims."

The Michigan Democrat told the crowd that the two CIA documents that Cheney wants released "say nothing about numbers of lives saved, nor do the documents connect acquisition of valuable intelligence to the use of abusive techniques."

"I hope that the documents are declassified, so that people can judge for themselves what is fact, and what is fiction," he added.

I hope so too.

      

Oh, yeah, almost forgot! It seems that some weeks ago a 44-year-old sergeant in the United States Army Shot, and killed five of his fellow soldiers in Iraq. In Baghdad, no less! The sergeant, charged with murder, and aggravated assault, went on this killing spree at a “Combat Stress Clinic.”  I had no idea these sorts of clinics were necessary, and in the capital city of our very own china shop! The article goes on to state that this spree was the worst one to date, implying that others (how MANY others?) had occurred.

I’m not going to bother to go and look, but I’ve quoted reports from army psychiatrists on the subject of “combat fatigue,” and its dynamics. Now we see the consequences. You cannot keep rotating troops in, and out of combat without these sorts of things happening. When you teach people to kill, they kill. After a while, the “rules” start to blur, and you get behavior like the Waffen SS in Russia, and Sergeant Russell (the poor bastard’s name) as a result.

I seem to recall our President promising to “bring our troops home.”  I eagerly await the fulfillment of THAT promise as well as the others he made. I hope the Department of Defence has the foresight to open a few “combat stress clinics” here as well as in Iraq. Seems like a good idea to me.

Click icon to print page >
Designed by Howard - http://www.pass.to
Go back to:
The Gantseh Megillah

subscribe (free) to the Gantseh Megillah. http://www.pass.to/tgmegillah/hub.asp
A  print companion to our online magazine
http://www.pass.to/tgmegillah/nbeingjewish.asp