Surreal

/ Tracy Abell

This afternoon Sen. John McCain who is, as far as I know, the only congressional official to endure torture while a POW, voted against a ban on waterboarding.  You read that correctly: McCain, the straight-talking maverick, voted against banning the CIA from using torture. 

Good news is the bill passed the senate, 51-45.

Bad news?  Bush says he’ll veto the legislation precisely because it contains a ban on torture.

What has happened to our country?

                       

15 thoughts on “Surreal”

    • Re: Tortured logic
      I’m crying right alongside you. I wrote a letter to my rep the other day about this issue and prefaced it with “It’s unbelievable we’re living in an age in which I have to write to ask you to please oppose torture.”

      Like

  3. I also feel like crying!
    DH says that if the bill passes, the “dark side” would just slightly alter the technique or come up with something else so they would be kind of following the law.
    Why can’t some of these employees stand up for what is right? Or did they all get fired? Tortured?
    Why? What will history say about this in 20 years? Fear allowed people to do wrong things?
    My DH has had to leave jobs, where they wanted to fire him (but he won the race of finding a job before they found a replacement) because he isn’t willing to do what is wrong. We need more people like him in govt., which is why he sticks with it. (He says ‘no’ a lot, to high up people. But he won’t break the law. They sometimes get angry, but luckily he has tenure, so it is hard to get rid of him for doing what is right.)

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    • I think fear is driving many people’s votes and actions. It’s part of the Bush administration’s psychological assault on US citizens and people around the world: Look! Don’t mess with us because we invade and occupy, detain and torture, ravage and plunder….
      Naomi Klein’s SHOCK DOCTRINE: THE RISE OF DISASTER CAPITALISM discusses how radical economic policies are put into place during times of upheaval and fear when citizens aren’t paying attention. We bought the book and Zippy started it but he told me I wouldn’t be able to read it because it addresses torture, and he knows I cannot handle reading that stuff. I doubt it would be readable for you, either.
      I’m glad to hear your husband sticks to his convictions. We definitely need more of him in our government.

      Like

      • I’m sure I couldn’t handle the book. I can’t handle violent films either.
        Sticking with convictions is important.
        He actually had to pull the quitting card during the past 6 months. He refused to sign something when threatened. You do NOT want to hear about it. You don’t want to hear about the stuff he has to say no to on a daily basis. Much of his job is protecting tax payers and tax money which should be used for what it is supposed to be used for. Everything that needs $ needs his signature at this Embassy.
        But now he is getting a bad review, so there goes his chances of pay raises and probably promotion. Oh well. I’m glad he still has his job. It is sad, because they need people with convictions at higher levels than him.

        Like

  4. I also feel like crying!

    DH says that if the bill passes, the “dark side” would just slightly alter the technique or come up with something else so they would be kind of following the law.
    Why can’t some of these employees stand up for what is right? Or did they all get fired? Tortured?
    Why? What will history say about this in 20 years? Fear allowed people to do wrong things?
    My DH has had to leave jobs, where they wanted to fire him (but he won the race of finding a job before they found a replacement) because he isn’t willing to do what is wrong. We need more people like him in govt., which is why he sticks with it. (He says ‘no’ a lot, to high up people. But he won’t break the law. They sometimes get angry, but luckily he has tenure, so it is hard to get rid of him for doing what is right.)

    Like

  6. Re: Tortured logic

    I’m crying right alongside you. I wrote a letter to my rep the other day about this issue and prefaced it with “It’s unbelievable we’re living in an age in which I have to write to ask you to please oppose torture.”

    Like

  7. I think fear is driving many people’s votes and actions. It’s part of the Bush administration’s psychological assault on US citizens and people around the world: Look! Don’t mess with us because we invade and occupy, detain and torture, ravage and plunder….

    Naomi Klein’s SHOCK DOCTRINE: THE RISE OF DISASTER CAPITALISM discusses how radical economic policies are put into place during times of upheaval and fear when citizens aren’t paying attention. We bought the book and Zippy started it but he told me I wouldn’t be able to read it because it addresses torture, and he knows I cannot handle reading that stuff. I doubt it would be readable for you, either.

    I’m glad to hear your husband sticks to his convictions. We definitely need more of him in our government.

    Like

  8. I’m sure I couldn’t handle the book. I can’t handle violent films either.

    Sticking with convictions is important.
    He actually had to pull the quitting card during the past 6 months. He refused to sign something when threatened. You do NOT want to hear about it. You don’t want to hear about the stuff he has to say no to on a daily basis. Much of his job is protecting tax payers and tax money which should be used for what it is supposed to be used for. Everything that needs $ needs his signature at this Embassy.

    But now he is getting a bad review, so there goes his chances of pay raises and probably promotion. Oh well. I’m glad he still has his job. It is sad, because they need people with convictions at higher levels than him.

    Like

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