Of this, I believe. I believe in honesty and empathy. I trust in reports that reveal in 2002, the Department of Justice assured the Central Intelligence Agency interrogators who violated anti-torture laws they would be safe from prosecution. Emissaries only need a sincere "faith they caused no "prolonged mental harm." I believe that neither branch of government cares for what I hold dear.
He was a beautiful bouncing baby boy. He was born to two parents that love him dearly. Even before his birth, indeed, prior to conception, this little fellow was the apple of his parent's eyes. His biological beginning was carefully calculated. As the seeds of life developed into a bright-eyed baby, the people he now knows as Mom and Dad thought of little else but Maxwell. The soon to be proud Papa and Momma anxiously anticipated the day they could hold this bundle of joy. Each of his parents was eager to meet and greet the small, sweet face of the guy that they would call Max. Maximum value, supreme significance, marvelously magnificent, all this was and would be their son. After Max was delivered and during any political season, such as this, Mom and Dad feel certain Max is issue number one.
Americans each have taxied to the dark side in recent years. Vice President Cheney, with the blessings of George W. Bush, was our guide. We were the followers. Citizens of the United States claim to care. Yet, collectively, we allow an Administration to torture detainees in Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison. Our fellow countrymen once honored the Rules of the Geneva Convention. This standards are now thought quaint. Americans no longer subscribe to the theory that intentional physical and psychological torment is a abhorrent. Violations of human dignity are accepted, even endorsed.
The lovely and graceful Press Secretary Dana Perino stood before correspondents and the country. She stated, while at war the United States slaughters no guiltless men, women, or children. The innocent are not blameless. They are indeed, the enemy. Young, old, and middle age alike, all once thought to be above suspicion, are now considered terrorist. Friends are foe as Americans endeavor to spread good will and democracy.
It has been tried before. Efforts failed. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful. I have always believed, "Never, never give up!" Thankfully, several Human Rights organizations in the United States and Europe trust in the same principle. They persevere. On Thursday, October 25, 2007, the International Federation for Human Rights, the French League for Human Rights, and the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, filed a formal grievance in a Paris court. The complaint stated former Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld authorized torture at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, The writ states, Rumsfeld violated the 1987 Convention Against Torture Act.
While Rumsfeld wrestled with his past, on the floor of United States Senate Judge Michael B. Mukasey pondered his future. This Bush appointee was asked if "enemy combatants" were tormented, would he, as the Attorney General deem himself accountable. Senators questioned Michael B. Mukasey extensively, albeit civilly. They inquired, if he were approved for the Attorney General position would he accept responsibility for reprehensible actions, or did he not think torture wrong. The nominee hedged and hummed just as Rumsfeld had in the past.
Michael Moore is not the topic of this treatise. "Sicko" is not the source of my pain. While I long for Universal Health Care in America, in this missive I am discussing as Mister Moore does in the above interview, the media. The manipulation, or the "objectivity" within a message concerns me.
The mainstream media delivers a message and often the public accepts what they see or hear as truth. I believe an open mind questions all information. However, people easily trust what seems credible. Discerning the nuances can be challenging. We have faith. Those with resources will do the research. However, that is not always so. Granted those on the Right have long claimed journalists are liberal Left leaning masters of the message. In my estimation, the press is not necessarily Left or "right"; nor do they deliver with mastery. While I might offer this story or that, I will refer to only one recent report. Cameras lessen the likelihood of crime, or do they.
This week I had reason to reflect on passion. While what I feel cannot compare to what those in the Middle East experience, I think the analogy is subtly apt. I have long theorized that wars are never won. Death and destruction do not give rise to winners, only losers. Nonetheless, if combat could produce a champion, passionate persons always prevail. Since childhood, I thought this theory true. From the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, America has been given opportunities to assess. History teaches us that those that fight for personal freedom will triumph.
I marvel at the ignorance, the ability to "ignore" information or the lack of knowledge expressed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. While the Mayor may wish to accentuate his actions during the September 11, 2001 clean-up operations, how can he negate a lesson that we all learn over time. "What we do unto others, will be done unto us." Rarely, if ever does any being attack another without what they believe to be reason.
Public opinion polls are again called into question. President Bush boasts he does not pay attention to these studies. In 1999, candidate Bush criticized Former President Clinton and presidential aspirant Albert Gore for exalting such silly surveys. As his numbers slip daily, Bush 43 reminds us, he has no time for following such tomfoolery. George W. Bush is a man that thinks for him self. Our resolute ruler trusts; he knows what is best for the country and for the world.
Mr. Bush is not an anomaly. According to a July 21, 2006, Harris Poll® most Americans prefer their personal perceptions to facts. They are not necessarily convinced by news reports, if the perspective differs from their own. Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of the Harris Poll, spoke of this in a recent interview with Journalist Bob Garfield of “On the Media” fame. In this dialogue Mr. Taylor proclaimed, currently fifty percent of Americans are convinced; Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They believe this despite all evidence to the contrary.
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