Be-Think [Please visit BeThink.org]

Taxi To The Dark Side; Tales of Psychological and Physical Torture

"Taxi To The Dark Side" – Trailer

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

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.

A Climate of Fear Permeates; Morton High School Students Protest

Climate of Fear

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

"The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism [terrorism, nationalism, or compassionate Conservatism.] It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them." ~ Adlai Stevenson. 1952 [Governor of Illinois, Democratic presidential candidate]

It was a quiet day in America; yet, the feeling of fear was palpable. Oceans away, in Baghdad, the air was filled with the smell of napalm. Frightened, as the young contemplated their future, seventy some courageous and committed students filed into the Morton West High School cafeteria in Berwyn, Illinois. Trepidation for their lives, and the lives of friends, family, and those innocent Iraqi citizens they never met prompted these pupils to take action. The young and eligible enlistees protested the war in Iraq.

America's Angst. FBI Report and Patriot Act

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

For years I have wondered, is this a case of collective Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome? What compels Americans? What distracts civilians and Congress? Why were we, are we, willing to forfeit the rights the founding fathers gave us, particularly the right to privacy?

I surmise the occurrences on September 11, 2001 were a shock to the citizens of this country. We thought ourselves safe, isolated, and insulated. Then, people witnessed their ominous Towers fall, and together we, they, took a leap of faith. We decided to believe in a false leader. A man that maintained a record of incompetence throughout his life was allowed to continue causing calamity worldwide. Americans allowed their President to change the conversation. George W. Bush, a man that was selected for the post of Commander-In-Chief by the Supreme Court, not by the people, assumed a posture, and demonstrated his strength. Frightened beyond belief, we as a nation adopted the fears of a former President's favorite son. Mister Bush cautioned, 'Terrorism is all around us.' With thanks to him, and his war in Iraq, now it is!

Nevertheless, in 2001, captured by angst, the citizens of the United States of America believed. Congress trusted. Thus, they passed ridiculous laws in the name of patriotism. These regulations are more threatening than the terrorists ever were. The Patriot Act looms large in the lives of citizens. Yet, most walk around unaware of how their government now spies on them, legally and illegally, until today.

Political Extremism. When Will It End? ©

Today I received an electronic communiqué that stimulated great thought. Specifically the correspondence addresses the Holocaust. The author asks us to remember what was, what is, and will be, as the result of political extremism.

Personally, I cannot forget. I believe we are mired in government-imposed radicalism today. Neoconservatives believe that democracy can be spread in a brutal fashion. Dictatorial acts pass for nationalism. Consider the Patriot Act circa 2001.

We might look to foreign lands and question the sanity of their leaders. President George W. Bush does. He postulates there is an "axis of evil." Nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Iraq are in his sight. I inquire; might Mister Bush look in the mirror. Which country has the greatest arsenal? Who is prepared to use Weapons of Mass Destruction. What nation state does colossal damage daily then terms it "collateral"?

I sigh and state . . .
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
~ George Santayana [The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905]