"Up To And Including Organ Failure"

2.28.2007
Ore : 8:25 AM

Oops!
(Perhaps it would help to view this post in light of the fact that the disinction the talking heads among our media make between a hate crime and terrorism is an almost meaningless one -- that is to say, they usually make their distinctions on a case-by-case basis, ad hoc: occasionally, because the victims are fewer than a score in number, but more often because the victims are of a group perceived as protected, or because the perpetrators are white Americans. Nevertheless, and the language of virtually all hate crime legislation reflects this, a hate crime against, say, a Hmong American is by definition intended to terrorize all Hmong Americans, just as 9/11 was a sort of hate crime against anyone born in this country, as well as any foreigner who works in, or with, or otherwise supports America.)

Now, I have never heard of any murderous gay-bashers or bomber of black Baptist churches
being held for years with no right to due process, in secret locations where they'd most likely be tortured. As satisfying though it might have been, Timothy McVeigh wasn't black-bagged and shipped to Uzbekistan to hang from a ceiling fan while his toenails were plucked out.

In spirit, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and all that come with them, are intended to apply to all human beings. In practice, the ideals espoused therein are safest and most secure when in practice they apply to as many human beings as possible.

It may be counterintuitive but I'm pretty sure that our greatest weapons against terrorism are not furtiveness and the abrogation of our rights, but openness and an embracing of the latter; we are most secure not when we abandon the ideals on which this country was founded, but when we cleave closer than ever to them, even at the exclusion of seeking out the illusion of security.

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posted by teh l4m3 at 8:25 AM | Permalink |

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Comments for "Up To And Including Organ Failure"
so basically, what you're saying is that...we're all well and truly fucked

at least till 2008 when some modesty may be restored to the empire and the clothing of the emperor.
  • Posted at 9:52 AM | By Anonymous Anonymous

teh, you're forgetting that everything changed on 9/11; that great shining city on the hill is now a target and if we use our liberty we'll surely lose it.

Now have a cup of tea with that nice old March Hare and relax a little.

AIF is becoming the new Pinko Depressing Punko or something.

I am pretty sure that you are equating terrorism with a crime, and if I have learned abything these past five years, is that saying some people who commit crimes are criminals means that you hate America and want us to lose the War and aren't serious about the War and why aren't you serious?

whew.

Kathleen, I've seen better annieangel impressions... But very, very few. ;) Welcome!

PS good luck at your new job.

thank you! I am pretty excited.

... our greatest weapons against terrorism are not furtiveness and the abrogation of our rights, but openness and an embracing of the latter


It's not so much how many harmful habits we have as it the quantity of good ones. More good habits leave less time (money!) spent on the bad.

If we'd focus on fixing our own Education, Health Care and Tax Code, we'd allow our "free market" entrants to live by the laws of the places they do business. Let them suffer the consequences and plan - Like Good Businessmen - appropriately for the viability of their projects overseas.

We, all powerful industrial Governments, need to let our "subjects" (Corporations can't be Citizens) get their hands cut off if that's what they do where they chose to do business. No matter what the effect on our own country.

It doesn't matter how batshit insane we think the other country is. We go there, then it's THEIR rules we play by. We can't be wasting resources needed for actual safety and welfare of our population, our economy, our Security in defending against invasions by militarily invading nations we can't do business with.

That kind o' shit just makes Iranians feel like they need to defend themselves with nukes.

We need to learn how to do business regardless of the circumstances. That's Life.

ALL of our kids need to be prepared for that. Not just the wealthiest ones.

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