September 20, 2007
The Party of Torture, The Tasering, and the New Republican Apartheid (Brent Budowsky)
It was another day in the life of what is left of the Republican Party.
Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) guaranteed his legacy after 29 years in the Senate as the champion and enabler of an Iraq war he long ago knew was wrong but never summoned the courage to oppose. After sabotaging Sen. Jim Webb's (D-Va.) fight on behalf of American troops, he might as well be called Senator George W. Warner.
Meanwhile, having done a disservice to the troops and military families, the Republicans in the Senate, continuing their unprecedented tactic of waging war through filibuster, did a disservice to the rule of law through yet another successful filibuster against even minimal rights for detainees.
Poor Republican Sen. Susan Collins. She was upset because her Maine colleague, Sen. Olympia Snowe, voted in favor of detainee rights but neglected to tell Collins in advance.
Presumably Sen. Collins, facing a severe reelection challenge from Democrats, only votes her conscience for the rule of law when Sen. Snowe tells her in advance that she, too, will uphold the rule of law.
While the George W. Bush Republicans in the Senate spend their day disserving the troops and the rule of law, we learn that the State Department has given certain mercenary forces carte blanche in Iraq.
Blackwater may be hated by the Iraqi people and what is known as the Iraqi government, but in this war sold as a defense of democracy, anything goes in what retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones has properly called an occupation that should end.
Feeling left out of this day in the life of the Republican Party, the white men running for the Republican presidential nomination continued their apartheid-like boycott of debates seeking to reach Hispanic and black voters.
It is astounding, bizarre and a sign of the magnitude of their collapse that Republican candidates do not even pretend to care about the opinions and votes of either Hispanics or blacks.
In their world, African-Americans hardly exist at all; they're little more than objects of voter suppression plans on Election Day. Hispanics are treated like the background music for right-wing immigration politics.
Meanwhile, in the latest expression of extreme intolerance, a college student gets the Taser treatment at a political forum on a college campus.
It is true that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity to rise to the occasion, did not distinguish himself.
It is also true, and far more true, and light years more important, that the Taser incident is only
the latest example of an aggressive, extreme and un-American intolerance of alternative opinion and dissenting voices in which patriotic Americans in opposition to policy have been demeaned, ridiculed and at times beaten to a pulp.
President Bush presides over a government that commits illegal acts of torture, and then, according to the universally respected Gen. Antonio Taguba, commits illegal acts of cover-up to protect the guilty from their punishment under law, for their illegal acts of torture.
There is a lineage of repression, from the crimes at Abu Ghraib to the beatings with the Taser guns, and to the sins of Blackwater and the attacks on democracy in the name of democracy, which have the common thread of disrespect for the core values, and the core ideals and notions of diversity and mutual respect that have been the soul of Americanism since the Liberty Bell first rang in Philadelphia.
Yesterday on the floor of the United States Senate the victory belonged to George W. Bush, and to Republican Sen. George W. Warner, and to the sycophants and shills who have enabled through their actions what they know is wrong on matters of private conscience, national security and honor.
In November 2008 in the voting booths of America, the bell will toll for those who bring these disasters to the nation, and American democracy will be cleansed of the abuses that should never have taken place in our country, and hopefully will never take place again.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union …
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Brent: Give me one example where the government endorsed beating someone to a pulp for speaking out or admit you're full of baloney. Also, that tasering incident happened at a liberal university and the student himself admitted that the police did the right thing and he staged the whole incident in an attempt to get publicity. The only thing accurate in your article is your byline.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — September 20, 2007 @ 11:18 am
Brent;
Another spot on post. A couple of things though that really disgusted me. Mel Martinez stating that resting the troops was demeaning their service. That really made me mad because the no nothing hack probaly has never served and the troops need time away from getting killed and would love to be with their families.
Oh and Brent get ready for RR and Igor,two more hacks, to disagree with you.
Comment by Mike Coleman — September 20, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
[...] Read more GOP [...]
Pingback by True Blue Liberal » The Party of Torture, The Tasering, and the New Republican Apartheid — September 20, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
To play a little with the now famous words of Kerry's "conversation partner", don't tease me bro!
So the Webb amendment was really about giving more quality time to the military families? You mean there was not a trace of the "slow bleed" in that noble undertaking? Don't tease me bro!
And you mean the Hispanics have a right to hear the debates in "their own language", when any naturalized citizen has to pass an English test? You mean someone who can't even understand either the mainstream media or the English-speaking Internet postings "deserves" the right to participate in this country's future? Well how come I had to learn the damn thing? I know, I know someone will tell me I still can't speak it, but still: don't tease me bro!
And you mean that what should really stand out about Bush is torture, and not the defense of the free world against a remorseless enemy? One last time, I promise: don't tease me bro!
Comment by Igor R. — September 20, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
Tired American troops welcome a new friend from the peaceful Republic of Iran. Let's give them some rest and rely on diplomacy!
Sept. 20, 2007
Release A070920b
Coalition forces arrest Iranian Quds Force officer
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces arrested an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – Quds Force officer in Sulimaniyah today.
Contrary to recent diplomatic initiatives, this individual has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators into Iraq. Intelligence reports also indicate he was involved in the infiltration and training of foreign terrorists in Iraq.
The Quds Force is a covert action arm of the Iranian government responsible for aiding lethal attacks against the Iraqi government and Coalition forces.
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14129&Itemid=21
Comment by Igor R. — September 20, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
Brent: It's more than just a reflection on the Republican party.
The Democrats share the blame, and may be more blameworthy because they vote for armageddon while pretending to stand for something.
As corrupt as the Republicans are, they are matched by an American public that has been willing to accept torture and the other abuses of this administration.
(Let me include a brief tribute to Alan f*cking Dershowitz, who used to be a defender of the oppressed - before he wussed out in favor of torture "under some circumstances". He earned the middle name that I will always attach whenever he is mentioned.)
The United States always stood for a unique set of values - values we hardly ever lived up to.
Today we do not need a lot of patriotic Rah Rah. We need to identify those values and put them into effect.
That means we the people, not the sell-outs who pretend to represent us.
And that means that we need to dump any Congressman or Senator who lacks the moral fiber to stand up for human rights and American values.
The 2008 elections need to be a cleansing that gets rid of the worst of the Democrats along with the worst of the Republicans.
Comment by Gerard Pierce — September 20, 2007 @ 3:02 pm
Yep, as usual, the bin Laden appeasing, al-Qaeda surrender monkeys would rather place loyalty to W over loyalty to the Constitution and the US troops they so obviously hate
Of course. logic dictates that "supporting the troops" would mean making sure there's enough efficient body armor and IED resistant vehicles for them, not over-deploying them repeatedly, and not placing all of us here at home at risk from a natural event because the National & State Guard & Reserves are doing time in Iraq
But then again, as we read here so often, logic and reality have no place in the worlds of President Bush Jr, his bipartisan lackeys and their supporters
al-Qaeda & bin Laden are obviously pleased that Webb's bill failed, so to the bin Laden apologists who voted against the Webb proposal, take heart, your idol, Usama bin Laden, thanks you for your anti-US efforts, he couldn't have stuck it to the US troops any more than you a-Qaeda surrender monkeys did
Comment by KingCranky — September 20, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Mike, if anyone is a delusional hack it's you. You attack other posters because you have no relevancy so you attack others like a mad dog.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — September 20, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Mr. Budowsky;
Slick MO. You throw out argument after argument, logical and (mostly) illogical to paint the leftist picture you want. Pretty good approach.
Some assertions stand out. Warner changed his mind because he talked to the military. Fancy that, trusting the military instead of congress on how to run the military. More than 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu already knew the dangers of politicians trying to manage wars.
The student might have been tasered not because of a climate of oppression patriotic Americans, but simply because the officers initially trying to control him (he was big and in no way passive or calm)were too small and one probably panicked. Big leap from that to aggressive, un-American intolerance of alternate opinion. I doubt if the officers even knew or cared what the student was arguing.
You did nail one thing: given the chance, Kerry, with the opportunity to step in and lead everyone to calm and continued useful discourse, stood helplessly by instead. This was the best liberals could propose as our leader only 3+ years ago?
He couldn't manage a minor incident with a misbehaving college student, but we were expected to believe he could handle N Korea, Iran, Al Qaeda, etc.? Were we being misled then by you liberals and Democrats or are we being misled now?
Comment by JO E. — September 20, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
Warner showed far more loyalty to standing with Usama bin Laden as it would relate to ill-treated, under-armored US troops than he did in standing with the US Constitution and the US troops Warner stabbed in the back by voting against having a properly-rested/deployed US military
In the end, Warner's desire to have his entire political career summed up by his unquestioning W-Lackey status outweighed his sworn oath to uphold & defend the US Constitution this Administration subverts and undermines at every possible opportunity
Comment by KingCranky — September 20, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
Is this James Jones calling for an occupation that should end?
" When retired General James L. Jones of the Marines, who led the commission, told the committee, “I think deadlines can work against us and I think a deadline of this magnitude would be against our national interest,” Mr. McCain could not have been more satisfied. “I thank you,” he said."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/washington/06cnd-cong.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1190338600-ShkJll02NVjZTlI20jzsEg
Geez!
Comment by Igor R. — September 20, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
Igor is a constant reminder that Stalin didn't go far enough with his purges.
Comment by Don Bacon — September 21, 2007 @ 12:58 am
Maybe one of the many liberal talking heads here can explain to us how the tasering incident had anything to do with Bush or the Republicans.
It's clear that Brent Budowsky used the tasering of a college student as a spoke in his wheel of propaganda.
Comment by John Simmons — September 21, 2007 @ 8:17 am
Don, you're a constant reminder that eating Mexican food doesn't do much for one's IQ.
Comment by Igor R. — September 21, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
RR;
Thanks for responding, you delusional hack. If you notice, that when I write it is with thoughtful researched and well documented articles. When you and Igor post, well lets just say, it is highly suspect. Now if you want to debate me on any merit, just come on but I will not take advantage of an unarmed man, namely you.
Comment by Mike Coleman — September 21, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Quote "You can't argue with a crazy man." End Quote.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — September 21, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
Mike, unarmed man? Is this a story about you???
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20844553/
Comment by Igor R. — September 21, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
Igor,
After being fortified with huevos rancheros this morning in Mexico I am more than ready to take on your limited intellect.
What ever makes you think that General James L. Jones is remotely qualified to take on a political question such as giving deadlines to the Iraqi government? The general is clearly unqualified in the political arena, and you can't produce one iota of evidence that he is.
When General Jones was Marine Corps Commandant, he (from his bio) "oversaw the Marine Corps's development of MARPAT camouflage uniforms and the adoption of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program."
I'm impressed, how about you?
Comment by Don Bacon — September 24, 2007 @ 12:17 am
Boy, isn't it amazing how much time Rosencrats and Igor spend posting utter nonsense? If you two would spend some time reading, as opposed to parroting Rush, you might understand the distressed state of our country. But no, you both (and Simmons) continue embarrassing yourselves without even knowing it.
Comment by Chris in NM — September 24, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Brent, 9 out of the 19 response postings above were written by whacked out neocons. You, Brent, are right on, again. Someone give Brent a raise, would you?
Comment by Chris in NM — September 24, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
I see the same old nutball neocons posting the same ol' Hillary hate and Rush rhetoric. You sound stupid neocons.
Comment by Lester — September 24, 2007 @ 9:22 pm