So far the only indicted person in the bin Laden killing is .... Angela Merckel.
On May 9, 9:52 am, Jonathan <[email protected]> wrote: > So why are the members of Seal Team 6 and all those who advised them not > being tried for violation of International laws? All involved, from the > President on down, seem content to brag about breaking the "law" and > getting away with it. > > On 05/09/2011 08:06 AM, GregfromBoston wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > military heroism is seen in Private Bradley Manning > > ------------------------------------------- > > > Yea, breaking the law, KNOWING it, and bragging about it for > > attention, is "heroic". > > Saddest thing here is that there are people that actually believe > > that. > > > HORRENDOUSLY, sad. > > > On the upside, military courts ain't falling for it. > > > Buh bye kid. Send a card when you get out at 70 > > > On May 9, 8:26 am, MJ<[email protected]> wrote: > >> "My criticism of bin Laden’s killing has less to do with what was done to > >> him, than with the morally depraved character of so many Americans who, > >> once again, react to the crimes of its leaders by waving flags and > >> chanting "USA, USA!" My children and grandchildren will have to live in -- > >> and, hopefully, not have to escape from -- this country whose fate is so > >> utterly a matter of indifference to most of their neighbors. Thanks to the > >> influence that politics, government schools, and the mainstream media have > >> had in anesthetizing minds to the pain of clear, self-directed thinking, > >> the kinds of principles that used to define the essence of American > >> society, have become labeled "extremist ideology" or "crackpot" thinking. > >> After all, what do such notions as "constitutional restraints," the "rule > >> of law," "due process," "individual liberty," "privacy," "fair trials for > >> the accused," the rejection of "torture," and other related ideas, have to > >> do with such "real world" matters as details of the royal wedding, or the > >> question "who will be the next American Idol?""How Perverted Have We > >> Become?by Butler ShafferMichael:My father is no different from any > >> powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.Kay Adams:Do > >> you know how naïve you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don’t have > >> men killed.Michael:Oh, who’s being naïve, Kay? --The Godfather(1972) > >> When I was in high school, one of my teachers showed the filmThe Ox-Bow > >> Incident. For those unfamiliar with the movie, it is a western that takes > >> place in 19th century Nevada. Three strangers are captured by townsfolk -- > >> who had formed a posse -- and accused of having murdered a local cattleman > >> and stolen his cattle. The three are in possession of the cattle, but > >> claim they had bought them from the owner. As the sale took place out on > >> the range, no bill of sale accompanied the transaction. In due course, > >> most members of the posse conclude these men were guilty of the crime, and > >> decide to hang them, which they summarily do. Shortly thereafter, the > >> posse meets up with the sheriff who informs them that the cattleman had > >> been wounded, but not murdered, and that the wrongdoers who had shot him > >> had been caught. > >> I recall no lengthy discussion of this film once it ended. Its message was > >> as evident to each of us as it was to theater audiences; its meaning stood > >> on its own. Unlike so much of the public response to the killing of Osama > >> bin Laden, there was no post-lynching praise of the posse for having > >> performed a community service; no bestowal of "hero" status upon the > >> perpetrators. > >> Like most Americans -- and, perhaps, people in general -- I have no > >> defense to make of bin Laden. Outside of his own circle of operatives, the > >> only person I can recall who had good words to say about this man was > >> Ronald Reagan. It was during his presidency that the U.S. government > >> helped to create and fund Al Qaeda -- with bin Laden in a leadership role > >> -- to help drive the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. For those of you who > >> derive your sense of history from motion pictures, you might want to > >> watchCharlie Wilson’s War.Having been established to serve American Cold > >> War interests, when Al Qaeda’s success in evicting the Soviets was no > >> longer useful to such purposes, it pursuedotherforeign invaders (i.e., its > >> creators)! Once again Boobus Americanus is confronted with Newton’s "third > >> law of motion" which, in matters political, is known to thoughtful minds > >> as "blowback." > >> My criticism of bin Laden’s killing has less to do with what was done to > >> him, than with the morally depraved character of so many Americans who, > >> once again, react to the crimes of its leaders by waving flags and > >> chanting "USA, USA!" My children and grandchildren will have to live in -- > >> and, hopefully, not have to escape from -- this country whose fate is so > >> utterly a matter of indifference to most of their neighbors. Thanks to the > >> influence that politics, government schools, and the mainstream media have > >> had in anesthetizing minds to the pain of clear, self-directed thinking, > >> the kinds of principles that used to define the essence of American > >> society, have become labeled "extremist ideology" or "crackpot" thinking. > >> After all, what do such notions as "constitutional restraints," the "rule > >> of law," "due process," "individual liberty," "privacy," "fair trials for > >> the accused," the rejection of "torture," and other related ideas, have to > >> do with such "real world" matters as details of the royal wedding, or the > >> question "who will be the next American Idol?" > >> This is what America has become: a nation of people who accept what the > >> Nuremberg trials declared to be the most serious of war crimes, namely, > >> the starting of wars; people who regard "liberty" as the condition that > >> derives from obedience to authority; for whom "justice" means nothing more > >> than the redistribution of violence; and who are willing to accept heroes > >> on the cheap. The official story of how bin Laden was killed has changed > >> so many times that it remains uncertain what actually occurred. What can > >> be distilled, at this point, is that Navy SEALs were brought to bin > >> Laden’s residence by helicopter; he was unarmed and put up no resistance; > >> and, having been captured, was then shot and killed, and his body dumped > >> into the sea. > >> It borders on the psychotic for Americans to cheer, as "heroes," men who, > >> not defending themselves from gunfire, and having captured a now helpless > >> old man, would then commit such a cold-blooded atrocity. Why was he not > >> taken into custody, and allowed to stand trial for his alleged deeds? Was > >> it preordained that, no matter the circumstances, bin Laden was not to > >> survive his capture; that, as Noam Chomsky and others have observed, the > >> United States did not have concrete evidence of bin Laden’s responsibility > >> for the crimes of 9/11? Was there, perhaps, the greater fear that if bin > >> Laden -- a creature of American foreign policy -- were to be subjected to > >> a public trial, the underside of such policies might be revealed; that > >> such evidence -- coupled with the revelations coming from Julian Assange > >> and his Wikileaks organization -- might prove embarrassing? > >> If American troops are to play the role of "hit men" for the political > >> establishment -- gunning down those who might inconvenience the purposes > >> of statist godfathers -- what are we to think of our neighbors who see > >> such behavior as a matter of national greatness? It is now the common > >> wisdom among the political talking-heads -- whose opinions are > >> alltoocommon -- that Obama’s criminal act greatly boosts his reelection > >> chances. Has the market for moral principles so bottomed out in this > >> country? Is it in the dregs of human character that future historians will > >> find the essence of 21st century America? > >> Nearly six years ago, British policemen tackled a young Brazilian man in a > >> subway station on his way to work. After getting him down, he was shot > >> five times in the head and died, for which FOX News’ witless commentator, > >> John Gibson, praised the police, adding "five in the noggin is fine." It > >> was later revealed that the victim of this murder was innocent of any > >> wrongdoing. In a rational world, it would be the purpose of a public trial > >> to determine whether a suspect was guilty of a criminal offense. In > >> whatever form a lynch-mob appears, the society that condones -- or worse > >> yet glorifies -- such practices destroys itself. > >> Hero-worship is far too overdone in this country, and is often confused > >> with fame. Nonetheless, those who seek heroic behavior can find it if one > >> is discriminating in where to look for it. One can sometimes find it > >> within the military, although such persons are often treated as pariahs. > >> One example can be found in the U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Hugh Thompson, > >> who came upon the systematic murdering of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai, > >> led by Lt. Calley. When Thompson figured out what was occurring, he turned > >> his helicopter toward the American soldiers and ordered his crew members > >> to open fire on them should they persist in their slaughter. For his > >> heroic act of decency, Thompson spent much of his remaining years being > >> treated more as a villain. Boobus has been too conditioned in his support > >> of the state to be willing to make independent judgments, particularly > >> about anything that lays too great burden upon his mind. A more recent > >> example of military heroism is seen in Private Bradley Manning, who has > >> been accused of providing WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange with the restricted > >> material that Wikileaks later released. For a nation that professes to > >> operate on democratic principles, Manning and Assange are providing the > >> public with an essential service: a documented awareness of what its > >> government has been doing. If anyone wants to build a monument to any of > >> these genuine heroes, please let me know where I can send my > >> donation!http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer235.html > > -- > > Freedom is always illegal! > > When we ask for freedom, we have already failed. It is only when we > declare freedom for ourselves and refuse to accept any less, that we > have any possibility of being free. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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