Hello Mike >Keith, > >Much of what you say is true but to lump everyone here in the US >together is not fair. BushCo flat stole the last vote,
And the one before, and the next one. But which president didn't? It's just a matter of degree of in-your-faceness. The Business Party wins every time. 'It has often been pointed out by political scientists that the US is basically a one-party state -- the business party, with two factions, Democrats and Republicans. Most of the population seems to agree. A very high percentage, sometimes passing 80%, believe that the government serves "the few and the special interests," not "the people." ... More serious political scientists in the mainstream describe the US not as a "democracy" but as a "polyarchy": a system of elite decision and periodic public ratification. There is surely much truth to the conclusion of the leading American social philosopher of the 20th century, John Dewey, whose main work was on democracy, that until there is democratic control of the primary economic institutions, politics will be "the shadow cast on society by big business."' - Noam Chomsky That is hardly unique to the US. >and a HUGE group >of us >USers (I hate the term "American" - it's as if Mexico and Canada don't >exist) We've discussed that before. But it's worldwide usage. I don't think it causes much confusion, Washington, Americans, North Americans, everybody understands that. >are now and have ALWAYS been working as hard as we can to fight >his programs. Huge? You (collectively) were outmanoeuvred 30 years ago and you've hardly got a thing right since, you didn't see anything coming. You weren't even easy meat for Bushco, there wasn't any need to take any notice of you at all. The left or whatever you want to call it has been pathetic, and still is. >My business and my personal life are shaped by this struggle, as are the >lives of my friends. The opposition never went away in the States. > >No one I know is in favor of torture, Of course they're not. >and if you follow the news in the >US, even most of the Republicans are against it. This is a Bush Admin. >thing, not an "American" >thing. The School of the Americas, eg? If all you want is to get things back the way they were before Bushco, then you're liable to have another Bushco ere long. Business-as-usual over the last 60 years is what has to go, not just Bushco. Particularly with foreign policy. >"Stop talking about blame, dump all the finger-pointing and get it fixed." > >We are, and our numbers are growing each day! Good! But, nationwide, what you see is silence, people looking the other way, compliance. Torture rates as a minor issue or a non-issue. Rice and Bolton et al can still deny that it happens and get away with it. After three and a half years! If you were a torture victim, you'd still be waiting patiently all this time would you? It's two years since congress was treated to three hours of slides and videos of US troops abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib, yet your leaders can still deny it happens. Not exactly under a lot of pressure, are they? "There is no indication of meaningful action by the US government to remedy the situation and prevent further abuse." -- Amnesty International Americans are waking up in large numbers, at long last, and maybe it's not even too late, but it hasn't reached the torture issue yet. You can still say nobody cares, and people do say that. Of course there are exceptions, there always are. I'm not knocking you Mike, nor the efforts of any and all who oppose power and brute force, I'm sure you know that. But I don't think you've made a dent in anything I said. http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0106-26.htm Published on Thursday, January 6, 2005 by New York Times We Are All Torturers Now http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/050214fa_fact6 The New Yorker Outsourcing Torture The secret history of America's "extraordinary rendition" program by JANE MAYER Issue of 2005-02-14 >On January 27th, President Bush, in an interview with the Times, >assured the world that "torture is never acceptable, nor do we hand >over people to countries that do torture." And he's still there, eh? Most Americans haven't got a clue what they look the other way at. Best Keith >-Mike > >Keith Addison wrote: > > >>Hey Randall, > >>its greed just greed and again greed and only greed! > >>Fritz > >> > >> > > > >Maybe, but whose greed, exactly? > > > >I'm not addressing this at anyone in particular... > > > >This is a simple thing that's become woven into a hugely complicated > >situation, a matter of empire. As a result it's not "only" anything > >anymore, though the simple thing remains, which is that torture is > >evil, fullstop. > > > >People can talk about war being necessary sometimes or even about > >"holy" wars, but you can't argue that torture is necessary sometimes > >or talk about "holy" torture unless you're voting for the return of > >the Inquisition. > > > >Torture is not necessary under any circumstances, because all you > >need to do to break somebody's will is to keep them awake. That's > >torture too, but it always works. So why do people have to use brutal > >violence and such perversions as electric shocks to people's genitals? > > > >You find these people in every society, people who'll run death camps > >if that's what's happening, whether passively as guards who are > >indeed probably just doing their job, enslaved people will do > >anything you want them to, or actively as torturers and killers, sick > >and twisted people who'll do it because they love it. > > > >That doesn't have anything to do with greed. Every society has its > >psychopaths, they're a tiny minority, they do not define the society > >they're a part of, they don't define anything except themselves. > > > >States employ torture, not humans unless they're sickos who get off > >on it. You know, people like Hannibal the Cannibal. > > > >The US attempt to blame low-ranking cannon-fodder for Abu Ghraib etc > >is just a case of the true culprit throwing up a smokescreen, as > >usual. You'll always be able to find people who'll stoop to torture > >if you institutionalise torture, and then if it gets spotlighted you > >can use them as the fall guys. > > > >Hakan's right, IMHO. Many people have commented that Americans just > >aren't interested in the torture issue, they're turning a blind eye > >while it goes on happening and spreads. > > > >Pointing the finger, or a finger, at the UN is something you might do > >if you don't know much about John Bolton either - Americans are > >definitely to blame for him too, and he's there for one reason only, > >to kick the UN into a compliant shape. Please read this: > > > >http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/15/usint12295.htm > >Response to Criticism of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights > >(Human Rights Watch, 15-12-2005) > > > >That's UN Ambassador John Bolton on US torture. > > > >http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Bolton > >John R. Bolton - SourceWatch > > > >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg60612.html > >[Biofuel] Steamroller Bolton at the U.N. > > > >http://www.counterpunch.org/barry03142005.html > >Tom Barry: John Bolton's Baggage > > > >Institutionalised torture is an abomination, it stains everybody with > >complicity in a nation that condones it or institutes it, unless they > >live under a totalitarian dictatorship. > > > >It's said people get the government they deserve. There's a lot of > >meaning in that but it's not really true. The amount of say that most > >people have in their governments is only theirs on sufferance, those > >in a totalitarian state have no say, they're slaves. But people who > >had every say and every opportunity and who let it all slip away > >through sheer negligence get the government they deserve. In this > >current case, everybody else's problem is that the rest of us are > >getting that government too and we don't deserve it. > > > >If you want to blame someone, blame this: > > > >"Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship." > >-- William Blum - Rogue State, on how governments control their citizens > >http://www.killinghope.org/ > > > >People get the newspapers they deserve too. > > > >It's also said it's our imaginations that keep us human, the ability > >to live a thousand lives. So use it - put yourself and your feelings > >inside someone who's screaming themselves to death while mad > >torturers laugh and jeer and do everything they can to make it worse. > >See how much you can take even just trying to imagine it, let alone > >have it happen to you. Then make excuses, if you still want to. Try > >to put yourself inside one of the torturers too, see how "only human" > >it is. Like hell it is. > > > >Stop talking about blame, dump all the finger-pointing and get it fixed. > > > >Best > > > >Keith > > > > > > > > > >>----- Original Message ----- > >>From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Randall > >>To: <mailto:biofuel@sustainablelists.org>biofuel@sustainablelists.org > >>Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 3:19 PM > >>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Are Americans torturers or supporters of torture? > >> > >>Hakan, > >> > >>To answer your question: No. Your questions imply that ALL Americans have > >>proof about systematic and long-term torture, and quite simply I do not > >>believe that you have the evidence to support that assertion. What other > >>countries have been reported to and are listed with Amnesty >International as > >>having employed torture? Are you going to issue the same indictment of > >>the citizens of those countries as well? > >> > >>Aren't ALL member nations in the UN responsible for not forcing ALL > >>countries to stop using torture? Using your assertion, aren't the citizens > >>of all those countries responsible as well? Yes, I know it is easy to say > >>that the US has a veto on the Security Council...but why not simply change > >>the system?? Sitting back and just saying that they cannot is the same as > >>the comparison to 1930's and 1940's Nazi Germany. > >> > >>Simply having a vote does not imply responsibilty, much less confer the > >>ability to force the action (or non-action) of a government. This does > >>not excuse torture...but nor does it solve it either. I believe you need > >>to first figure out what makes humans CAPABLE of torture then you can > >>address the REASONS that humans employ torture. > >> > >> > >>--Randall > >> > >>___________________________________________________________________________ > >> > >><< Heisenberg may have slept here >> > >> > >>"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my > >>xe." --Abraham Lincoln > >> > >>___________________________________________________________________________ > >> > >>----- Original Message ----- > >>From: "Hakan Falk" > >><<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>To: <<mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org>Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> > >>Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 1:19 PM > >>Subject: [Biofuel] Are Americans torturers or supporters of torture? > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>>US has not stopped torture, according to Amnesty > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >><http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId > >>=1519912>http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking > >>&storyId=1519912 > >> > >> > >>>Who belive that they stopped? It casts a shadow over all Americans, who > >>>are responsible for their government. At least republicans are clearly to > >>>identify with what's going on. This especially elected representatives, > >>>who refuse to take a stand and stop their support of this administration. > >>> > >>>Why is there so little public actions to get rid of the current > >>>government? > >>>A massive rejection of its methods, would make them resign, but it is > >>>no signs of it. No actions are the same as compliancy, Americans of > >>>today, must have a very good understanding and sympathy for the > >>>Germans in the 1930's. They only "let it happen" also. > >>> > >>>Was Vietnam not enough, or should future generations have to feel > >>>more guilt of their ancestors behavior. > >>> > >>>Hakan _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
