---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Carl Jarvis <carjar82@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 17:52:50 -0700
Subject: Stupid Stuff on Steroids - Syria and Comic Book Thinking
To: Blind Democracy Discussion List <blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
There is so much insight and truth in the words of that great
philosopher Pogo, spoken to his long time friend and faithful side
kick Albert, as they strolled through the swampy comic strip, "We have
met the enemy, and they are us".
Everything I ever learned as a small child, concerning the evil Nazi's
and wicked Japs, and everything I was taught as a teenager, about the
immoral Commies, and all of the cruel inhumane practices of the
Arabs, turn out to have been no different than the behavior of my own
American Culture
I marvel at the lies that were laid on me as I grew up. This Land of
the Free. and Home of the Brave. A wondrous land provided to us by a
loving God. Each Thanksgiving our grade school would put on a Pageant
where the Pilgrims and Indians came together and thanked God Almighty
for the bountiful feast. I usually was selected to be one of the
Indians.
Then we were taught that the Pioneers trudged across the prairies with
their few belongings, searching for a place to build their homes and
farm the land. And they were beset upon by Savages who massacred
them. forcing our Great White Father to send out the cavalry to whip
the Savages into submission and drive them onto reservations. And we
had to run the mean Mexicans out of California, Arizona, New Mexico
and Colorado in order to allow civilized folks a safe place to live.
And we cried, "Remember the Maine", and sent the cruel Spaniards
packing out of Cuba and the Philippines so those folks could live free
lives.
And in all of this I was taught that we were God Fearing, gentle
people who loved their freedom and wanted to share our way of life
with everyone else.
Then I completed school, grew up and entered a different world,
called, The Real World.
In the Real World I soon learned that I, along with the majority of
Americans, had been born on the wrong side of the tracks. This, I
later learned, was what we said instead of admitting that we were a
Class Society.
And I learned that the Savages we slew, were actually human beings,
just like us. And so were the Spaniards and the Mexicans. And those
brave Pilgrims were actually seeking a safe place to practice their
brand of "Make Believe", and had no intention of sharing anything with
any strange people who did not believe the same as they did. And
those Pioneers were nothing more than the advance guard of a never
ending horde of invaders, taking the Land away from the
Natives...because they could.
So forgive me if I fail to rise and pledge allegiance to the flag, or
sing, "God Bless America". For this land is not my land, and it never
was. My people farmed the land and built roads, and fell trees, but
it was never their land...even though they thought it was. It has
always belonged to the Ruling Class. And when we place our hand over
our heart and pledge to that flag, it is a pledge to protect and hold
safe our Ruling Class.
Carl Jarvis
On 9/26/14, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@optonline.net> wrote:
> Stupid Stuff
> Thursday, 25 September 2014 00:00 By L. Michael Hager, Truthout | Op-Ed
> (Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)Do you want media that's accountable to
> YOU, not to advertisers or billionaire sponsors? Help sustain Truthout's
> work by clicking here to make a tax-deductible donation!
> The president's reported quote, "Don't do stupid stuff," is good advice.
> However, our policy makers too often ignore it. The Middle East wars,
> Guantánamo and the unconditional support of Israel are ongoing examples of
> stupid stuff.
> His critics jeered when reporters quoted President Obama last spring:
> "Don't
> do stupid stuff." They would have done better to reflect on all the
> "stupid," illegal and immoral "stuff" that the president and his
> predecessor
> have already inflicted on the United States and the world.
> Our Middle East wars, the indefinite detention of Guantánamo prisoners, and
> unconditional military aid to Israel are ongoing examples of
> counterproductive policies that keep making things worse.
> Middle East Wars
> In response to 9/11 and in violation of the UN Charter, Article 51 (which
> limits self-defense to an "armed attack"), the United States launched two
> wars: on October 7, 2001, against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan,
> and on March 19, 2003, against the forces of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
> Extending the wars to northwestern Pakistan and Yemen, the targeted killing
> of militants began in 2004 and increased over the years, killing or maiming
> hundreds of civilians, terrorizing local communities and aiding militant
> recruitment.
> The Afghanistan war, now in its 13th year, is winding down. President Obama
> marked the end of the US combat mission in Iraq on December 21, 2011.
> However, in a televised address to the nation on September 10, 2014, the
> president announced a planned US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria - this
> time against ISIS.
> What do we have to show for 13 years of warfare? No clear victory, a loss
> of
> 5,000 US soldiers, between 100,000 and 500,000 civilian casualties and a
> war
> bill of more than $1 trillion. Though less visible, a downgrading of
> international law and US standing in the world is due to the Middle East
> wars. The UN Human Rights Committee recently condemned the United States'
> performance under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
> citing among other breaches: targeted killings, drone strikes, Guantánamo
> and extraordinary rendition. The degrading photos from the Abu Ghraib
> prison
> shamed the United States before the world.
> Guantánamo
> President Obama seemed to recognize Guantánamo's liabilities when he
> pledged
> to abolish it during his first week in office. However, the pledge lapsed
> from legal complications and Congressional opposition. Now six years later,
> the prison still festers. It has become an even larger symbol for the
> recruitment of ISIS militants. In clear reference to Guantánamo, the two
> kidnapped and murdered American journalists had been waterboarded and were
> shown wearing orange jumpsuits.
> Guantánamo is also a showcase for the United States' new disrespect for
> law.
> Only a lawless society could tolerate indefinite detention and
> force-feeding.
> According to a 2013 Miami Herald estimate, US taxpayers now pay almost $500
> million a year to maintain the facility and pay troop salaries. That's
> almost $3 million a year for each current inmate. Notwithstanding
> administration promises, the 77 prisoners who have been cleared for release
> still languish in the prison, with no relief in sight. Recent reports from
> detainee attorneys describe brutal beatings of hunger strikers forcibly
> extracted from their cells.
> The Gaza War
> Israel's 50-day war on Gaza, which killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and
> was grossly disproportionate to the damage inflicted by Hamas' rocket
> strikes, will be a proper subject for war crimes inquiries.
> The failure of the US president and Congress to restrain Israel by
> withholding unconditional military aid enabled not only the IDF's massacres
> of civilians, but also Israel's continued occupation of Gaza. Unless the
> Israeli occupation ends and borders are opened, hostilities will likely
> resume. In their August 23, 2014, advertisement in The New York Times, more
> than 350 Holocaust survivors and their descendants condemned the United
> States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out its attacks on
> Gaza.
> In her 1984 book, The March of Folly, Barbara Tuchman wrote, "There is
> always freedom of choice to change or desist from a counter-productive
> course if the policy maker has the moral courage to exercise it." In his
> May
> 23, 2013, speech to the National Defense University, President Obama
> addressed force-feeding in Guantánamo: "Is this who we are?" he asked. "Is
> that the America we want to leave our children?"
> Now we need the moral courage to end the stupid stuff.
> Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
> L. MICHAEL HAGER
> L. Michael Hager is cofounder and former director-general of the
> International Development Law Organization, Rome.
> RELATED STORIES
> Gaza and American "Security"
> By Ray McGovern, Consortium News | Op-Ed
> Guantánamo Detainees Launch Hunger Strike to Protest Prison's 10th
> Anniversary
> By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! | Video
> Guantanamo and Permanent War: The View From Camp X-Ray
> By Adam Hudson, Truthout | News Analysis
> ISIS Born From Occupation of Iraq, Not Syrian Civil War
> By Anton Woronczuk, The Real News Network | Video Interview
> Gaza, Iraq and Our Tragic Drone War Fantasy
> By Nick Mottern, SpeakOut | Op-Ed
> ________________________________________
> Show Comments
> Hide Comments
> <a href="http://truthout.disqus.com/?url=ref">View the discussion
> thread.</a>
> Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
> Stupid Stuff
> Thursday, 25 September 2014 00:00 By L. Michael Hager, Truthout | Op-Ed
> * font size Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink
> reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink
> reference not valid.
> * (Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)Do you want media that's
> accountable to YOU, not to advertisers or billionaire sponsors? Help
> sustain
> Truthout's work by clicking here to make a tax-deductible donation!
> * The president's reported quote, "Don't do stupid stuff," is good
> advice. However, our policy makers too often ignore it. The Middle East
> wars, Guantánamo and the unconditional support of Israel are ongoing
> examples of stupid stuff.
> His critics jeered when reporters quoted President Obama last spring:
> "Don't
> do stupid stuff." They would have done better to reflect on all the
> "stupid," illegal and immoral "stuff" that the president and his
> predecessor
> have already inflicted on the United States and the world.
> Our Middle East wars, the indefinite detention of Guantánamo prisoners, and
> unconditional military aid to Israel are ongoing examples of
> counterproductive policies that keep making things worse.
> Middle East Wars
> In response to 9/11 and in violation of the UN Charter, Article 51 (which
> limits self-defense to an "armed attack"), the United States launched two
> wars: on October 7, 2001, against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan,
> and on March 19, 2003, against the forces of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
> Extending the wars to northwestern Pakistan and Yemen, the targeted killing
> of militants began in 2004 and increased over the years, killing or maiming
> hundreds of civilians, terrorizing local communities and aiding militant
> recruitment.
> The Afghanistan war, now in its 13th year, is winding down. President Obama
> marked the end of the US combat mission in Iraq on December 21, 2011.
> However, in a televised address to the nation on September 10, 2014, the
> president announced a planned US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria - this
> time against ISIS.
> What do we have to show for 13 years of warfare? No clear victory, a loss
> of
> 5,000 US soldiers, between 100,000 and 500,000 civilian casualties and a
> war
> bill of more than $1 trillion. Though less visible, a downgrading of
> international law and US standing in the world is due to the Middle East
> wars. The UN Human Rights Committee recently condemned the United States'
> performance under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
> citing among other breaches: targeted killings, drone strikes, Guantánamo
> and extraordinary rendition. The degrading photos from the Abu Ghraib
> prison
> shamed the United States before the world.
> Guantánamo
> President Obama seemed to recognize Guantánamo's liabilities when he
> pledged
> to abolish it during his first week in office. However, the pledge lapsed
> from legal complications and Congressional opposition. Now six years later,
> the prison still festers. It has become an even larger symbol for the
> recruitment of ISIS militants. In clear reference to Guantánamo, the two
> kidnapped and murdered American journalists had been waterboarded and were
> shown wearing orange jumpsuits.
> Guantánamo is also a showcase for the United States' new disrespect for
> law.
> Only a lawless society could tolerate indefinite detention and
> force-feeding.
> According to a 2013 Miami Herald estimate, US taxpayers now pay almost $500
> million a year to maintain the facility and pay troop salaries. That's
> almost $3 million a year for each current inmate. Notwithstanding
> administration promises, the 77 prisoners who have been cleared for release
> still languish in the prison, with no relief in sight. Recent reports from
> detainee attorneys describe brutal beatings of hunger strikers forcibly
> extracted from their cells.
> The Gaza War
> Israel's 50-day war on Gaza, which killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and
> was grossly disproportionate to the damage inflicted by Hamas' rocket
> strikes, will be a proper subject for war crimes inquiries.
> The failure of the US president and Congress to restrain Israel by
> withholding unconditional military aid enabled not only the IDF's massacres
> of civilians, but also Israel's continued occupation of Gaza. Unless the
> Israeli occupation ends and borders are opened, hostilities will likely
> resume. In their August 23, 2014, advertisement in The New York Times, more
> than 350 Holocaust survivors and their descendants condemned the United
> States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out its attacks on
> Gaza.
> In her 1984 book, The March of Folly, Barbara Tuchman wrote, "There is
> always freedom of choice to change or desist from a counter-productive
> course if the policy maker has the moral courage to exercise it." In his
> May
> 23, 2013, speech to the National Defense University, President Obama
> addressed force-feeding in Guantánamo: "Is this who we are?" he asked. "Is
> that the America we want to leave our children?"
> Now we need the moral courage to end the stupid stuff.
> Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
> L. Michael Hager
> L. Michael Hager is cofounder and former director-general of the
> International Development Law Organization, Rome.
> Related Stories
> Gaza and American "Security"
> By Ray McGovern, Consortium News | Op-EdGuantánamo Detainees Launch Hunger
> Strike to Protest Prison's 10th Anniversary
> By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! | VideoGuantanamo and Permanent War: The
> View
> From Camp X-Ray
> By Adam Hudson, Truthout | News AnalysisISIS Born From Occupation of Iraq,
> Not Syrian Civil War
> By Anton Woronczuk, The Real News Network | Video InterviewGaza, Iraq and
> Our Tragic Drone War Fantasy
> By Nick Mottern, SpeakOut | Op-Ed
>
> Show Comments
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blind-Democracy mailing list
> Blind-Democracy@octothorp.org
> https://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy
>
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