Images of war

[dreamer_easy]

Bush sickened, but suspects still at work

For more prison abuses, go to Texas

Listening to Mr Bush on the radio, I felt a great sadness as he said that the torture of Iraqi POWs didn't represent the essence of America - I think he said its "heart". He's right that it doesn't represent the ideal of America - that incredibly important and inspiring spirit of fairness which is at the basis of equality and rule by law. But it symbolises what America *can* be, as the world's richest and most powerful nation, unchallenged and unchecked even by its own laws: a terrible, terrible bully.

Comments

[audioboy.livejournal.com]

I am still in shock over this whole situation. Everyday there is some new revelation that makes the matter even worse. I am sickened beyond words at these atrocities. But what is worse: the Red Cross reported such abuses OVER A YEAR AGO and nothing was done. As is typical of this Administration's xenophobic mentality, "the problems of an international organization, be it the Red Cross or the U.N., are not their concern".

Such lack of understanding of the need for cooperation with the rest of the world is going to doom this country to continuous assaults by terrorist organizations who now know that the best way to make the rest of the world turn against us is to continue attacking us and goading us into repeated actions of this kind. We will confirm the image of America as the bully of the world and, when the next terrorist attack on our soil takes thousands more lives, no one will weep for us. There won't be any makeshift shrines of flowers, outpourings of grief from entire populations, or benefit concerts to aid the families of those killed. Instead there will be sighs, followed by the inevitable words "they brought it on themselves".

Of course, it won't really be *us* that did it. It'll be the politicians we elected (or failed to remove, depending on which side of the issue you're on). But the victims of those future attacks will still be just as dead.

I used to worry, during the Reagan years, that I would actually live to see WWIII. I had nightmares for months after watching "The Day After". But that was a cakewalk. Today I am more frightened by my own government's actions than by any threat posed by any foreign power or group.

We should not live in such fear, nor should our children.

It's something to think about...