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Two Thumbs Up To Torture
I was watching the news this past week and saw something that made my jaw drop. C-Span was broadcasting hearings on capital hill with US Attorney-General John Ashcroft in the hotseat regarding a memo that sanctioned the use of torture by U.S. soldiers on some prisoners held abroad. [If you're curious - the entire memo can be found here]
Ashcroft was dancing around the issue, because that's what politicians do.
TANGENT ALERT!!! I've got to be honest - I've never understood how someone can ask a question and then accept an answer that has nothing to do with the question asked. It happens all the time in politics, and we see it all the time in the news:
- QUESTION: Did you authorize the use of torture on any prisoners held by the United States?
ANSWER: I like eggs. They're both nutritious, and delicious - plus, you can use them to make all sorts of tasty treats such as lemon meringue pies.
- QUESTION: Has President Bush approved the memo authorizing the use of torture on prisoners held by The United States?
ANSWER: George W. Bush enjoys eggs as well, excluding Chinese egg-drop soup, because he doesn't approve of any of that 'foreign stuff'.
Why is it that we rarely see the question asked again when it's not answered?
- QUESTION: See, here's the thing: the answer you just gave has nothing to do with the question I asked, so - I will ask again, and this time, please make an effort to LISTEN to the ACTUAL QUESTION and then ANSWER the freaking thing, mmmmmkay?
As I pondered this while staring at my TV with a "what's the point of these hearings if he's not required to answer the questions being asked" look of amazement and disgust on my face, I suddenly saw it...
With my own two eyes, I SAW IT.
I saw someone make the leap from politician to living-breathing-human-being. I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it for myself.
The topic at hand was the "Two Thumbs-Up To Torture" memo, and how it goes against the Geneva Conventions which we agreed to and signed... not to mention that it's just plain wrong in more ways than I can count.
Joe Biden, a Democratic Senator from Delaware, glared at Ashcroft and said:
"There's a reason why we sign these treaties:
to protect my son in the military.
That's why we have these treaties.
So when Americans are captured,
- they -
- are -
- NOT -
tortured.
That's the reason, in case anybody forgets it."
Way to go Joe!
Sadly, the hearings immediately became politics as usual. Biden's time for questioning Ashcroft had run out, and the majority of everyone else in the room was more concerned with political parties than right & wrong. So sad.
On a side note:
Ronald Reagan was finally laid to rest today. I'm not going to suggest that I agreed with him or his politics, but he was definitely a great man. He was a great leader as well. Could it be any more obvious that we lack such leadership today?
Regime change begins at home.
::::: | Filed under: politics
::::: | Posted Saturday, Jun 12 2004 at 12:42 PM
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