Happy New Year!
It's been a while since my last post and I apologize for that. But to come back in style, I have decided to write a nice article on torture!
There's been a lot of talk lately about torture and human rights. Justly so, considering that a few days ago, the US Senate released a report on "Enhanced Interrogation Tactics". Yes, enhanced indeed. Before I get into my thoughts, let me quickly propose a change to an out-of-date term that is bound to come up a lot in this post - "terrorism". I think it should be coined as "Aggrandized Goal Achievement Strategy" (AGAS). How does that sound? Pretty good, right? Anyways, if you are yet to discover the magnificence of rectal feeding, rectal rehydration and waterboarding, I suggest you set some time aside this holiday season to do so - it's sure to be fun for the whole family! But that's not my job… No, I'm not here to shed light on specific torture methods - that's the US Senate's job. I'm simply here to discuss America's essential role on the global stage.
It's been a while since my last post and I apologize for that. But to come back in style, I have decided to write a nice article on torture!
There's been a lot of talk lately about torture and human rights. Justly so, considering that a few days ago, the US Senate released a report on "Enhanced Interrogation Tactics". Yes, enhanced indeed. Before I get into my thoughts, let me quickly propose a change to an out-of-date term that is bound to come up a lot in this post - "terrorism". I think it should be coined as "Aggrandized Goal Achievement Strategy" (AGAS). How does that sound? Pretty good, right? Anyways, if you are yet to discover the magnificence of rectal feeding, rectal rehydration and waterboarding, I suggest you set some time aside this holiday season to do so - it's sure to be fun for the whole family! But that's not my job… No, I'm not here to shed light on specific torture methods - that's the US Senate's job. I'm simply here to discuss America's essential role on the global stage.
The United States has, since as long as my youthful existence can remember, been the most major player on the global stage. They have had a lot of control, in a lot of the world's decisions. They have went on countless "humanitarian missions", they have imposed regimes on sovereign states and they have acted the way neo-fascists with little opposition would.
Their methods for intel collection have long been known - just never verified - until now!
Regardless, let's discuss the fairness of the situations:
If you have the right to sing to your neighbor, then isn't it only just that your neighbor have the right to sing to you? If the US has a right to use legal loopholes like Guantanamo for their benefit and a right to play God in decisions about the treatment of other humans, why shouldn't other places? Why is it such a grave situation when an American ex-navy seal is beheaded by ISIS while on humanitarian work in Syria, but not when a group of many Syrians are forced to endure elephant sized tubes filled with mushy falafel and hummus, up their assholes, literally. (Generally, this is the part where I would apologize for my unladylike language. However, in this specific case, I feel like you have no one to blame for your nightmares but the US Government.) Not to defend the terrorists, who are terrorists in most part because they are brown, but those American soldiers and newly-reformed humanitarian workers are no saints.
But OK, let's not dwell on that, ask yourself this: why is the US government forgiven for all their infractions, when they rarely turn a blind eye to offenders? Is that fair?
Yes! Why of course it is! I mean, it's not like we're talking about some third world, little rectum of the world country, right? We're talking about America the brave, the glorious. The country which has the right to do as it pleases in the world. So of course they can do whatever they want! I mean, it's not like they were torturing anyone, you know? They were simply enhancing their interrogation techniques for the greater good. So what if they decide what is in the world's best interest? They are America! Right? What if they play the most major, most unethically deserved role on the global stage? They are America! Right?
No, let's come back down to planet earth for a second and ask ourselves this: How would the US react if they found out that the AGAS users were using enhanced interrogation on captured US soldiers? They would have a spasm. Obama would get out there and say something about how there will be no place to hide for the AGASists. Dick Cheney, who has said that he would approve the torture - I mean enhanced interrogation - in heartbeat because they prevented another mass casualty event against the US, would probably have a fit. Dick would spit on the Obama regime for not taking a tough enough stance and condemn the people who were responsible. Did I just say "people"? Oh, those people would probably be dead, beheaded, murdered, gone and face down in a ditch with no teeth, a smashed-in skull, no fingernails, no record of existence, and no other identifying features whatsoever. But people are no biggie, especially to a faction as big as the US government. People are just people. Individuals, or inconspicuous dust flying around in the atmosphere.
But, imagine that these people were part of something bigger - government! I think that this government -if the US wasn't already caressing it with its perverse paws- would immediately be liquidated. Either physically ("BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD!") or from the inside, via putting in place a puppet government.
It's happened before and it will happen again.
It's like when Iran started developing enriching uranium and the US freaked out. But that's a whole different story.
The US reacted to this situation the same way they reacted to the spying scandal that Snowden brought out. They brushed it off. I mean, the US doesn't even feel a need to justify it's actions anymore. It has become utterly immune to international law and it knows it. Lucky them.
My poor, crappy little country of descendance is being forced to put aside its values and rights to free speech and free thought in order to enter into European Union, which is a failure by the way, but America - they can spy on whoever it wants, it can invade any country it wants and not worry about repercussions. They never get forced into changing their ways. You know why? Because you cannot break the rules, if you make them, right?
Now I'm just ranting. Honestly, I've been shaking out of rage for the majority of the time I have been penning this post. In reality, I know that this post probably isn't going to make a lot of sense. The anger will probably take over, causing me to write one big, senseless rant. But I'm ok with that, I'm prepared for that, actually. So let's move aside from my self-pity and rambling, into some talk about the fabulous electoral options -in light of the recent scandals- for the American people.
Democrats or Republicans?
I used to think that the Democrats were better than the Republicans. I used to think that the Democrats had a little more humanity than the Republicans, but throughout the recent scandals, I've discovered that the Democrats are no better than the Republicans, they are just better at hiding the truth than the Republicans. The Republicans make it part of their whole stance to represent the hillbilly patriot of America. You know what I mean, right? The type of person who doesn't care about the people, only themselves. The kind of person who likes to hang the confederate flag on their trailer. The kind of person who deep fries their Thanksgiving turkey in 5 minutes in an enormous oil barrel. The kind who likes to shoot up a bunch of empty beer cans in camo and stand their ground when a black kid wanders past their house. The Republicans are loud and they are proud of their stance.
The Democrats are basically the same, minus the loud and proud thing. (Now you say "Oh no they're not!" And I say:) If they weren't, then wouldn't the gun laws in the States undergo some sort of reform? Wouldn't Obama have an answer less sleezy than "we are not tapping your phone and we will not be tapping your phone" when the German Chancellor asks him about whether or not he had been spying on her previously? Wouldn't something be done about the police brutality against the colored kids south of the border? Wouldn't enhanced interrogations be prohibited? Uh, yeah, they pretty much would, or at least, they'd be well on their way.
Now I know what you're thinking: the democrats had no clue that this (Enhanced Interrogations) was going on right under their noses. No, poor little, oblivious Democrats. Innocent and naive; believing that the world is fundamentally good. Poor little minority house leader Nancy Pelosi. She had no idea that these types of obvious human rights trampling-s were going on under her nose. Oops! My bad! What I meant to say was that she had condoned the actions! Not just for a little bit of time, but for 14 years worth of it! And according to Jose Rodriguez, a not-so-secret agent man from the lovely CIA, she never objected to it. Not once. Pathetic.
So are the Democrats so much better? Nah, they're just better at concealing certain things. Is that good? Morally, no. Business-wise, yes!
So do the American people have a choice when they go to the polls? Not really; sucks for them.
Regardless, should we get back to the major theme that I promised I would talk about at the start of this post? Of course! America's essential role on the global stage:
The US's role in the world is to act as a watchdog of sorts, but unlike your regular watchdog, who barks when something seems out of place, the US bites. They invade. They attack. How, is questionable, but the biting part isn't. This persistent and unequivocal biting has created a world in which such a large animosity exists against the US that they themselves must live in fear. Had the US not gone on frequent moral crusades, they would not have to fear being attacked, and hence, not have to use enhanced interrogations.
They propagate, to their very own people, that they have to defend their blessed land against the evils around it. That they have to protect the land from a insurgent force. And that they are justified in using any means possible. What they fail to explain to their people is why other countries are not constantly living "under threat of a mass casualty" (that's how Dick put it, not me). Actually, maybe not! Maybe they do explain to their people why they are the forsaken ones. Because they are the only good ones.
In a sea of evil, America glimmers, glorious as ever.
They are the only ones smart enough to take preemptive actions, they are the proactive ones. And their people blindly believe them. They don't question why the US is going into yet another humanitarian mission. They just see it as the right thing to do. They don't ask why toppling a sovereign state's government is unfair, they just chant "AMERICA!" at the top of their lungs. They have been conditioned to love their country's actions, so much so that basic humane values do not matter. (Or at least, they have the wrong values instilled upon them). So much so that the most fundamental value of any civilized society "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you", is completely ignored.
At least, that's how my rabid mind sees it. (A very brief explanation, indeed.)
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I have met some Americans with progressive minds. Americans who did not lovingly embrace the rape committed by their government on other countries. Good people, with good values. It's just that, somehow, unfortunately, they seem to be chronically outnumbered by their hillbilly counterparts. Actually, I think that American people, as individuals, are a riot. They're a lot of fun to be around and they're funny (keep in mind that I am speaking from my incredibly vast 16 years of knowledge). They are a lot less politically correct than their neighbours up north - a quality in my eyes. They are a lot less bounded by societal rules in some aspects, hence not fake-smiling for prolonged periods, it's just that government is just not one of them. In fact, one of the few people, whose opinions and thoughts my egocentric self ever put merit on and admired, was American. He's only a year older than me, but he's very smart.
(I met him in elementary and he knew a whole lot more than anyone else about anything else. And he was not a cynic, though everyone did consider him to be, he was a just a misfit. People didn't like his whole approach because, simply put, he didn't like to smile about everything, as they did. Regardless, he was very nice to me, perhaps nicer than I deserved, but I learned a lot from him. It's too bad that I don't get to talk to him much anymore, it was one of the downsides of switching schools.)
So, what have I tried to convey today? That the real AGASists may not be the ones who are brown and wear ghutras, they may just be the ones on humanitarian missions. If random "suspected" brown people can be captured and subjected to enhanced interrogations, what is so different about an ISIL member capturing an American? Both parties simply want to do that which they see as best for their respective country. Each party is messing with the other.
Did the US blow up countless schools full of children in the middle east while fighting the "war on terror"? And did they suffer no consequences whatsoever for their actions?
Yes, yes they did. But keep in mind that they are untouchable.
Moreover, when this scandal about torture came to light, isn't it true that it only received about a few days of news coverage before it stopped getting air time, whereas the beheading of an American by ISIL received nearly a month?
Yes, yes it is. But keep in mind that white, American lives are always worth more than the lives of anyone else.
Regardless, let's discuss the fairness of the situations:
If you have the right to sing to your neighbor, then isn't it only just that your neighbor have the right to sing to you? If the US has a right to use legal loopholes like Guantanamo for their benefit and a right to play God in decisions about the treatment of other humans, why shouldn't other places? Why is it such a grave situation when an American ex-navy seal is beheaded by ISIS while on humanitarian work in Syria, but not when a group of many Syrians are forced to endure elephant sized tubes filled with mushy falafel and hummus, up their assholes, literally. (Generally, this is the part where I would apologize for my unladylike language. However, in this specific case, I feel like you have no one to blame for your nightmares but the US Government.) Not to defend the terrorists, who are terrorists in most part because they are brown, but those American soldiers and newly-reformed humanitarian workers are no saints.
But OK, let's not dwell on that, ask yourself this: why is the US government forgiven for all their infractions, when they rarely turn a blind eye to offenders? Is that fair?
Yes! Why of course it is! I mean, it's not like we're talking about some third world, little rectum of the world country, right? We're talking about America the brave, the glorious. The country which has the right to do as it pleases in the world. So of course they can do whatever they want! I mean, it's not like they were torturing anyone, you know? They were simply enhancing their interrogation techniques for the greater good. So what if they decide what is in the world's best interest? They are America! Right? What if they play the most major, most unethically deserved role on the global stage? They are America! Right?
No, let's come back down to planet earth for a second and ask ourselves this: How would the US react if they found out that the AGAS users were using enhanced interrogation on captured US soldiers? They would have a spasm. Obama would get out there and say something about how there will be no place to hide for the AGASists. Dick Cheney, who has said that he would approve the torture - I mean enhanced interrogation - in heartbeat because they prevented another mass casualty event against the US, would probably have a fit. Dick would spit on the Obama regime for not taking a tough enough stance and condemn the people who were responsible. Did I just say "people"? Oh, those people would probably be dead, beheaded, murdered, gone and face down in a ditch with no teeth, a smashed-in skull, no fingernails, no record of existence, and no other identifying features whatsoever. But people are no biggie, especially to a faction as big as the US government. People are just people. Individuals, or inconspicuous dust flying around in the atmosphere.
But, imagine that these people were part of something bigger - government! I think that this government -if the US wasn't already caressing it with its perverse paws- would immediately be liquidated. Either physically ("BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD!") or from the inside, via putting in place a puppet government.
It's happened before and it will happen again.
It's like when Iran started developing enriching uranium and the US freaked out. But that's a whole different story.
The US reacted to this situation the same way they reacted to the spying scandal that Snowden brought out. They brushed it off. I mean, the US doesn't even feel a need to justify it's actions anymore. It has become utterly immune to international law and it knows it. Lucky them.
My poor, crappy little country of descendance is being forced to put aside its values and rights to free speech and free thought in order to enter into European Union, which is a failure by the way, but America - they can spy on whoever it wants, it can invade any country it wants and not worry about repercussions. They never get forced into changing their ways. You know why? Because you cannot break the rules, if you make them, right?
Now I'm just ranting. Honestly, I've been shaking out of rage for the majority of the time I have been penning this post. In reality, I know that this post probably isn't going to make a lot of sense. The anger will probably take over, causing me to write one big, senseless rant. But I'm ok with that, I'm prepared for that, actually. So let's move aside from my self-pity and rambling, into some talk about the fabulous electoral options -in light of the recent scandals- for the American people.
Democrats or Republicans?
I used to think that the Democrats were better than the Republicans. I used to think that the Democrats had a little more humanity than the Republicans, but throughout the recent scandals, I've discovered that the Democrats are no better than the Republicans, they are just better at hiding the truth than the Republicans. The Republicans make it part of their whole stance to represent the hillbilly patriot of America. You know what I mean, right? The type of person who doesn't care about the people, only themselves. The kind of person who likes to hang the confederate flag on their trailer. The kind of person who deep fries their Thanksgiving turkey in 5 minutes in an enormous oil barrel. The kind who likes to shoot up a bunch of empty beer cans in camo and stand their ground when a black kid wanders past their house. The Republicans are loud and they are proud of their stance.
The Democrats are basically the same, minus the loud and proud thing. (Now you say "Oh no they're not!" And I say:) If they weren't, then wouldn't the gun laws in the States undergo some sort of reform? Wouldn't Obama have an answer less sleezy than "we are not tapping your phone and we will not be tapping your phone" when the German Chancellor asks him about whether or not he had been spying on her previously? Wouldn't something be done about the police brutality against the colored kids south of the border? Wouldn't enhanced interrogations be prohibited? Uh, yeah, they pretty much would, or at least, they'd be well on their way.
Now I know what you're thinking: the democrats had no clue that this (Enhanced Interrogations) was going on right under their noses. No, poor little, oblivious Democrats. Innocent and naive; believing that the world is fundamentally good. Poor little minority house leader Nancy Pelosi. She had no idea that these types of obvious human rights trampling-s were going on under her nose. Oops! My bad! What I meant to say was that she had condoned the actions! Not just for a little bit of time, but for 14 years worth of it! And according to Jose Rodriguez, a not-so-secret agent man from the lovely CIA, she never objected to it. Not once. Pathetic.
So are the Democrats so much better? Nah, they're just better at concealing certain things. Is that good? Morally, no. Business-wise, yes!
So do the American people have a choice when they go to the polls? Not really; sucks for them.
Regardless, should we get back to the major theme that I promised I would talk about at the start of this post? Of course! America's essential role on the global stage:
The US's role in the world is to act as a watchdog of sorts, but unlike your regular watchdog, who barks when something seems out of place, the US bites. They invade. They attack. How, is questionable, but the biting part isn't. This persistent and unequivocal biting has created a world in which such a large animosity exists against the US that they themselves must live in fear. Had the US not gone on frequent moral crusades, they would not have to fear being attacked, and hence, not have to use enhanced interrogations.
They propagate, to their very own people, that they have to defend their blessed land against the evils around it. That they have to protect the land from a insurgent force. And that they are justified in using any means possible. What they fail to explain to their people is why other countries are not constantly living "under threat of a mass casualty" (that's how Dick put it, not me). Actually, maybe not! Maybe they do explain to their people why they are the forsaken ones. Because they are the only good ones.
In a sea of evil, America glimmers, glorious as ever.
They are the only ones smart enough to take preemptive actions, they are the proactive ones. And their people blindly believe them. They don't question why the US is going into yet another humanitarian mission. They just see it as the right thing to do. They don't ask why toppling a sovereign state's government is unfair, they just chant "AMERICA!" at the top of their lungs. They have been conditioned to love their country's actions, so much so that basic humane values do not matter. (Or at least, they have the wrong values instilled upon them). So much so that the most fundamental value of any civilized society "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you", is completely ignored.
At least, that's how my rabid mind sees it. (A very brief explanation, indeed.)
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I have met some Americans with progressive minds. Americans who did not lovingly embrace the rape committed by their government on other countries. Good people, with good values. It's just that, somehow, unfortunately, they seem to be chronically outnumbered by their hillbilly counterparts. Actually, I think that American people, as individuals, are a riot. They're a lot of fun to be around and they're funny (keep in mind that I am speaking from my incredibly vast 16 years of knowledge). They are a lot less politically correct than their neighbours up north - a quality in my eyes. They are a lot less bounded by societal rules in some aspects, hence not fake-smiling for prolonged periods, it's just that government is just not one of them. In fact, one of the few people, whose opinions and thoughts my egocentric self ever put merit on and admired, was American. He's only a year older than me, but he's very smart.
(I met him in elementary and he knew a whole lot more than anyone else about anything else. And he was not a cynic, though everyone did consider him to be, he was a just a misfit. People didn't like his whole approach because, simply put, he didn't like to smile about everything, as they did. Regardless, he was very nice to me, perhaps nicer than I deserved, but I learned a lot from him. It's too bad that I don't get to talk to him much anymore, it was one of the downsides of switching schools.)
So, what have I tried to convey today? That the real AGASists may not be the ones who are brown and wear ghutras, they may just be the ones on humanitarian missions. If random "suspected" brown people can be captured and subjected to enhanced interrogations, what is so different about an ISIL member capturing an American? Both parties simply want to do that which they see as best for their respective country. Each party is messing with the other.
Did the US blow up countless schools full of children in the middle east while fighting the "war on terror"? And did they suffer no consequences whatsoever for their actions?
Yes, yes they did. But keep in mind that they are untouchable.
Moreover, when this scandal about torture came to light, isn't it true that it only received about a few days of news coverage before it stopped getting air time, whereas the beheading of an American by ISIL received nearly a month?
Yes, yes it is. But keep in mind that white, American lives are always worth more than the lives of anyone else.
