I really believe that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et.al can't fathom . . .

[OneBlueSky]

that Iraqis are human beings no different than themselves . . . they see them (and all "brown-skinned people") as some kind of inferior race, and when this attitude works its way down throught the chain of command, abuse and torture of these "creatures" probably seems no worse that abusing and torturing animals (which, I'm sure, they have no probem with . . . George used to blow up frogs) . . .

the notion that Arabs are fully human, fully aware, fully intelligent beings created, like themselves, "in God's image," is a foreign concept to these people . . . and I'm sure the same reasoning applies to Asians, Blacks, and all other non-WASPS as well . . . the rot starts right at the top, and the sad thing is they actually believe their view of the world is the true one, ordained by the Almighty . . . they're just doing what they've been called to do in their "conversations" with Him . . .

it's a sick, sick bunch we have running this country . . .

[ant]

1. did you see this?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_05_02.php#002924

We can contribute a second hand anecdote to newspaper stories on rising concern, last year, from Secretary of State Powell and Deputy Secretary Armitage about Administration attitudes and the risks they might entail: according to eye witnesses to debate at the highest levels of the Administration...the highest levels...whenever Powell or Armitage sought to question prisoner treatment issues, they were forced to endure what our source characterizes as "around the table, coarse, vulgar, frat-boy bully remarks about what these tough guys would do if THEY ever got their hands on prisoners...."

-- let's be clear: our source is not alleging "orders" from the White House. Our source is pointing out that, as we said in the Summary, a fish rots from its head. The atmosphere created by Rumsfeld's controversial decisions was apparently aided and abetted by his colleagues in their callous disregard for the implications of the then-developing situation, and by their ridicule of the only combat veterans at the top of this Administration.

[MajorFlaw]

2. You can cut the hypocrisy with a knife. We are claiming to help

build a democracy in Iraq, and yet we are doing everything ass-backward. We've captured Saddam; killed his sons; removed his regime from power and determined that there are no WMd's. The Iraqis must be given the opportunity to build their own country, even if they resent us for a while. The best long term plan is to let them go through the necessary revolutionary process and take pride in doing so. One reason they resent us is that we were able to remove Saddam, whereas they knew they couldn't. They are already burning the flag we designed for them. How about we let them make their own government; Plan A obviously isn't working.

When I first saw the perverse pictures, I assumed that they were photoshopped. They couldn't be real because we are not a savage people. But they are real, and several sources expect even worse documented abuse.

Sometimes the only way out is out.I Every week brings new deaths, new scandals, new lies; another generation lost to another stupid war. How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake, indeed. Kerry is uniquely able to develop his Iraq policy as events unfold. I hope he will come out against the war at the convention. In the mean time, I'm enjoying watching the Repugs trip all over themselves.


It's time to make this election abut the war, it's that important.