October 22, 2008: "Gitmo Style"
(click for archives)
Labels: dumbstruck, war
October 22, 2008: "Gitmo Style"
(click for archives)
October 22, 2008: "Gitmo Style"
(click for archives)
October 22, 2008: "Gitmo Style"
(click for archives)
10 Comments:
Have you ever considered that, within a stone's throw of wherever it is you live, some asshole is beating the hell out of his spouse? I am Everyman. Beware my vengence!
This policy we Amercians have, the one about caputuring people alive on the battlefield, and putting them in prisons with clean cells, taking care of their medical needs, giving them nutritrous food, and accommodating their religious practices, instead of mowing them down to fall in their own grave...or dragging them through villages to be stoned and ridiculed before being thrown in a filthy cell to rot....that policy is clearly not perfect.
But I was wondering how you might make it better, short of setting up courtrooms out on the battlefied?
You have this down to a fine science, don't you? This general villifying of America and images of America? How does one so young develop such a synical view of your country?
I am now watching the story unfolding from India. Some of the gunmen were captured. I would be willing to venture that they wished they had been captured by American soldiers on their way to Gitmo to be "tortured".
Two innocent Americans were killed there. A man and his thirteen year old daughter, there to find spiritual enlightenment. Can't wait to see the cartoon you're conjuring up to show how Uncle Sam was responsible for that.
I love how the argument of so many of the defenders of these kinds of policies is "well it's better than anywhere else!" as if that make it all ok.
The first example: the Chinese Muslims were not captured on the battlefield. They were turned in by other Chinese (who persecute them in their land) in order to get reward money from the U.S. There was basically no evidence against them. We have held them in prison for almost eight years and, despite U.S. Chinese-American groups offering to take them in, the government prefers to keep them in prison. A "nice" prison is still a prison, locked away from family, loved ones, with no real liberty or freedom. Why don't we release them!?
The other example is of American citizens held without charges or a trial by their peers, subjected to extreme temperatures and sensory deprivation, and held indefinitely, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
To not point out this kind of hypocrisy and destruction of the American way (truth, justice, and our very founding document) is what's truly un-American. I believe wholeheartedly in the founding principles of this country and I am outraged at how they have been tarnished. That you are not outraged, anonymous sir or madam, is a poor reflection on your own moral code.
I'll overlook your comment about my moral code, for now.
And I do get the implication with respect to hypocrisy from your cartoon...(especially after adding the little "us" underneath the box)
And your lecture about the innocents at Gitmo was most instrucive....
but given all that...what's wrong with our offering the notion of democracy to others around the world?
The Bush administration had an idea, a noble but flawed idea, that if we brought democracy to other countries, it would fix the world and get rid of, among other things, Islamic extremism. But democracy is something that can flourish only after basic necessities are met: people don't care about representative government if they're starving to death, and are more inclined to support whatever government will meet their basic needs. The better idea is to raise countries out of poverty and develop their infrastructure. Only then can democracy flourish, and often the people will move towards it under their own motivation. Democracies that don't fulfill those basic needs either become terribly corrupt (eg. most of Africa) or fail.
The point of my comic, though, is more than just about spreading democracy. We also seek to be an example to the world. We claim to be the greatest nation on earth, and thus want others to be like us (democracy being one part of that). How can we hope to be a shining example when we have these kinds of appalling scandals and problems with the systems we seek to export? My point: before removing the splinter from our neighbor's eye, perhaps we should first remove the log from our own.
what country can you name where the U.S. has forced democracy upon them against their will? I find nothing wrong with offering up to the world the "idea" of democracy, in spite of our flaws. And by the way, this idea...the one about spreading democracy, goes back a little bit further than George Bush.
People who live in countries who are "free to choose" will always be flawed...it's the nature of the beast...the catch-22. Because we are free to choose the way the act and behave, there will always be jerks amongst us..that's just human nature, but the "system" is a really good idea...don't you think? We have self correcting mechanisms in place...like the Supreme Court with respect to Gitmo.
I still think America represents much more that is good than is bad, and I am still offended when our symbols are denegrated. We are still the most properous country in the world, have the highest standard of living in the world, and are, in spite of the media, the most tolerant in the world...and every four years, people get to choose who will lead them. But then, there I go again, defending a flawed system because I think it's better than any other.
You seem to think it is your place to a apologize for the half empty glass. My glass is half full. I feel fortunate to live in this country and do not feel the need to apologize for being an American.
Do you ever take the time to really think about all the good we do in the world?
Does that makes me a hypocrit celebrate that?
Please do not confuse my stance against the Bush administration with my overall feelings about democracy and the United States. I do believe that we have a great system, but it has also taken over 200 years for it to evolve to where it is now, and it can certainly be improved (eg. antiquated electoral college system). I am proud of our system and, mostly, of our society and people.
But I reserve the right to be critical of my country's leaders. Tyranny, torture, hypocrisy, oafishness, bullying, closed-mindedness, and condescension are not part of the country I love. They are beneath us and when our leaders stoop to such methods, I will gladly call them out on it. Being a responsible citizen is more than just flag-waving and believing that we are the greatest, regardless of the actions our country is actually taking. The only way to change and improve is through criticism. Because I want my country to live up to it's ideals, I will gladly play the critic.
P.S. We are quickly falling behind as the most prosperous nation with the highest standard of living. We have been resting on our laurels for 40 years. It's time we raise the quality of our educational system and reclaim being the world leader of scientific innovation. It requires vigilance and constant reinvestment to stay great and we've unfortunately been lazy while the rest of the world has not.
And please do not think that because I'm bit right of center, and that I think you've been a bit harsh on the old boy, that I wave the flag blindly. I've lived all over this country, done some traveling all over the world,have a couple of master's degress, read, do research, and becuase I am a science teacher, I know first hand what has happened to our educational system. Right now, I'm pretty furious about how our financial health has been managed, and I think that our government is no where near what our founders had in mind for our future, but I'll still wave the flag, and I'll still be offended when I see representative images of our country denegraded.
You and I love our country, but will always, I'm afraid, disagree about it's leadership. Isn't it great that you can be so outspoken about your feelings without fearing that someone will come knocking on your door to drag you off to parts unknown.
Every four years we get a chance to choose someone new...and now that we have someone new, I'm sort of looking forward to your new portrayal of the American presidency.
And I'll give you the last word.
Hang in there.
Maggie
If I were of Arab descent with a long beard, I might not feel quite so free to speak my mind without being put on a watch list. I even had a customer today who was afraid to speak out against the Olympics coming to Chicago for fear of having her property taxes raised (not an unfounded fear in this city).
But yes, one of the things that makes this country great is the guarantee of free speech. I most especially appreciate being able to have intelligent and reasonable conversations about political differences (I have them with my boss often) without becoming enemies. Just as my comics seek to pass on news and my opinions of it, I continue to encourage dissenting opinions.
Take care!
-c
Post a Comment
<< Home