I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, been massively busy with school and trying to get the other site up and running. But I’m back, for now!

With the revelation that McCain has traded in his maverick badge for a rubber stamp, and will be allowing the torture to continue, I thought it would be a good time to write something.

The bad news is that Mr. Bush, as he made clear yesterday, intends to continue using the CIA to secretly detain and abuse certain terrorist suspects. He will do so by issuing his own interpretation of the Geneva Conventions in an executive order and by relying on questionable Justice Department opinions that authorize such practices as exposing prisoners to hypothermia and prolonged sleep deprivation. Under the compromise agreed to yesterday, Congress would recognize his authority to take these steps and prevent prisoners from appealing them to U.S. courts. The bill would also immunize CIA personel from prosecution for all but the most serious abuses and protect those who in the past violated U.S. law against war crimes.

It really bothers me that these people will simply be suspects. What happened to a uniquely American principle of “Innocent until proven guilty”? If we’re so sure these people are terrorists, why are we afraid to try them in a full and open court — whether military or civilian?

Why do we feel the need to deny them access to evidence, and allow things like hearsay and other things that we’d NEVER approve of being used against our soldiers in order to attempt to get a conviction?

I’m also incredibly dissapointed in McCain, who I believe for purely political reasons, has been abandoning more and more his principles in hopes of increasing his support amongst neocons who generally find him too “liberal”. I don’t believe for a second he actually thinks this upholds Geneva, or that torture is an acceptable method, morally or practically, of obtaining reliable intelligence information from prisoners. However, with the White House being willing to brand those who oppose them as wanting to protect the rights of terrorists more than the lives of Americans, it’s not suprising he was willing to fold like a house of cards.

It’s also really quite extrordinary that Bush feels America, as but one signatory to the Geneva Conventions, have some right to once again take unilateral action in interpreting them. Everyone knows that over the last few years our reputation in the world has sharply declined. European countries in particular have been unwilling to take a more active role in Iraq or stay strong and back up American foreign policy decisions.. and yet, instead of making an effort to bring them on board with our desire to have “clarification” (as if it’s needed) by say, holding an international summit with the rest of the signatories and coming to more strict conclusions about what Common Article 3 says, once again we brush them aside as though they’re somehow unworthy of active participation in something that will negatively impact captured soldiers for generations to come.

That arrogance, combined with yet another example of short sightedness on the part of the Bush Administration about the implications for soldiers on the battlefield who are captured is really the problem. Colin Powell and others feel we’re beginning to lose the moral high ground to continue this fight. To terrorists.. and unfortunately, I’m in agreement with them. While I do not equate ourselves morally with the terrorists, there is no good reason that America should even begin heading down that road.

I’m reminded of a quote that I feel puts succinctly why I feel the way I do about where Bush is dragging America:

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

- Nietzsche

We would do well to think about the implications.

Hope everyone is enjoying the day and having a good time eating BBQ and such!

I’ll be watching fireworks downtown later tonight, assuming the rain heading this way doesn’t decide to ruin the night for the second year in a row :/

The big news of the day is of course the North Korean missile launches. I’m amazed at the amount of speculation on the television news stations about number of launches, whether or not it’s a certain type of missile, what the response is going to be, etc. What happened to news being informative instead of speculative?

One interesting note to point out is that while this Administration has employed what amounts to a failed tactic with North Korea (and has been since the policy shift away from one of engagement put in place by the Clinton Administration), they and the rest of the UN Security Council have been all too eager to address Iran and offer them many incentives, including a light water nuclear reactor.. something that was pulled off the table for North Korea.

Now I’m not saying that giving either Iran or North Korea nuclear technology is an especially good idea, but when the US decides to take a hardline stance against a pair of nations like North Korea and Iran, label them an “Axis of Evil”, and then one of those two nations (Iran) begins to see results in the form of these incentive packages after issuing harsh rhetoric and engaging in blatentely disregarding the will of not only the United States, but the International community, what did we expect was going to happen with North Korea?

Did we expect them not to take notice of the focus that’s been placed on Iran? Ignore the package of incentives that have been offered? Not take steps to bring itself to the forefront of international discussion in the hopes of getting what it wants the same way Iran has?

It seems an obvious and predictable outcome.