The "Its OK to Torture Bill" and Its Aftermath

[joemurphy]

This is a very dark and dirty thing. We now live in a country where, nonsensically, our leaders think they will get "good intelligence" by using "creative interrogation techniques" -- like waterboarding (simulated drowning by enveloping a subject's head in cellophane and then dousing it with water); forcing a subject to maintain one physical position for hours on end (ever hear of "The Black Hole of Calcutta"?); induced hypothermia (dousing the victim in water and then lowering the temperature of his cell); non-contact fear (forcing a subject to be interrogated in the nude with the maul of a barking German Shepherd dangerously near his exposed genitals). None of this, of course, is torture now. We've defined it away. Miraculously, we've also done it in such a way that we are supposedly still complying with the Geneva Convention.

I'm appalled at this. I'm appalled at the people who voted for it. But I'm very, very angry too. Angry most of all at the Senator and Representative Blowhards that have collectively imposed this on a confused and restive American people.

This was Republicans at work, people. The Democrats (even the few that went along with it by voting for it) didn't engineer this. As culpable as those few were, I don't blame them. This was engineered by Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, McCain, Graham, and Warner.

And I damn well sure am going to do everything I can to put an end to them and everything they're engineering. By voting, working for my local Democrats here, and sending what money I can spare to candidates that are as appalled as I am about what they have done to my country.

I want solutions to this country's problems. Today I have been given torture, a $9 Billion dollar fence along the Mexican border, and warrantless wiretapping. I know this is stupid and revolting. I also know that a lot of other people in this country that can vote think it's stupid and revolting too. Hopefully, those responsible for this will hear from us in November.