The Fragility of Hope

I admit that the election cycle exhausted me and that I required a brief respite to recover some sense of reality, which presupposes that I ever had one.

The country feels as though we are all hanging around a hospital ICU, waiting for a sick old uncle to die so that we can all finally go out and have a drink. We really don't have the desire to be there but our presence is required, if only for appearances sake.

But what are we waiting for? What we are not waiting for is Barack Obama. what we are waiting for is the opportunity to change or national psychology from one of guilt, shame and remorse to one of hope. But hope is fragile. It tends to shatter when it is impacted by reality. This new hope needs to contend with the mideast,Israel, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, China, Pakistan, Taliban, India, global warming, energy, education, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, liquidity traps, deflation, and inflation. Just for starters. And we are totally broke.

Will this newborn hope be vigorous and long lasting or will it be stillborn?

Hope.

Driven Crazy by Barney- Torture by Any Means

I love this story. Apparently, United States personnel have been using rock music to torture Guantanemo prisoners. The "I Love You" song from Barney is a notorious instrument of this torture, and prisoners often crack within 24 hours of being exposed to that one. Come to think of it, I would crack too, if I had to listen to that drivel. Otherwise, they say loud rock music can bring someone to their knees in short order.(I would disagree and use Woodstock as evidence.) I would have thought that rap music would have the same effect.

The issue of "torture" is interesting. Surely, we agree that jamming bamboo splints under someone's fingernails is torture. Likewise, attaching electrodes to someone's genitals, caning the bottoms of someone's feet, or using your favorite Black and Decker 3/8 inch drill to make holes in someone's anatomy, as Saddam Hussein was wont to do, all constitute torture. However, the reality is that we are engaged in a war of an entirely new type with people who are pledged to an ideology rather than a state, and, even if we invite them over for tea and biscuits, they are not inclined to tell us important information that will protect lives. The terrorists of Mumbai, London, Madrid, New York, and Washington, as well as their handlers and planners, are not inclined to take part in a pleasant sit-down and a discussion of the issues.

It has been reported that the prisoners of Guantanemo have been well fed, supplied with copies of the Koran, and otherwise been well-treated. Loud music, bright lights and sleep deprivation seem more than reasonable to get short term results. Long term intelligence from these people, on the other hand, may require a long term investment in time in order to gain their trust and cooperation.

What is most troubling is that it appears that we do not know who we are holding in Guantanemo. Are these hardened terrorists? Are these people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Are there combatants who are not ideologically committed, but who were picked up because they were engaged in an extension of tribal warfare in either Afghanistan and Iraq?

We have a duty and responsibility to hold people in accordance with our both laws and our international agreements, and not on the basis of executive fiat. The fact that we have been doing the latter taints any possible legitimate activity regarding the imprisonment and interrogation of those held in Guantanemo. I therefore predict that once he takes office, President Obama, a former professor of constitutional law, will demand a complete vetting of those held there, with many subsequently being released, and those who remain will either be charged with crimes related to terrorism or they will held under the provisions of the Geneva Convention as it pertains to combatants.

Torture is against the law. Is Barney?

You Missed it!

Well, it's time for year-enders, so lets start with this round-up.

Will China fall? Is Russia moving into Africa? Who is building India's anti-missile system? Are those much-hyped solar panels dangerous to the environment?

All these stories and more as Foreign Policy magazine lists the 10 most important stories you missed 2008.

Jews Tortured In Mumbai

I had read this news before, but since a friend just sent it to me I figured there was still a matter of general interest.

It appears that the terrorists in Mumbai were interested in more than just murdering Jews they found, but also in engaging in a bit of torture. I previous years, I had, on occasion, witnessed autopsies and spoken with pathologists about their work and I know that it takes a special type of horror for one of those professionals to hesitate in describing their findings.