Saturday, January 08, 2005
White House Trash
Is it take out the trash week at the White House? Seriously, is it?
1) Armstrong Williams admitted to being paid $240,000 by the federal Department of Education to pimp Bush's No Child Left Behind program. Williams played the role of whore well, advocating for the program without ever disclosing his advocacy had been purchased.
The GAO has twice ruled that the Bush administration has engaged in "covert propaganda" by producing opinion videos that do not disclose they are government produced and funded. This Williams fiasco amounts to the same thing, again demonstrating that the Bush administration thumbs its collective nose at anyone who disagrees with it.
2) A January 2002 memo from AG-nominee Alberto Gonzales advised that terrorists captured overseas by Americans do not merit the protections of the Geneva Conventions and argued for a narrow interpretation of torture as "excruciating and agonizing pain."
But in confirmation hearings this week, he said "Torture and abuse will not be tolerated by this administration...I will ensure the Department of Justice aggressively pursues those responsible for such abhorrent actions."
Alberto, I have a question for you. How will you sit at both the prosecution and defense tables at the trials for those involved in these crimes of torture?
3) The Bush administration is considering making permanent the imprisonment of suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They are suggesting that these men be given life in prison with no legal counsel, no hearing, no trial, and no appeal of that sentence.
I understand that many of these people may be guilty, and I do not believe they are eligible for the same rights I have as a citizen. However, I do not think our government should lock anyone up for life without some form of due process. If they are so sure the men are guilty, then certainly they have enough evidence to win a conviction at trial.
If the US wants to claim the high ground when it comes to human rights and treatment of our POW's, it cannot develop narrow interpretations of existing laws as grounds to do the bare minimum for those we capture. The US must read its laws in the spirit they were written and treat everyone, including our enemies, with basic humanity and fairness.
Some past president have courted the religious right for its vote, but this is the first time in our nation's history that our president is the leader of the religious right. So now that Bush is in the position to teach his values by example, his administration has used propaganda to deceive the public about an important domestic program, abused prisoners by denying them basic human and legal rights, and promoted an individual who tried to justify those abuses.
How can a person be so cynical and be the leader of the party that claims to have cornered the market on morality and values?
1) Armstrong Williams admitted to being paid $240,000 by the federal Department of Education to pimp Bush's No Child Left Behind program. Williams played the role of whore well, advocating for the program without ever disclosing his advocacy had been purchased.
The GAO has twice ruled that the Bush administration has engaged in "covert propaganda" by producing opinion videos that do not disclose they are government produced and funded. This Williams fiasco amounts to the same thing, again demonstrating that the Bush administration thumbs its collective nose at anyone who disagrees with it.
2) A January 2002 memo from AG-nominee Alberto Gonzales advised that terrorists captured overseas by Americans do not merit the protections of the Geneva Conventions and argued for a narrow interpretation of torture as "excruciating and agonizing pain."
But in confirmation hearings this week, he said "Torture and abuse will not be tolerated by this administration...I will ensure the Department of Justice aggressively pursues those responsible for such abhorrent actions."
Alberto, I have a question for you. How will you sit at both the prosecution and defense tables at the trials for those involved in these crimes of torture?
3) The Bush administration is considering making permanent the imprisonment of suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They are suggesting that these men be given life in prison with no legal counsel, no hearing, no trial, and no appeal of that sentence.
I understand that many of these people may be guilty, and I do not believe they are eligible for the same rights I have as a citizen. However, I do not think our government should lock anyone up for life without some form of due process. If they are so sure the men are guilty, then certainly they have enough evidence to win a conviction at trial.
If the US wants to claim the high ground when it comes to human rights and treatment of our POW's, it cannot develop narrow interpretations of existing laws as grounds to do the bare minimum for those we capture. The US must read its laws in the spirit they were written and treat everyone, including our enemies, with basic humanity and fairness.
Some past president have courted the religious right for its vote, but this is the first time in our nation's history that our president is the leader of the religious right. So now that Bush is in the position to teach his values by example, his administration has used propaganda to deceive the public about an important domestic program, abused prisoners by denying them basic human and legal rights, and promoted an individual who tried to justify those abuses.
How can a person be so cynical and be the leader of the party that claims to have cornered the market on morality and values?
