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Lightbulbs and Lack of Moral Courage
May. 12th, 2004 05:54 amA friend of mine sent me this:
How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to replace a lightbulb?
The answer is SEVEN:
(1) One to deny that a lightbulb needs to be replaced.
(2) One to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who asks questions about the lightbulb.
(3) One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new lightbulb.
(4) One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of lightbulbs.
(5) One to get together with Vice President Cheney and award a million-dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton Industries for supplying a lightbulb.
(6) One to arrange a photo-op session showing Dubya changing the lightbulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag.
(7) And finally, one to explain to Dubya the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.
I don't usually wax political - here or anywhere - but this prisoner abuse scandal is pushing me beyond my usual limits. What did Mr. Bush think would happen if he told his military leaders that the Geneva Convention did not apply to us in this war? That prisoners taken were not "prisoners of war" but "enemy combatants"? Excuse me? One of the reasons humanity needed the Geneva Convention is that people who have been told to kill other people can not be expected to suddenly remember and respect the humanity of those people when they become helpless prisoners. Again and again Bush makes it clear that he thinks the rules apply to everyone else, but that the US doesn't need to abide by international law. Or even our own Constitution.
I'm glad he's "appalled" by the images that are coming out of the prison in Iraq -- but I see no sign that he's aware of his responsibility for what is going on. It was he himself who set the stage by declaring that the usual rights which are fundamental to our country do not apply in this case. Piling up naked men and putting them in collars may provide colorful, upsetting pictures -- but he seems totally incapable of being "upset" by the violations of rights and dignity that are taking place elsewhere because of his lack of moral courage: especially in the area of arresting and holding people without recourse to legal representation or access to a judge. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is a travesty. And I've seen several news articles that point out that our military has been confining prisoners in other countries where the rules that govern the humane treatment of prisoners in the US either don't exist or can be flouted without having to worry about pesky witnesses.
Bush strikes me as a man motivated by fear, one whose imagination can conjure only what terrible things might happen to him and what he holds dear. He is incapable of empathy for the Other. He demonizes and dehumanizes what he fears, the first step in enabling himself and others to strike out without honor. He is a "nice" enough man to be revolted when actually confronted by the abuse of others, but until his face is rubbed in it, he can't see it. And even then, as I noted aboved, he can not - or will not - comprehend or take responsibility for his own part in this.
The US is supposed to be about justice, freedom and dignity for all. We claim we recognize certain "inalienable rights" which are "endowed by the Creator" who Bush claims to worship. These are inalienable human rights, not rights that were bestowed by God on American citizens -- not counting those who-look-like-they-might-be-allied-with-those-devilish-Iraqis.
Bush is a dangerous, fearful man, who has betrayed and disgraced our country in the name of trying to protect us.
How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to replace a lightbulb?
The answer is SEVEN:
(1) One to deny that a lightbulb needs to be replaced.
(2) One to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who asks questions about the lightbulb.
(3) One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new lightbulb.
(4) One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of lightbulbs.
(5) One to get together with Vice President Cheney and award a million-dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton Industries for supplying a lightbulb.
(6) One to arrange a photo-op session showing Dubya changing the lightbulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag.
(7) And finally, one to explain to Dubya the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.
I don't usually wax political - here or anywhere - but this prisoner abuse scandal is pushing me beyond my usual limits. What did Mr. Bush think would happen if he told his military leaders that the Geneva Convention did not apply to us in this war? That prisoners taken were not "prisoners of war" but "enemy combatants"? Excuse me? One of the reasons humanity needed the Geneva Convention is that people who have been told to kill other people can not be expected to suddenly remember and respect the humanity of those people when they become helpless prisoners. Again and again Bush makes it clear that he thinks the rules apply to everyone else, but that the US doesn't need to abide by international law. Or even our own Constitution.
I'm glad he's "appalled" by the images that are coming out of the prison in Iraq -- but I see no sign that he's aware of his responsibility for what is going on. It was he himself who set the stage by declaring that the usual rights which are fundamental to our country do not apply in this case. Piling up naked men and putting them in collars may provide colorful, upsetting pictures -- but he seems totally incapable of being "upset" by the violations of rights and dignity that are taking place elsewhere because of his lack of moral courage: especially in the area of arresting and holding people without recourse to legal representation or access to a judge. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is a travesty. And I've seen several news articles that point out that our military has been confining prisoners in other countries where the rules that govern the humane treatment of prisoners in the US either don't exist or can be flouted without having to worry about pesky witnesses.
Bush strikes me as a man motivated by fear, one whose imagination can conjure only what terrible things might happen to him and what he holds dear. He is incapable of empathy for the Other. He demonizes and dehumanizes what he fears, the first step in enabling himself and others to strike out without honor. He is a "nice" enough man to be revolted when actually confronted by the abuse of others, but until his face is rubbed in it, he can't see it. And even then, as I noted aboved, he can not - or will not - comprehend or take responsibility for his own part in this.
The US is supposed to be about justice, freedom and dignity for all. We claim we recognize certain "inalienable rights" which are "endowed by the Creator" who Bush claims to worship. These are inalienable human rights, not rights that were bestowed by God on American citizens -- not counting those who-look-like-they-might-be-allied-with-those-devilish-Iraqis.
Bush is a dangerous, fearful man, who has betrayed and disgraced our country in the name of trying to protect us.
