bush acknowledges the existence of heretofore secret
cia prisons.
i'm not sure what to say just yet. i'm outraged, definitely, but i don't know how to characterize it. america, after 9/11, had the world's sympathy in the fight against al-qaeda and terrorism. the support for our invasion of afghanistan was near universal. though the outcome hasn't been perfect, few frown on it as a waste of energy or point it out as a bad thing.
the problem is, since then, with the extra-judicial nature of guantanamo, the groundless iraq war, the torture in abu grahib, our support for israel's attacks on civilians, and now these secret prisons, we have lost all that support. we have lost the moral high ground in the fight against al-qaeda and islamist fundamentalism. we have lost civil rights at home (not only does the president feel he can tap your phones, congress is doing nothing to stop him), and our president, who initially characterized this war on terrorism as a 'crusade', believes he has a religious duty to fight 'islamist fascism' regardless of the democratic forces that are supposed to be running the country. i don't know about you, but i fear for a peaceful political transition in 2008. someone somewhere is laying the groundwork for the republicans to hold onto power, by force if necessary, so they can prosecute their racist war. so they can push their theocratic agenda down your throats. so they can round up and execute all dissenters.
the germans in the 30's elected adolf hitler. they wanted him to lead their country. they didn't expect the madness that followed, but they did think he would save them from the financial crisis of the 30's. they followed his hate-filled agenda because it gave them an enemy. he used fear to motivate his followers, turned that fear to hatred and built an empire. if he hadn't overreached, if he hadn't wasted so much time and energy on concentration camps, if he had made a few decisions more wisely, he would control all of europe.
study your history: america is not immune to repeating it. america is not immune to bigotry, racism, or authoritarianism. the masses are ruled by fear, and the republicans are adept at making us afraid of someone (russians, terrorists, liberals, etc.) so they can retain power. if you don't fight these forces, they will consume you.
they will swallow you whole.
