This is quite possibly the coolest video on the internet...
Beyond the piercing cries, we're turned inside out.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Seekers of the Truth
Gotta get back, back to the truth...
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Obama administration had authorized the assassination of an American citizen. Intelligence officials believe Anwar al-Awlaki to be an operative of Al-Qaeda and they believe that he has engaged in attacks against the United States. However, the problem is exactly that. The administration believes. Awlaki has faced no trial, has had no opportunity to challenge the evidence brought against him or to prove his innocence. This authorization by the Obama administration represents extrajudicial justice at its worst. What kind of democratic society allows its leaders to arbitrarily kill its citizens when it believes them to be a threat to national security?
The adoption of a program of government assassinations of those who pose a “threat” to the country is a slippery slope to tread upon. Who is to say this category will not be extended to animal rights, environmental and other activists, many of whom are already considered to be terrorists under the Patriot Act and the AETA. A program of assassination based on assertions of secret evidence by the executive is nothing short of lunacy and violates the core principles of the American justice system.
The lack of an uproar over this issue is in itself a vindication of the poor state of American politics. Conservatives are content with Obama’s policy as it helps to further strengthen the power of the executive, something they have been trying to do for the past 8 years. Liberals on the other hand have been forced into a state of cognitive dissonance. For years they marched, protested, wrote and called for the prosecution of Bush and his administration. Yet just over a year later, they blindly support policies worse than anything even Bush had done. They continue to be deluded by their complete and utter infatuation with Obama, who has not only maintained, but has expanded the illegal powers asserted during Bush’s presidency, pushing the envelope in expanding executive power and suppressing the rule of law. One need look no further than Obama’s position on military tribunals, unauthorized surveillance, executive privilege, indefinite detention and now the murder of American citizens.
These reactions of the self-proclaimed liberals and progressives demonstrate the inability of Americans to critically examine developments in politics and society. They align themselves with a political party and cease to think about issues and ideas. Instead of truly reflecting upon their own opinions, they look to the party line to form their viewpoint. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the laziness inherent to American society or an indication of the dangers inherent of an infatuated populace. However, it certainly is not simply an issue of identity politics but rather a much larger danger embodied in the unwillingness and inability of the American public to critically examine themselves and the world in which they live.
...you know it was left behind.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Obama administration had authorized the assassination of an American citizen. Intelligence officials believe Anwar al-Awlaki to be an operative of Al-Qaeda and they believe that he has engaged in attacks against the United States. However, the problem is exactly that. The administration believes. Awlaki has faced no trial, has had no opportunity to challenge the evidence brought against him or to prove his innocence. This authorization by the Obama administration represents extrajudicial justice at its worst. What kind of democratic society allows its leaders to arbitrarily kill its citizens when it believes them to be a threat to national security?
The adoption of a program of government assassinations of those who pose a “threat” to the country is a slippery slope to tread upon. Who is to say this category will not be extended to animal rights, environmental and other activists, many of whom are already considered to be terrorists under the Patriot Act and the AETA. A program of assassination based on assertions of secret evidence by the executive is nothing short of lunacy and violates the core principles of the American justice system.
The lack of an uproar over this issue is in itself a vindication of the poor state of American politics. Conservatives are content with Obama’s policy as it helps to further strengthen the power of the executive, something they have been trying to do for the past 8 years. Liberals on the other hand have been forced into a state of cognitive dissonance. For years they marched, protested, wrote and called for the prosecution of Bush and his administration. Yet just over a year later, they blindly support policies worse than anything even Bush had done. They continue to be deluded by their complete and utter infatuation with Obama, who has not only maintained, but has expanded the illegal powers asserted during Bush’s presidency, pushing the envelope in expanding executive power and suppressing the rule of law. One need look no further than Obama’s position on military tribunals, unauthorized surveillance, executive privilege, indefinite detention and now the murder of American citizens.
These reactions of the self-proclaimed liberals and progressives demonstrate the inability of Americans to critically examine developments in politics and society. They align themselves with a political party and cease to think about issues and ideas. Instead of truly reflecting upon their own opinions, they look to the party line to form their viewpoint. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the laziness inherent to American society or an indication of the dangers inherent of an infatuated populace. However, it certainly is not simply an issue of identity politics but rather a much larger danger embodied in the unwillingness and inability of the American public to critically examine themselves and the world in which they live.
...you know it was left behind.
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