Friday, November 04, 2005


Return of the Gulag
The rationalization is always the same. For the security of the homeland, or the fatherland, or whateverland, the government needs the freedom to act with no "interference" or accountability....

...We all have our own reasons for respecting the basic, unalienable rights bestowed on humanity by the Creator. In my case, my spiritual tradition will not allow me to view humanity and human rights along national lines. My love of democracy has taught me that everyone deserves a fair trial of some kind. My God, what if someone is in there by mistake? What if someone grabbed the wrong person? And even if some of those detained are guilty, do we not still bear some responsibility to see that basic human rights are upheld?

Secret prisons, secretive interrogation methods, no accountability, no provisions made for even the most basic of human rights. We treat serial killers better than this. Is this my country, the land that I love? Is this the United States of America, the beacon of hope and freedom and the champion of individual rights?

What the hell is going on here?