Comments on: Double standards for a divided world http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/ Advocating change in a globalized world Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:35:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Diego http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/#comment-114 Diego Thu, 26 Oct 2006 03:00:01 +0000 http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=35#comment-114 Edelmond, First off, let me give you my up most appreciation for your response, finally someone who can at least answer some of those questions I posed days ago, unfortunately Wil was unable to do so. I want to jump right in to the Jose Padilla issue. To let you know, I did not judge Padilla based on the creditability of the Bush administration like you wrongfully accused me of doing. Instead, I did a very simple Google search on Padilla and pretty much found out his entire life’s history including all aliases he has went by in the last 20 years. After examining his history you will realize exactly what I put, he was no Boy Scout that the U.S. took off the street but he was a menace to society. As for the 600,000 people killed in the debacle in Iraq, it is funny how the count went from around 30,000 all the way up to 600,000 +. Think about that, the study is saying that we have ‘knocked’ off like 2% of the entire Iraqi population. Of course though a British-based Iraq body count research group has said before that the figure is more likely to be around 50,000 which is a large difference from the over 600,000 figure we were told in early October. As for the drug addicts, how do you feel about the Kennedy’s? Remember, when you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing right back at you. Edelmond,

First off, let me give you my up most appreciation for your response, finally someone who can at least answer some of those questions I posed days ago, unfortunately Wil was unable to do so.

I want to jump right in to the Jose Padilla issue. To let you know, I did not judge Padilla based on the creditability of the Bush administration like you wrongfully accused me of doing. Instead, I did a very simple Google search on Padilla and pretty much found out his entire life’s history including all aliases he has went by in the last 20 years. After examining his history you will realize exactly what I put, he was no Boy Scout that the U.S. took off the street but he was a menace to society.

As for the 600,000 people killed in the debacle in Iraq, it is funny how the count went from around 30,000 all the way up to 600,000 +. Think about that, the study is saying that we have ‘knocked’ off like 2% of the entire Iraqi population. Of course though a British-based Iraq body count research group has said before that the figure is more likely to be around 50,000 which is a large difference from the over 600,000 figure we were told in early October.

As for the drug addicts, how do you feel about the Kennedy’s? Remember, when you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing right back at you.

]]> By: Edelmond http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/#comment-107 Edelmond Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:39:18 +0000 http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=35#comment-107 Diego, You’ve covered so much ground here I scarcely know where to begin. Well, for now, let’s just keep it simple. I see you have multiple conversations going on at once and many insufficiently answered issues still to address. On the issue of “terrorist/enemy combatants” like Jose Padilla, I suppose that it wouldn’t do any good to point out that he may have some things to say in his own defense, that as an American citizen he hasn’t been given the opportunity to say. I recommend you check out the latest news of his guilt here. I wonder what you’d confess to if you were tortured. Well, sense you’ve already judged Jose Padilla based on the creditability of the Bush administration maybe you’d prefer to consider another individual, Maher Arar who’s an admitted victim of the U.S. practice of ’extraordinary rendition’. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Mr. Arar’s story but it’s a familiar one. Mr. Arar was detained, denied access to an attorney, denied a trial, sent to a country were they don’t torture, and tortured. In his case, the U.S. government admits that this was all a big misunderstanding and perpetuated by the Canadian government, and therefore the U.S. should bare no responsibility for the mishap. Then there’s the case of Yaser Esam Hamdi. I don’t want to ruin the surprise ending for you if you’re going to check out the link, but once again, another terrorist/enemy combatant released. You seem to have it in for the ”terrorist” which is understandable and morally right, but don’t you think the U.S. should get it right to stay right? And yet, at the same time you seem to vehemently support the fight against terrorism, you seem to have a profound ignorance of the terrorist actions of your own government. If my reading is correct, then this is completely ironic because it is specifically U.S. foreign policy that is often responsible for creating the very thing you seem to fear most. The U.S. has been responsible for acts of terrorism in Palestine, Ghana, Panama, Zaire, Venezuela, and Haiti, just to name a couple of countries quickly, where apparently our ”strategic interest” were threatened. Frankly, I don’t see how you or any other American (myself included) can complain about terrorist acts against America until we do something to stop our own government’s terrorist actions. The biggest most recent example is right before you in Iraq. The U.S. installed government was made to legalize an otherwise illegal invasion and occupation after the fact. Over 600,000 people have been killed to stop the proliferation of WMD’s, to liberate the Iraqi people, and to spread “freedom and democracy”, absolutely none of which is true. Do you really know why we’re there? Are your eyes on the prize? Can you define or guess what U.S. strategic interests really are in the case of Iraq? I understand you may feel you need Rush to maintain your political focus, but you should really in look other places for information. Drug addicts are not known to be the most rational lot. Diego,
You’ve covered so much ground here I scarcely know where to begin. Well, for now, let’s just keep it simple. I see you have multiple conversations going on at once and many insufficiently answered issues still to address.
On the issue of “terrorist/enemy combatants” like Jose Padilla, I suppose that it wouldn’t do any good to point out that he may have some things to say in his own defense, that as an American citizen he hasn’t been given the opportunity to say. I recommend you check out the latest news of his guilt here. I wonder what you’d confess to if you were tortured.
Well, sense you’ve already judged Jose Padilla based on the creditability of the Bush administration maybe you’d prefer to consider another individual, Maher Arar who’s an admitted victim of the U.S. practice of ’extraordinary rendition’. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Mr. Arar’s story but it’s a familiar one. Mr. Arar was detained, denied access to an attorney, denied a trial, sent to a country were they don’t torture, and tortured. In his case, the U.S. government admits that this was all a big misunderstanding and perpetuated by the Canadian government, and therefore the U.S. should bare no responsibility for the mishap.
Then there’s the case of Yaser Esam Hamdi. I don’t want to ruin the surprise ending for you if you’re going to check out the link, but once again, another terrorist/enemy combatant released.
You seem to have it in for the ”terrorist” which is understandable and morally right, but don’t you think the U.S. should get it right to stay right? And yet, at the same time you seem to vehemently support the fight against terrorism, you seem to have a profound ignorance of the terrorist actions of your own government. If my reading is correct, then this is completely ironic because it is specifically U.S. foreign policy that is often responsible for creating the very thing you seem to fear most. The U.S. has been responsible for acts of terrorism in Palestine, Ghana, Panama, Zaire, Venezuela, and Haiti, just to name a couple of countries quickly, where apparently our ”strategic interest” were threatened.
Frankly, I don’t see how you or any other American (myself included) can complain about terrorist acts against America until we do something to stop our own government’s terrorist actions. The biggest most recent example is right before you in Iraq. The U.S. installed government was made to legalize an otherwise illegal invasion and occupation after the fact. Over 600,000 people have been killed to stop the proliferation of WMD’s, to liberate the Iraqi people, and to spread “freedom and democracy”, absolutely none of which is true. Do you really know why we’re there? Are your eyes on the prize? Can you define or guess what U.S. strategic interests really are in the case of Iraq?
I understand you may feel you need Rush to maintain your political focus, but you should really in look other places for information. Drug addicts are not known to be the most rational lot.

]]> By: Victor http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/#comment-106 Victor Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:32:30 +0000 http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=35#comment-106 I’m sorry, but the Kool-Aid drinkers above seem to be disregarding the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was misidentified as a terror suspect and shipped to Syria for ‘extraordinary rendition’ when he had the misfortune of a layover at Kennedy International Airport on the way back from Tunis to his native Montrtreal. Mr. Arar arrived at Kennedy on Sept. 26, 2002 and was processed by the INS and sent to Syria to be interrogated and tortured for better than a year simply because he had dark skin, a funny name and a foriegn, albeit Canadian passport. The only reason the INS was able to authorize this action was because Arar was a foreign national. And this was all before the new Military Commissions Act, not that Jose Padilla benefitted from Habeas Corpus, either. This new Act eradycates even the premise of Habeas Corpus as Padilla was geclared an ‘enemy cobatant’ and denied his rights as a citizen. Sure, the GOP talking-points are that ‘innocent’ citizens have nothing to fear, but there’s seldom been a benign law that hasn’t been abused for political ends, from poll taxes to the weight of Ken Blackwell’s mail-in absentee ballots. I’m African-American, a lifelong Liberal and I find none of this amusing. I’m sorry, but the Kool-Aid drinkers above seem to be disregarding the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was misidentified as a terror suspect and shipped to Syria for ‘extraordinary rendition’ when he had the misfortune of a layover at Kennedy International Airport on the way back from Tunis to his native Montrtreal.
Mr. Arar arrived at Kennedy on Sept. 26, 2002 and was processed by the INS and sent to Syria to be interrogated and tortured for better than a year simply because he had dark skin, a funny name and a foriegn, albeit Canadian passport. The only reason the INS was able to authorize this action was because Arar was a foreign national.
And this was all before the new Military Commissions Act, not that Jose Padilla benefitted from Habeas Corpus, either. This new Act eradycates even the premise of Habeas Corpus as Padilla was geclared an ‘enemy cobatant’ and denied his rights as a citizen.
Sure, the GOP talking-points are that ‘innocent’ citizens have nothing to fear, but there’s seldom been a benign law that hasn’t been abused for political ends, from poll taxes to the weight of Ken Blackwell’s mail-in absentee ballots.
I’m African-American, a lifelong Liberal and I find none of this amusing.

]]> By: Diego http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/#comment-104 Diego Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:33:21 +0000 http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=35#comment-104 So killing babies is fine, soldiers dying is not ok...unlike the babies, the soldiers had a choice to go to war, babies aborted are never given that choice or RIGHT (you do like to use that word correct?)...remember, they (Military) enlisted, they were not drafted...that's what I think is so freaking sad about our society...the fact we have people joining the Military simply to take advantage of the GI Bill and then get so pissed off that 'ughhh, I have to go to war?' They and their mommies and daddies get so pissed off, let me give a shout out to the Huston family in Missouri (you bunch of idiots). Now, when enlisting in the Military they know their major duty is defending this country from domestic and foreign violence. The crap that is going on today is the same crap that went on during the 1960s, how many Jane Fonda bloggers do we have out there? Now, for your abortion numbers Bruce...4.6 million AMERICAN babies to what 2600 AMERICAN soldiers? Ratio time: 4,600,000:2,600...looks a little distorted doesn't it? Yeah, but kooks try and defend this with, Women's Rights, Women's Rights...question: What if the Man who knocked the woman up, actually wanted to be a father, where are his rights????? Answer that please. Here's one for you...Bill Clinton will not be remember for WHAT he did, but for WHO he did. I look forward to your response as I am still waiting on Wil to try and figure out the answers to the questions I posed... So killing babies is fine, soldiers dying is not ok…unlike the babies, the soldiers had a choice to go to war, babies aborted are never given that choice or RIGHT (you do like to use that word correct?)…remember, they (Military) enlisted, they were not drafted…that’s what I think is so freaking sad about our society…the fact we have people joining the Military simply to take advantage of the GI Bill and then get so pissed off that ‘ughhh, I have to go to war?’ They and their mommies and daddies get so pissed off, let me give a shout out to the Huston family in Missouri (you bunch of idiots).

Now, when enlisting in the Military they know their major duty is defending this country from domestic and foreign violence. The crap that is going on today is the same crap that went on during the 1960s, how many Jane Fonda bloggers do we have out there? Now, for your abortion numbers Bruce…4.6 million AMERICAN babies to what 2600 AMERICAN soldiers? Ratio time: 4,600,000:2,600…looks a little distorted doesn’t it? Yeah, but kooks try and defend this with, Women’s Rights, Women’s Rights…question: What if the Man who knocked the woman up, actually wanted to be a father, where are his rights????? Answer that please.

Here’s one for you…Bill Clinton will not be remember for WHAT he did, but for WHO he did.

I look forward to your response as I am still waiting on Wil to try and figure out the answers to the questions I posed…

]]> By: Bruce http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/2006/10/ken-lay-bush-terrorism-enron-war-on-terror-appeal-conviction-military-commissions-act-racism/#comment-102 Bruce Wed, 25 Oct 2006 05:13:07 +0000 http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=35#comment-102 Diego, As for there not being a president who will throw people in jail for the hell of it, apparently you haven't been paying attention, with the 'enemy combatants' that have been released so far. You say they're in there for a reason, well, they're being released for a reason, too. There's your president who jails people for the hell of it. Convicted criminals getting off on technicalities usually starts the 'tough on crime' crowd into spastic fits. White collar criminals- not so much. Why is that? Liberals don't 'like' to measure the cost of war or occupation in lives, wasted dollars, or juicy no-bid contracts, which is why we fight so dilligently to stop senseless warmongering. You'd have to condede it was the liberals who opposed the invasion of Iraq, -the cost in lives (American and unAmerican), wasted dollars, and the loss of international respect are inevitable, regrettable observations. Liberals (at least myself) also support the right of a woman to choose whether they require an abortion or not. If they choose not to receive one, then good for them. Women shouldn't be burdened with unwanted pregnancies if they themselves don't want them. The opinions of the religious-minded who seek to legislate their faith notwithstanding. If peace is brought with strength, what say you that that is exactly what Iran and North Korea are doing. Without nuclear strength (as your claim goes) they can not have peace. Apparently the lessons you think are important are being picked up on. Congratulations! Clinton 'not doing anything' is possiblly the most dubious misdirection out there. What he was doing was mischaracterized as 'Wagging the dog'. Yeah, that was Osama back there when Republicans indignantly held that the most important business the nation should be engaged in was 'Monicagate'. That many of the same people are now trying to pass off blame onto him because of the ABC (Anything But Clinton) policy of the Warmonger administration- is flip-flopping. Concern about the threat of terrorism had Bill's 'fingerprints' all over it, something that was the very definition of low priority. After W assumed stewardship of the Oval Office furniture, nothing was done about terrorism prior to 9-11. Nothing can change that. Diego,

As for there not being a president who will throw people in jail for the hell of it, apparently you haven’t been paying attention, with the ‘enemy combatants’ that have been released so far. You say they’re in there for a reason, well, they’re being released for a reason, too. There’s your president who jails people for the hell of it.

Convicted criminals getting off on technicalities usually starts the ‘tough on crime’ crowd into spastic fits. White collar criminals- not so much. Why is that?

Liberals don’t ‘like’ to measure the cost of war or occupation in lives, wasted dollars, or juicy no-bid contracts, which is why we fight so dilligently to stop senseless warmongering. You’d have to condede it was the liberals who opposed the invasion of Iraq, -the cost in lives (American and unAmerican), wasted dollars, and the loss of international respect are inevitable, regrettable observations.

Liberals (at least myself) also support the right of a woman to choose whether they require an abortion or not. If they choose not to receive one, then good for them. Women shouldn’t be burdened with unwanted pregnancies if they themselves don’t want them. The opinions of the religious-minded who seek to legislate their faith notwithstanding.

If peace is brought with strength, what say you that that is exactly what Iran and North Korea are doing. Without nuclear strength (as your claim goes) they can not have peace. Apparently the lessons you think are important are being picked up on. Congratulations!

Clinton ‘not doing anything’ is possiblly the most dubious misdirection out there. What he was doing was mischaracterized as ‘Wagging the dog’. Yeah, that was Osama back there when Republicans indignantly held that the most important business the nation should be engaged in was ‘Monicagate’. That many of the same people are now trying to pass off blame onto him because of the ABC (Anything But Clinton) policy of the Warmonger administration- is flip-flopping. Concern about the threat of terrorism had Bill’s ‘fingerprints’ all over it, something that was the very definition of low priority. After W assumed stewardship of the Oval Office furniture, nothing was done about terrorism prior to 9-11. Nothing can change that.

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