Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Plus, Amnesty's amnesia.
By Christopher Hitchens
Posted Monday, June 13, 2005, at 3:30 PM PT
A favorite slice of reality TV in today's Iraq is the melodramatically named program Terrorism in the Grip of Justice. Aired on state-run Al Iraqiya, which doesn't require a satellite dish, it shows the confessions of captured "insurgents," mainly foreign fighters. When possible, it also shows the videos that these people have made, so that, for example, a man can be viewed as he slices a victim's throat and then viewed, looking much less brave, as he explains where he comes from, how he was taught to rehearse beheadings and throat-slittings on animals, and other insights into the trade. On occasion, these characters are confronted with the families of their victims. At other times, they have been able to tell the families of the missing what happened to their loved ones. The aim is to demystify the holy warriors and also to encourage civilians to call in with further tips.
Some of the confessions, such as one from an alleged Syrian intelligence officer who said that the insurgency was run by Syria, are a little too convenient. And the possibility exists that other confessions are either staged or coerced. Nonetheless, the program, which originated in the northern city of Mosul, has been very influential in exposing the origins and character of the forces that are bent on wrecking Iraqi society.
Terrorism in the Grip of Justice could only be shown once the transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi government had been made. The United States could not have put any of these people on television, because the Geneva Conventions forbid the exhibiting of prisoners. (I don't know what the law would say about showing the program on U.S. television, and in any case the video-beheadings recorded by the captured perpetrators would be too hideous for mass consumption.) In my opinion, at any rate, the elected Iraqi authorities are well within their rights in using this means of propaganda. Indeed, they are entitled to all the presumptions of a war of self-defense.
The position of the United States is different, because not only is it a signatory to the Geneva protocols, it is also the power that has pressed other nations to both sign and observe them. (It was also the United States that pressed all member states of the United Nations to sign Eleanor Roosevelt's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia at first declined to do.) Any wavering on the part of Washington thus has consequences far beyond itself.
The forces of al-Qaida and its surrogate organizations are not signatory to the conventions and naturally express contempt for them. They have no battle order or uniform and are represented by no authority with which terms can be negotiated. Nor can they claim, as actual guerrilla movements like the Algerian FLN have done in the past, to be the future representatives of their countries or peoples. In Afghanistan and Iraq, they sought to destroy the electoral process that alone can confer true legitimacy, and they are in many, if not most, cases not even citizens of the countries concerned. Their announced aim is the destruction of all nonbelievers, and their avowed method is indiscriminate and random murder. They are more like pirates, hijackers, or torturers—three categories of people who have in the past been declared outside the protection of any law.
The administration therefore deserves at least some sympathy in its confrontation with an enemy of a new type. I should very much like to know how a Gore administration would have dealt with the hundreds of foreign sadists taken in arms in Afghanistan. I should also like to know how other Western governments, which are privately relieved that the United States assumed responsibility for the last wave, expect to handle the next wave of fundamentalist violence in their own societies. No word on this as yet.
An axiom of the law states that justice is more offended by one innocent person punished than by any number of guilty persons unapprehended. I say frankly that I am not certain of the applicability of this in the present case. Mullah Omar's convoy in Afghanistan was allowed to escape because there was insufficient certainty to justify bombing it. Several detainees released from Guantanamo have reappeared in the Taliban ranks, once again burning and killing and sabotaging. The man whose story of rough interrogation has just been published in Time had planned to board a United Airlines flight and crash it into a skyscraper. I want to know who his friends and contacts were, and so do you, hypocrite lecteur.
You may desire this while also reserving the right to demand that he has a lawyer present at all times. But please observe where we stand now. Alberto Gonzales was excoriated even for asking, or being asked, about the applicability of Geneva rules. Apparently, Guantanamo won't do as a holding pen until we decide how to handle and classify these people. But meanwhile, neither will it do to "render" any suspects to their countries of origin. How many alternatives does this leave? Is al-Qaida itself to be considered a "ticking bomb" or not? How many of those who express concern about Guantanamo have also been denouncing the administration for being too lenient about ignoring warnings and missing opportunities for a pre-atrocity roundup? I merely ask. I also express the wish that more detainees be brought, like the wretched American John Walker Lindh, before a court.
About Amnesty International's disgraceful performance, however, I can tell as well as ask. I was at one point quite close to its London headquarters, and I used to both carry and return messages for the organization when I went as a reporter to screwed-up countries. The founding statutes were quite clear: An Amnesty local was to adopt three "prisoners of conscience," one from either side of the Cold War and one from a "neutral" state. Letters were to be written to the relevant governments and to newspapers in free countries. Though physical torture and capital punishment were opposed in all cases, no overt political position was to be taken. (I remember there was quite a row when an Amnesty "country report" on Argentina went so far as to describe a guerrilla raid as "daring.") By adhering to these rules, AI became a credible worldwide group to which even the most repressive governments sometimes had to pay attention. All honor to its founder Peter Benenson, who died earlier this year.
And now look. I think it is fairly safe to say that not one detainee in Guantanamo is there because of an expression of opinion. (And those whose "opinion" is that all infidels must die are not exactly prisoners of conscience.) Morally neutral on this point, apparently, Amnesty nonetheless finds its voice by describing the prison itself as "the gulag of our times." No need to waste words here: Not everyone in the gulag was a "prisoner of conscience," either. But if an organization that ostensibly protects the rights of prisoners is unaware of the nature of a colossal system of forced labor and arbitrary detention—replete with physical torture, starvation, and brutal execution—then the moral compass has become disordered beyond repair. This is not even neutrality between the fireman and the fire. It surely expresses a covert sympathy with the aims and objectives of jihad and an overt, if witless and sinister, hatred of the United States. If only this were the only symptom of that tendency.
Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair. His most recent book is Thomas Jefferson: Author of America.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
VDH's Private Papers::The Sorry Bunch
VDH's Private Papers::The Sorry Bunch Article about Islam/goals/actions with editorial info.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Iraq's leadership says militants seeking talks - Boston.com - Middle East - News
Iraq's leadership says militants seeking talks - Boston.com - Middle East - News: "Iraq's leadership says militants seeking talks
June 12, 2005
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government said on Sunday that some rebels had approached it looking for peace terms and repeated its willingness to negotiate with groups which renounced violence and which had not killed Iraqis.
Government spokesman Laith Kubba, speaking at a regular news conference, gave no details of who had made contact.
While many nationalist guerrillas concentrate their attacks on U.S. occupying forces, high-profile groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq would appear to be excluded from any dealings with the government because they have mounted bloody assaults on Iraqi civilians and security forces.
'Many have been trying to open channels to talk in recent weeks,' Kubba said. 'Some were calling directly, saying 'We did not kill any Iraqis but took up arms to resist the occupation and want to participate in the political process.'
'To those who have not carried out any killings of Iraqis and who are willing to give up violence and intend to take part in the political process, the door is open.'
The Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has often said it is willing to talk to rebels who stop fighting. Most insurgents, who have killed more than 850 people in the couple of months since the government was formed, are drawn from Saddam Hussein's once-dominant Sunni minority.
Some, like Zarqawi himself, come from other Arab countries. "
June 12, 2005
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government said on Sunday that some rebels had approached it looking for peace terms and repeated its willingness to negotiate with groups which renounced violence and which had not killed Iraqis.
Government spokesman Laith Kubba, speaking at a regular news conference, gave no details of who had made contact.
While many nationalist guerrillas concentrate their attacks on U.S. occupying forces, high-profile groups like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq would appear to be excluded from any dealings with the government because they have mounted bloody assaults on Iraqi civilians and security forces.
'Many have been trying to open channels to talk in recent weeks,' Kubba said. 'Some were calling directly, saying 'We did not kill any Iraqis but took up arms to resist the occupation and want to participate in the political process.'
'To those who have not carried out any killings of Iraqis and who are willing to give up violence and intend to take part in the political process, the door is open.'
The Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has often said it is willing to talk to rebels who stop fighting. Most insurgents, who have killed more than 850 people in the couple of months since the government was formed, are drawn from Saddam Hussein's once-dominant Sunni minority.
Some, like Zarqawi himself, come from other Arab countries. "
Winds of Change.NET: The Arab/Islamic World's Cultural Gaps
Winds of Change.NET: The Arab/Islamic World's Cultural Gaps: "The Arab/Islamic World's Cultural Gaps
by Guest Author at June 10, 2005 08:46 AM
Look here
JK: U.N. Reports capture part of the issue, but not all of it. Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive) looks at the cultural deficits that are the root cause of the Arab/Islamic world's current backwardness and status as non-competitive states, with links to past Winds articles. This article was originally featured on To The Point News.
The Arab Mind
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt
I have written many books and articles over the last ten years about the defects in the Arab mind-set, all of which are cultural defects stemming from three main sources. The first is the repressive climate that prevails throughout Arab societies, the second a backward educational system that lags far behind modern educational systems and the third a mass-media apparatus operated by those responsible for the climate of political repression to serve their interests.
The following are the most obvious defects from which the contemporary Arab mind-set suffers:
1. A lack of intellectual hospitality;
2. It is steeped in a culture that encourages conformity and discourages diversity;
3. Limited tolerance for the Other;
4. Limited tolerance for criticism and the virtual absence of self-criticism;
5. The adoption of stands not on the basis of their coherence, validity or intrinsic value but on the basis of tribal or religious affiliations;
6. Deep feelings of inequality with others in terms of results and achievements makes for a sense of inadequacy that is sublimated into an exaggerated and unfounded pride;
7. A tendency to indulge in excessive self-praise and to glorify past achievements as a way of escaping our dismal reality;
8. The prevalence of what I call the ‘big-talk culture’, in which overblown rhetoric is used to compensate for the appalling lack of concrete achievements;
9. A lack of objectivity and the growth of individualism;
10. An unhealthy nostalgia for and escape into the past;
11. An aversion to the notion of compromise, which is deemed to be a form of capitulation and defeat;
12. Lack of respect for women;
13. A tendency to unquestioningly accept stereotypes at face value;
14. Setting great store by the conspiracy theory and believing that the Arabs are always the victims of heinous plots hatched against them by their enemies;
15. An ill-defined sense of national identity: is it Arab, Muslim, Asian, African or Mediterranean?
16. The spread of the personality cult phenomenon in Arab societies, where the relationship with the ruler is based not on mutual respect and accountability but on the excessive adulation, not to say deification, of the ruler;
17. The prevalence of an insular culture that knows next to nothing about the outside world and the real balance of power by which it is governed, let alone the science or culture of others;
18. A lack of appreciation for the value of the bond that links the human species together, which is their common humanity. For most people in the region, the only bonds that count are either tribal, sectarian or nationalistic, although humanity is the most exalted common denominator of all;
19. The spread of a mentality of fanaticism due to a number of factors, the most important being the tribalism that dominates the Arab mind-set to varying degrees;
20. Finally, the Arab mind-set is not overly concerned with the notion of freedom for the simple reason that the Arabs have enjoyed only limited doses of political rights and civil liberties.
The twenty defects listed above are by no means exhaustive; I have no doubt that any Middle East expert can come up with many more. However, all these defects are acquired, which means they are amenable to reform. Moreover, they can all be found, albeit to different degrees, in other societies. As I mentioned, they stem from the prevailing climate of political despotism and outdated educational and information systems designed and operated to serve the interests of a power structure intent on maintaining its iron grip.
These defects will continue to grow unless radical changes are introduced to all three areas. The political system must be overhauled with a view to providing a wider margin of freedom and allowing people a greater say in determining the shape of their present and future. The educational systems in force must be reorganized from the ground up, their philosophy, curricula and methods brought into line with the requirements of the age.
Last but not least, the media must be removed from under the thumb of government and allowed to function in complete political and economic freedom as a credible forum for the dissemination of culture, ideas and information.
For more of Tarek Heggy's writtings in English, please visit"
by Guest Author at June 10, 2005 08:46 AM
Look here
JK: U.N. Reports capture part of the issue, but not all of it. Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive) looks at the cultural deficits that are the root cause of the Arab/Islamic world's current backwardness and status as non-competitive states, with links to past Winds articles. This article was originally featured on To The Point News.
The Arab Mind
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt
I have written many books and articles over the last ten years about the defects in the Arab mind-set, all of which are cultural defects stemming from three main sources. The first is the repressive climate that prevails throughout Arab societies, the second a backward educational system that lags far behind modern educational systems and the third a mass-media apparatus operated by those responsible for the climate of political repression to serve their interests.
The following are the most obvious defects from which the contemporary Arab mind-set suffers:
1. A lack of intellectual hospitality;
2. It is steeped in a culture that encourages conformity and discourages diversity;
3. Limited tolerance for the Other;
4. Limited tolerance for criticism and the virtual absence of self-criticism;
5. The adoption of stands not on the basis of their coherence, validity or intrinsic value but on the basis of tribal or religious affiliations;
6. Deep feelings of inequality with others in terms of results and achievements makes for a sense of inadequacy that is sublimated into an exaggerated and unfounded pride;
7. A tendency to indulge in excessive self-praise and to glorify past achievements as a way of escaping our dismal reality;
8. The prevalence of what I call the ‘big-talk culture’, in which overblown rhetoric is used to compensate for the appalling lack of concrete achievements;
9. A lack of objectivity and the growth of individualism;
10. An unhealthy nostalgia for and escape into the past;
11. An aversion to the notion of compromise, which is deemed to be a form of capitulation and defeat;
12. Lack of respect for women;
13. A tendency to unquestioningly accept stereotypes at face value;
14. Setting great store by the conspiracy theory and believing that the Arabs are always the victims of heinous plots hatched against them by their enemies;
15. An ill-defined sense of national identity: is it Arab, Muslim, Asian, African or Mediterranean?
16. The spread of the personality cult phenomenon in Arab societies, where the relationship with the ruler is based not on mutual respect and accountability but on the excessive adulation, not to say deification, of the ruler;
17. The prevalence of an insular culture that knows next to nothing about the outside world and the real balance of power by which it is governed, let alone the science or culture of others;
18. A lack of appreciation for the value of the bond that links the human species together, which is their common humanity. For most people in the region, the only bonds that count are either tribal, sectarian or nationalistic, although humanity is the most exalted common denominator of all;
19. The spread of a mentality of fanaticism due to a number of factors, the most important being the tribalism that dominates the Arab mind-set to varying degrees;
20. Finally, the Arab mind-set is not overly concerned with the notion of freedom for the simple reason that the Arabs have enjoyed only limited doses of political rights and civil liberties.
The twenty defects listed above are by no means exhaustive; I have no doubt that any Middle East expert can come up with many more. However, all these defects are acquired, which means they are amenable to reform. Moreover, they can all be found, albeit to different degrees, in other societies. As I mentioned, they stem from the prevailing climate of political despotism and outdated educational and information systems designed and operated to serve the interests of a power structure intent on maintaining its iron grip.
These defects will continue to grow unless radical changes are introduced to all three areas. The political system must be overhauled with a view to providing a wider margin of freedom and allowing people a greater say in determining the shape of their present and future. The educational systems in force must be reorganized from the ground up, their philosophy, curricula and methods brought into line with the requirements of the age.
Last but not least, the media must be removed from under the thumb of government and allowed to function in complete political and economic freedom as a credible forum for the dissemination of culture, ideas and information.
For more of Tarek Heggy's writtings in English, please visit"
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Universal right to bear arms?
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Universal right to bear arms?: "Canadian Joe Katzman writes, here
We have a pretty different attitude to guns up here, and I must say that American gun culture has always kind of puzzled me. To me, one no more had a right to a gun than one did to a car. Well, my mind has changed. Changed to the point where I see gun ownership as being a slightly qualified but universal global human right.
What changed my mind? This simple conclusion:
The Right to Bear Arms is the only reliable way to prevent genocide in the modern world.
His tag line is direct: “The Right to Bear Arms. It’s not just for Americans any more.”
I wrote an essay in 2002 entitled, “Civilization, Violence, Sovereignty and the Second Amendment: Why the right to keep and bear arms is the fundamental right of a sovereign people.” I claimed then, and now, that civilization is founded and maintained on violence or the threat of violence, not an original thought of mine but one well developed by Christian philosopher Jacques Ellul in his book, Violence: Reflections from a Christian Perspective (go to the bottom of the linked page where there are links to the complete text in PDF and RTF, and an incomplete HTML version.)
Hence, if the ultimate authority of the state is to be found in the people of the state (as a condition of nature, as America’s Founders understood), then the people must also have the ultimate power to protect their sovereignty. That means, bluntly, the power of coercion. And coercion necessarily includes the use of violence.
What does this mean elsewhere in the world? Joe quotes a speech by Tendai Biti, an MDC member of parliament, referring to the mass starvation of Zimbabweans by dictator Robert Mugabe.
“I can’t tell you - and the hundreds of Central Intelligence Organisation officers who I know are listening to me right now - about who is going to provide the leadership, who is going to do what, and so forth - but what I can guarantee you is that the anger is overflowing in the veins of the average Zimbabweans. They will defend themselves. The time for smiling at fascism is over.”
Let’s hope so."
We have a pretty different attitude to guns up here, and I must say that American gun culture has always kind of puzzled me. To me, one no more had a right to a gun than one did to a car. Well, my mind has changed. Changed to the point where I see gun ownership as being a slightly qualified but universal global human right.
What changed my mind? This simple conclusion:
The Right to Bear Arms is the only reliable way to prevent genocide in the modern world.
His tag line is direct: “The Right to Bear Arms. It’s not just for Americans any more.”
I wrote an essay in 2002 entitled, “Civilization, Violence, Sovereignty and the Second Amendment: Why the right to keep and bear arms is the fundamental right of a sovereign people.” I claimed then, and now, that civilization is founded and maintained on violence or the threat of violence, not an original thought of mine but one well developed by Christian philosopher Jacques Ellul in his book, Violence: Reflections from a Christian Perspective (go to the bottom of the linked page where there are links to the complete text in PDF and RTF, and an incomplete HTML version.)
Hence, if the ultimate authority of the state is to be found in the people of the state (as a condition of nature, as America’s Founders understood), then the people must also have the ultimate power to protect their sovereignty. That means, bluntly, the power of coercion. And coercion necessarily includes the use of violence.
What does this mean elsewhere in the world? Joe quotes a speech by Tendai Biti, an MDC member of parliament, referring to the mass starvation of Zimbabweans by dictator Robert Mugabe.
“I can’t tell you - and the hundreds of Central Intelligence Organisation officers who I know are listening to me right now - about who is going to provide the leadership, who is going to do what, and so forth - but what I can guarantee you is that the anger is overflowing in the veins of the average Zimbabweans. They will defend themselves. The time for smiling at fascism is over.”
Let’s hope so."
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
VDH's Private Papers::The Global Shift
VDH's Private Papers::The Global Shift: "As nations come to know the Chinese, and as a ripe Europe increasingly cannot or will not defend itself, the old maligned United States will begin to look pretty good again. More important, America will not be the world’s easily caricatured sole power, but more likely the sole democratic superpower that factors in morality in addition to national interest in its treatment of others.
China is strong without morality; Europe is impotent in its ethical smugness. The buffer United States, in contrast, believes morality is not mere good intentions but the willingness and ability to translate easy idealism into hard and messy practice.
Most critics will find such sentiments laughable or na�ve; but just watch China in the years to come. Those who now malign the imperfections of the United States may well in shock whimper back, asking for our friendship. Then the boutique practice of anti-Americanism among the global elite will come to an end."
China is strong without morality; Europe is impotent in its ethical smugness. The buffer United States, in contrast, believes morality is not mere good intentions but the willingness and ability to translate easy idealism into hard and messy practice.
Most critics will find such sentiments laughable or na�ve; but just watch China in the years to come. Those who now malign the imperfections of the United States may well in shock whimper back, asking for our friendship. Then the boutique practice of anti-Americanism among the global elite will come to an end."
Monday, June 06, 2005
Power Line: What's Happening in Afghanistan
Power Line: What's Happening in Afghanistan: "To me, the most exciting thing about the internet is how it empowers individuals. More than ever before, a single person can make a difference because his or her work can so easily be leveraged--viewed within a matter of hours by thousands or even millions of people around the world, with no need for media gatekeepers. If I had to offer one example of a single individual who has used the medium to make a difference, it would be Arthur Chrenkoff. He has devoted himself to collecting the under-reported news of progress in Iraq and Afghanistan and putting it out in the blogosphere; more recently, the Wall Street Journal's online edition has also been publishing Arthur's roundups.
Today's edition is on Afghanistan, and it is absolutely unbelievable. It seems just about book-length, and covers improvements in every phase of Afghan life. Reading it is a revelation. Arthur begins:
Over the last few weeks, Afghanistan has been in the news again--unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. The media pack has made a brief reappearance in Afghanistan to report on carefully staged 'spontaneous' riots, which briefly erupted around the country, ostensibly in protest over a report in Newsweek (later retracted) about desecration of Koran by the American military personnel at Guantanamo Bay.
Sadly, in the rush of commentary about Afghanistan's slide into anarchy and America's deteriorating position in Kabul, most of the international media again missed or downplayed many other stories, some of them arguably far more consequential than an antigovernment rampage whipped up by opponents of President Hamid Karzai. Take this story:
A crowd of 600 Afghan clerics gathered in front of an historic mosque yesterday to strip the fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar of his claim to religious authority, in a ceremony that provided a significant boost to the presidency of Hamid Karzai.
The declaration, signed by 1,000 clerics from across the country, is an endorsement of the US-backed programme of reconciliation with more moderate elements of the Taliban movement that Karzai has been pursuing ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections, due in September.
You really have to read the whole thing to get an idea of the magnitude of the story that the press is missing in Afghanistan.
Posted by John at 10:39 AM"
Today's edition is on Afghanistan, and it is absolutely unbelievable. It seems just about book-length, and covers improvements in every phase of Afghan life. Reading it is a revelation. Arthur begins:
Over the last few weeks, Afghanistan has been in the news again--unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. The media pack has made a brief reappearance in Afghanistan to report on carefully staged 'spontaneous' riots, which briefly erupted around the country, ostensibly in protest over a report in Newsweek (later retracted) about desecration of Koran by the American military personnel at Guantanamo Bay.
Sadly, in the rush of commentary about Afghanistan's slide into anarchy and America's deteriorating position in Kabul, most of the international media again missed or downplayed many other stories, some of them arguably far more consequential than an antigovernment rampage whipped up by opponents of President Hamid Karzai. Take this story:
A crowd of 600 Afghan clerics gathered in front of an historic mosque yesterday to strip the fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar of his claim to religious authority, in a ceremony that provided a significant boost to the presidency of Hamid Karzai.
The declaration, signed by 1,000 clerics from across the country, is an endorsement of the US-backed programme of reconciliation with more moderate elements of the Taliban movement that Karzai has been pursuing ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections, due in September.
You really have to read the whole thing to get an idea of the magnitude of the story that the press is missing in Afghanistan.
Posted by John at 10:39 AM"
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Power Line: Some perspective, please
Power Line: Some perspective, please: "One detainee tried to flush the Koran down the toilet; another ripped out some of its pages; another intentionally urinated on the book. But these cases aren't earth-shaking either. 'Earth-shaking' is when al Qaeda converts mosques into military outposts or kills believers as they attend religious services in mosques or other houses of worship."
Friday, June 03, 2005
Gulag!!!!!!
Babalu Blog: Gulags: A Rant: "Be warned: foul language ahead.)
Somewhere in Cuba, there are prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, sitting in their excrement infested 3 foot by 6 foot completely enclosed cells rotting away for maybe owning a typewriter or for writing a poem or, far worse, for expressing their opinions.
They eat maggot filled slop maybe twice a day. Dont see the light of day and are tortured both physically and mentally in so many different ways that I, so far removed yet so read up on the subject, even have trouble imagining.
Some have their arms wrapped in refrigerator coils which are powered 24/7, rendering such pain that the use of their limbs is forever atrophied. Others have cables clamped to their testicles and the other ends connected to car batteries, destroying not only their bodies, but their manhood, or, if they be lucky enough to ever be released from their hell, their ability to create a family.
Others, yet still, in the darkness of their cells, lying there naked, are doused in powdery chemicals that irritate their skin, so much so that their entire bodies are bloody from their desperate attempts at scratching the incessant itching.
All are tortured mentally. Told daily that thier wives or sons or daughters have been arrested and lay in the same predicament as they. Your son, they say to them, the 12 year old, he is in prison with the general population. Es el buggarron de todos. Youre 12 year old boy is everyone's bitch.
They are prodded and poked. Beaten. Starved. Dehydrated. Bound. Gagged.
Some days they are led outside, completely naked and made to stand in line. One of the guard puts a piece of chewing gum on his bayonet and begins to poke the chest of the first one in line. After a few pokes the blade sneaks through the gum and begins to pierce the mans body, he winces from the pain and begins to step back. More poking, more stepping back. More poking, more stepping back until the men in line are crushed together, naked, dehumanized.
Some are lucky enough to be on the upper floors of their prison cell. Where when they defecate they dont have to worry about the shit falling from the cell above through the little hole in the slab above them. Some are unlucky enough to be on the ground floor, where the feces from the two or three other unfortunate souls above them flows through that little hole above and onto the cell's floor, covering it all, making it difficult to move. Difficult to breathe from the stench of accumulated waste.
That's what happens in the REAL GULAGS in Cuba. Where desperation and real torture and humiliation reign supreme. Where thousands upon thousands of men have endured that torture and humiliation for decades upon decades. Where thousands of men have died and the rest have been marked for life.
So dont come to me and talk to me about the 'Gulag' and Guantanamo Bay. Dont come to me to convince me there's a 'gulag' being run by the evil Americans. Dont come to me and and tell me the use of the word 'gulag' is appropriate in reference to Gitmo.
Because there's no way in HELL that it is. Because the true gulag isnt just over the gottdamn fence of the Naval base, the true gottdamn gulags arent just found on the island of Cuba, scattered about from one tip of the crocodile to the other, filled with men and women who are truly tortured souls. No, the true gulag is the island of Cuba itself. Where it's not so much as how one is allowed to handle a holy book but to OWN one. To READ one. To BELIEVE in one.
Fuck you, Amnesty International. You have just spit upon the many who had hope in you. You have just spit upon those that supported you. You have just spit upon all of those that have died waiting for you.
Waiting for you, Amnesty International, in their very real Cuban fucking gulags."
Somewhere in Cuba, there are prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, sitting in their excrement infested 3 foot by 6 foot completely enclosed cells rotting away for maybe owning a typewriter or for writing a poem or, far worse, for expressing their opinions.
They eat maggot filled slop maybe twice a day. Dont see the light of day and are tortured both physically and mentally in so many different ways that I, so far removed yet so read up on the subject, even have trouble imagining.
Some have their arms wrapped in refrigerator coils which are powered 24/7, rendering such pain that the use of their limbs is forever atrophied. Others have cables clamped to their testicles and the other ends connected to car batteries, destroying not only their bodies, but their manhood, or, if they be lucky enough to ever be released from their hell, their ability to create a family.
Others, yet still, in the darkness of their cells, lying there naked, are doused in powdery chemicals that irritate their skin, so much so that their entire bodies are bloody from their desperate attempts at scratching the incessant itching.
All are tortured mentally. Told daily that thier wives or sons or daughters have been arrested and lay in the same predicament as they. Your son, they say to them, the 12 year old, he is in prison with the general population. Es el buggarron de todos. Youre 12 year old boy is everyone's bitch.
They are prodded and poked. Beaten. Starved. Dehydrated. Bound. Gagged.
Some days they are led outside, completely naked and made to stand in line. One of the guard puts a piece of chewing gum on his bayonet and begins to poke the chest of the first one in line. After a few pokes the blade sneaks through the gum and begins to pierce the mans body, he winces from the pain and begins to step back. More poking, more stepping back. More poking, more stepping back until the men in line are crushed together, naked, dehumanized.
Some are lucky enough to be on the upper floors of their prison cell. Where when they defecate they dont have to worry about the shit falling from the cell above through the little hole in the slab above them. Some are unlucky enough to be on the ground floor, where the feces from the two or three other unfortunate souls above them flows through that little hole above and onto the cell's floor, covering it all, making it difficult to move. Difficult to breathe from the stench of accumulated waste.
That's what happens in the REAL GULAGS in Cuba. Where desperation and real torture and humiliation reign supreme. Where thousands upon thousands of men have endured that torture and humiliation for decades upon decades. Where thousands of men have died and the rest have been marked for life.
So dont come to me and talk to me about the 'Gulag' and Guantanamo Bay. Dont come to me to convince me there's a 'gulag' being run by the evil Americans. Dont come to me and and tell me the use of the word 'gulag' is appropriate in reference to Gitmo.
Because there's no way in HELL that it is. Because the true gulag isnt just over the gottdamn fence of the Naval base, the true gottdamn gulags arent just found on the island of Cuba, scattered about from one tip of the crocodile to the other, filled with men and women who are truly tortured souls. No, the true gulag is the island of Cuba itself. Where it's not so much as how one is allowed to handle a holy book but to OWN one. To READ one. To BELIEVE in one.
Fuck you, Amnesty International. You have just spit upon the many who had hope in you. You have just spit upon those that supported you. You have just spit upon all of those that have died waiting for you.
Waiting for you, Amnesty International, in their very real Cuban fucking gulags."
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Personal Ads
Bad Example: "Actual Personal Ads in the Dublin News:
Heavy drinker, 35, Cork area. Seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in a man who loves his pints, cigarettes, Glasgow Celtic Football Club and has been known to start fights on Patrick Street at three o'clock in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------
Bitter, disillusioned Dublin man, lately rejected by longtime fiancee,
seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in
this cruel world of hatchet-faced bitches.
------------------------------------------------------
Ginger haired Galway man, a troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more.
------------------------------------------------------
Bad tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard, living in a damp cottage in the arse end of Roscommon, seeks attractive 21 year old blonde lady, with a lovely chest.
------------------------------------------------------
Limerick man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8 PM and 11:30 PM.
------------------------------------------------------
Optimistic Mayo man, 35, seeks a blonde 20 year old double-jointed supermodel, who owns her own brewery, and has an open-minded twin sister."
Heavy drinker, 35, Cork area. Seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in a man who loves his pints, cigarettes, Glasgow Celtic Football Club and has been known to start fights on Patrick Street at three o'clock in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------
Bitter, disillusioned Dublin man, lately rejected by longtime fiancee,
seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in
this cruel world of hatchet-faced bitches.
------------------------------------------------------
Ginger haired Galway man, a troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more.
------------------------------------------------------
Bad tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard, living in a damp cottage in the arse end of Roscommon, seeks attractive 21 year old blonde lady, with a lovely chest.
------------------------------------------------------
Limerick man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8 PM and 11:30 PM.
------------------------------------------------------
Optimistic Mayo man, 35, seeks a blonde 20 year old double-jointed supermodel, who owns her own brewery, and has an open-minded twin sister."
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
"Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?" by J. B.�Williams
"Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?" by J. B.�Williams
Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?
Written by J. B. Williams
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Just when I thought I had seen everything, I stumble across what might be the most grotesque example of intellectual insanity in the history of the universe. It figures I would find such a shining example of imbecilic lunacy in the halls of our own Congress.
This special kind of idiocy takes the form of House Resolution 288, conceived and sponsored by none other than Mr. “can’t we all just get along without religion” John Conyers, Jr. [(D) of course…] our esteemed representative from Michigan.
The pending bill is Mr. Conyers' answer to the bogus Newsweek report which wrongly accused American soldiers of desecrating the Koran at Gitmo, causing the death (by riot) of some 15 in Afghanistan and furthering the world-wide distrust and hatred of our military personnel.
Instead of introducing a bill that would hold such news agencies accountable for such fatally disastrous, intentionally inflammatory mishaps, Mr. Conyers introduced a bill calling for “religious tolerance” towards, specifically, those who have spent the last 20 odd years attempting to kill us infidels.
Just for the record, members of this peaceful religion have on occasion, been somewhat, shall we say, unmerciful. In fact it would be a fair statement to say they are not known for their tolerance of other ideals, particularly American ideals.
Actually, I’m still searching for any evidence that Islam is a peaceful religion. So far, I have not found a single shred of evidence to support the claim. But let me tell you what I have found.
Members of this so-called peaceful religion have been performing terrorist attacks on innocent people all over the world for some time now. Remember Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988? (Libyan Muslims) How about the first WTC bombing in 1993? (Muslims) Try the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995? (Though the U.S. government has buried this file, Muslim extremists are suspected in this one, too.)
What about the Khobar Towers in 1996? (Muslims) TWA Flight 800 in New York, 1996? (Muslims again suspected) The Atlanta Olympics 1998? (Though an innocent American was arrested, eventually, all arrows pointed towards, you guessed it, Muslims.) How about the embassy bombings in Africa 1998? (Muslims again) The U.S.S. Cole, Yemen 2000? (Muslims)
Of course, my personal favorite, September 11, 2001, the downing of the WTC killing thousands of innocent men, women, and children in New York, hundreds more at the Pentagon, and even hundreds more in that Pennsylvania field where a plane headed for the White House was downed by a few brave captive passengers. (Yep…Muslims)
Then, how about the literally hundreds of fatal attacks on innocent civilian targets in Israel? (Muslims) Countless car bombings, blown up pizza parlors, shopping malls, police stations and government offices around the world? (Muslims) I could go on and on with great specifics, event after event around the world, like the successful train bombing in Spain only 24 hours before their election. But do I really need to? Have you not gotten the picture yet?
The point is this: Can anyone show me any evidence at all, that Islam is a peaceful religion deserving of tolerance? Even if it were, the motivation behind Conyers bill, the Newsweek story, was entirely bogus and retracted by Newsweek soon after its release.
Does anyone doubt that Muslim terrorists will strike American citizens again given the chance? Does anyone doubt that there are Muslims in mosques in America right this minute, who are awaiting marching orders from extremists like Osama Bin Laden as we speak?
Have you any reason to doubt that Muslim jihadists will use chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons on the streets of the United States if they can?
Do you know that Islam attracts most of its estimated 20 million American followers in U.S. prisons? Exactly which part of this religion sounds peaceful to you?
Yet even as our young men and women are dying on foreign soil in an effort to keep this war off of our own doorsteps, Mr. Conyers feels compelled to spend his valuable time in the U.S. Congress working a bill through the system that would guarantee Islam more respect in the U.S. than the Ten Commandments, or the Christian Bible, or the words “under God” in our pledge?
Exactly how nuts does it have to become before the American people rise up against their own perverted ignorant self-aggrandizing morons in Washington, some of whom seem hell-bent upon complete destruction of everything America has ever been?
This is the most absurd demonstration of blind ignorance I have ever witnessed in my life and it could have deadly consequences.
As Conyers focuses his congressional energy on advancing the agenda of those who wish America dead, he has spent his free time, undermining the work of our soldiers in combat. If this isn’t treason, nothing is… no matter what the meaning of “is” is…
How nuts must it get? How many more 9-11s will it take?
Okay, so you hate Jews too. Maybe you don’t even like Christians. Maybe you hate all who practice any religion. Maybe you believe in the “separation of church and state” not mentioned anywhere in our founding documents, for all of these reasons. Are you stupid, too?
Or are you like John Conyers, so self-involved in your desire to make politically divisive policies that you are blind to the destructive nature of your own nonsense? Are you just like Newsweek, and CBS, who are so concerned with promoting the anti-Bush dogma that you never even once stopped to consider the facts or the consequences of your behavior?
Even George W. Bush and members of his administration have gone out of their way to be politically correct on this issue. How many more Americans will have to die before people throw out this delusional practice called political correctness and begin to call evil by its rightful name?
People this insane deserve to lose their country, their home, and their lives. I just don’t want to be living in your neighborhood when your ignorance comes home to roost!
ENOUGH! When the Ten Commandments are once again welcome on any street corner and every schoolhouse in America, then you can talk to me about why I should tolerate a religion that wants me dead.
Until then, don’t talk to me at all!
About the Writer: J. B. Williams notes that he is a business man, husband, father, and a writer. His website is at http://www.jb-williams.com. J. B. receives e-mail at JBW@JB-Williams.com.
Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?
Written by J. B. Williams
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Just when I thought I had seen everything, I stumble across what might be the most grotesque example of intellectual insanity in the history of the universe. It figures I would find such a shining example of imbecilic lunacy in the halls of our own Congress.
This special kind of idiocy takes the form of House Resolution 288, conceived and sponsored by none other than Mr. “can’t we all just get along without religion” John Conyers, Jr. [(D) of course…] our esteemed representative from Michigan.
The pending bill is Mr. Conyers' answer to the bogus Newsweek report which wrongly accused American soldiers of desecrating the Koran at Gitmo, causing the death (by riot) of some 15 in Afghanistan and furthering the world-wide distrust and hatred of our military personnel.
Instead of introducing a bill that would hold such news agencies accountable for such fatally disastrous, intentionally inflammatory mishaps, Mr. Conyers introduced a bill calling for “religious tolerance” towards, specifically, those who have spent the last 20 odd years attempting to kill us infidels.
Just for the record, members of this peaceful religion have on occasion, been somewhat, shall we say, unmerciful. In fact it would be a fair statement to say they are not known for their tolerance of other ideals, particularly American ideals.
Actually, I’m still searching for any evidence that Islam is a peaceful religion. So far, I have not found a single shred of evidence to support the claim. But let me tell you what I have found.
Members of this so-called peaceful religion have been performing terrorist attacks on innocent people all over the world for some time now. Remember Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988? (Libyan Muslims) How about the first WTC bombing in 1993? (Muslims) Try the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995? (Though the U.S. government has buried this file, Muslim extremists are suspected in this one, too.)
What about the Khobar Towers in 1996? (Muslims) TWA Flight 800 in New York, 1996? (Muslims again suspected) The Atlanta Olympics 1998? (Though an innocent American was arrested, eventually, all arrows pointed towards, you guessed it, Muslims.) How about the embassy bombings in Africa 1998? (Muslims again) The U.S.S. Cole, Yemen 2000? (Muslims)
Of course, my personal favorite, September 11, 2001, the downing of the WTC killing thousands of innocent men, women, and children in New York, hundreds more at the Pentagon, and even hundreds more in that Pennsylvania field where a plane headed for the White House was downed by a few brave captive passengers. (Yep…Muslims)
Then, how about the literally hundreds of fatal attacks on innocent civilian targets in Israel? (Muslims) Countless car bombings, blown up pizza parlors, shopping malls, police stations and government offices around the world? (Muslims) I could go on and on with great specifics, event after event around the world, like the successful train bombing in Spain only 24 hours before their election. But do I really need to? Have you not gotten the picture yet?
The point is this: Can anyone show me any evidence at all, that Islam is a peaceful religion deserving of tolerance? Even if it were, the motivation behind Conyers bill, the Newsweek story, was entirely bogus and retracted by Newsweek soon after its release.
Does anyone doubt that Muslim terrorists will strike American citizens again given the chance? Does anyone doubt that there are Muslims in mosques in America right this minute, who are awaiting marching orders from extremists like Osama Bin Laden as we speak?
Have you any reason to doubt that Muslim jihadists will use chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons on the streets of the United States if they can?
Do you know that Islam attracts most of its estimated 20 million American followers in U.S. prisons? Exactly which part of this religion sounds peaceful to you?
Yet even as our young men and women are dying on foreign soil in an effort to keep this war off of our own doorsteps, Mr. Conyers feels compelled to spend his valuable time in the U.S. Congress working a bill through the system that would guarantee Islam more respect in the U.S. than the Ten Commandments, or the Christian Bible, or the words “under God” in our pledge?
Exactly how nuts does it have to become before the American people rise up against their own perverted ignorant self-aggrandizing morons in Washington, some of whom seem hell-bent upon complete destruction of everything America has ever been?
This is the most absurd demonstration of blind ignorance I have ever witnessed in my life and it could have deadly consequences.
As Conyers focuses his congressional energy on advancing the agenda of those who wish America dead, he has spent his free time, undermining the work of our soldiers in combat. If this isn’t treason, nothing is… no matter what the meaning of “is” is…
How nuts must it get? How many more 9-11s will it take?
Okay, so you hate Jews too. Maybe you don’t even like Christians. Maybe you hate all who practice any religion. Maybe you believe in the “separation of church and state” not mentioned anywhere in our founding documents, for all of these reasons. Are you stupid, too?
Or are you like John Conyers, so self-involved in your desire to make politically divisive policies that you are blind to the destructive nature of your own nonsense? Are you just like Newsweek, and CBS, who are so concerned with promoting the anti-Bush dogma that you never even once stopped to consider the facts or the consequences of your behavior?
Even George W. Bush and members of his administration have gone out of their way to be politically correct on this issue. How many more Americans will have to die before people throw out this delusional practice called political correctness and begin to call evil by its rightful name?
People this insane deserve to lose their country, their home, and their lives. I just don’t want to be living in your neighborhood when your ignorance comes home to roost!
ENOUGH! When the Ten Commandments are once again welcome on any street corner and every schoolhouse in America, then you can talk to me about why I should tolerate a religion that wants me dead.
Until then, don’t talk to me at all!
About the Writer: J. B. Williams notes that he is a business man, husband, father, and a writer. His website is at http://www.jb-williams.com. J. B. receives e-mail at JBW@JB-Williams.com.
Monday, May 30, 2005
The Bad Hair Blog
The Bad Hair Blog: "Monday, May 30, 2005
BREAKING NEWS: Is this a rumor?Is Hugo Chavez dead?
People are gathering in big numbers at Miraflores Palace in Caracas amid rumors Hugo Chavez had a heart attack or something like it. The goons have just shut down Avenida Urdaneta in front of the palace to stop inquiring questions from the adoring masses. Venezuelan government spokesman Andres Izarra says that Chavez cancelled his street rally appearance yesterday and his Alo Presidente weekly Sunday TV show 'to spend more time with his family.' And all's 'normal,' he says. Kim Il Sung's spokesman could not have said it better."
BREAKING NEWS: Is this a rumor?Is Hugo Chavez dead?
People are gathering in big numbers at Miraflores Palace in Caracas amid rumors Hugo Chavez had a heart attack or something like it. The goons have just shut down Avenida Urdaneta in front of the palace to stop inquiring questions from the adoring masses. Venezuelan government spokesman Andres Izarra says that Chavez cancelled his street rally appearance yesterday and his Alo Presidente weekly Sunday TV show 'to spend more time with his family.' And all's 'normal,' he says. Kim Il Sung's spokesman could not have said it better."
Everything I Know Is Wrong: For Your Scorn.
Everything I Know Is Wrong: For Your Scorn.: "For Your Scorn.
The Gang of Seven
Lincoln Chafee, Republican, Rhode Island
Susan Collins, Republican, Maine
Mark DeWine, Republican, Ohio
Lindsey Graham, Republican, South Carolina
John McCain, Republican, Arizona
Olympia Snowe, Republican, Maine
John Warner, Republican, Virginia
Bill Frist, Republican, Tennessee, should be an honorary member of the gang. He is, after all, the architect of the environment that made their formation possible."
The Gang of Seven
Lincoln Chafee, Republican, Rhode Island
Susan Collins, Republican, Maine
Mark DeWine, Republican, Ohio
Lindsey Graham, Republican, South Carolina
John McCain, Republican, Arizona
Olympia Snowe, Republican, Maine
John Warner, Republican, Virginia
Bill Frist, Republican, Tennessee, should be an honorary member of the gang. He is, after all, the architect of the environment that made their formation possible."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
