Re: How America Massacred Many Innocent Civilians At Fallujah

From: A_Weisman (a_weisman_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 06/19/04 

Date: 19 Jun 2004 13:34:43 -0700

derdrittemann2003@yahoo.com (derdrittemann) wrote in message news:<f2af2263.0406162040.7eaedbf1@posting.google.com>...
> a_weisman@yahoo.com (A_Weisman) wrote in message news:<e55e6d97.0406151113.4c8ec9eb@posting.google.com>...
> >>

Whoops. Forgot this link. And a few more thoughts.

U.S. Supreme Court Guantanamo Bay Cases: Brief Resource Center
Nearly all amicus briefs in Rasul v. Bush and Al Odah v. United
States, posted here as a public service.
        http://www.jenner.com/news/news_item.asp?id=000012520724
        
        
One more thing I forgot.

That guy who coauthored the torture memo and other memos (you can read
them on the washington post site and/or newsweek site and/or new york
tmes site, they include teh folloowing "Application of Treaties and
Laws to Al Qaeda and Taliban Detainees" and "Decision re Application
of the Geneva Convention on Priosners of War to the Conflict with Al
Qaeda and the Taliban" and Draft Decision Memoranda for the President
on the Applicability of the Geneva Convention to the Conflict in
Afghanistan" and "Comments on Your Paper on The Geneva Convention" )
(there are also some excellent stories on washington post site:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23373-2004Jun7.html and
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32707-2004Jun10.html )
(you can find the "torture memo" at any of those sites too.

The guy is very bright. And a nice guy. Not "evil." I even think that
bush isn't "evil." I think he is sincere. Delusional and dangerous but
not "evil" or "mean." The results of his actions and policies might be
mean and evil. ButI don't think that is his intention in his heart of
hearts.

They say he's a real nice guy. I find him arrogant and smarmy but I
don't really know him. Sure maybe he's nice enough.

It would be nice if we could get away from all the "good and evil"
characterizations in our domestic politics and talk about right and
wrong, not about RIGHT or WRONG but about whether we agree or disagree
on policies.

Hard to believe and not helpful to think that those who disagree are
"evil." I'm sure that even those I disagree with the most are
sincerely motivated and doing what they think is right and best. This
is a point bill clinton made the other day at the unveiling of his
portrait. And I agree.

Although sometimes it is hard to separate the person and the actions.
Was hitler evil? Charles Manson? Pinochet who was said to be a nice
guy.

George Bush is a mass murderer. Is it okay that he does it because of
deeply held sincere beliefs? Hitler believed in aryan purity and
lebensraum? Would he be though of as "evil" if germany won?

These are philosophical questions.

Since I don't know all of those involved well enough as people I'll
just talk about their actions and the results of their policies. (***
Cheney seems like a pretty nasty guy though).

All the bitterness and diviseness I think results from all the
religious stuff. You can't compromise when faith is at the heart of
the discussion or motivation and if you believe you faith and someone
disagrees you almost have to think they're wrong on a moral and
fundamental level, and to some extent since your faith is "good" and
"right" as ordained by God, disbelief and actions not in accordance
are "evil" and "Wrong" in the grand sense of wrong.

Ok I think I'm done now. For now.

Look forward to your thoughts der. And anyone else with something
intelligent to say.

Yeah its off topic. But you don't have to be on this thread. And we're
keeping it to this thread not spamming the board with nonsense.

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