A Question of Character

If an impartial (perhaps from outer space, perhaps from inner space) intelligent being took an analysis of the character of the USA based on the behavior of those who dwell in the halls of congress in Washington DC, I shudder to think what kind of judgements might befall you and me. The examples of nefarious, greed based and simply inhuman acts that can be associated with those who occupy the highest elected offices of this country are too many to list.

It is simply time to disarm those who do harm. It is not desirable for the nation's character - for the nation's (as well as the world's) well-being to suffer at the hands of those who hold human rights and dignity in disdain.

However, thank you to those on the Senate Armed Services Committe who rejected Mr. Bush's detainee bill. It's a step in the right direction (baby steps are okay.) However, forgive my sense that there must be some alterior motive involved (election season anyone?) What a place we find ourselves in.

Here's an excerpt from an article by Brecher and Smith from The Nation.

The Content of our Character

Jeremy Brecher & Brendan Smith

In a significant rebuff to President Bush and his security-driven strategy for Republican victory in November, the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday rejected the President's military detainee bill and passed a radically different alternative. At stake in this standoff between the President and the Senate are legal and moral issues central to the Constitution and the character of the American people: the right to a fair trial, the use of torture, the accountability of high government officials for war crimes. It also tests the powers of Congress and the Supreme Court to rein in an errant executive.

In the run-up to the midterm elections, the Bush Administration seeks to position Republicans as tough in pursuing the "war on terror," and to present Democrats as soft. By revealing recently that the government had been holding captives in secret jails and aims to try them at Guantánamo Bay, Bush and his advisers signaled that they are clearly hoping for an upswell of public support for Republicans who are "tough on terror."

But it was Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, not Democrats, who led the battle this week against the President's proposal: John Warner, Lindsey Graham and John McCain were joined in the 15-to-9 committee vote by Susan Collins of Maine.

...

link: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061002/brecher