[CitizensTruth] Another view, from Black Agenda Report

[Kris Knight]

As long as we go directly to the lines of communication set up for  
giving feedback, and not just P&M and foment distress, this is a  
viable option that would feed into the mix.  And I appreciate the  
summary below.  And what of the good going on?   Do you have a summary  
source for that also?  Let's see, Pres. Obama hasn't been in office  
for even a month yet, right?

On Feb 16, 2009, at 8:47 AM, Jay Becker wrote:


> Black Agenda Report

> Freedom Rider: When Will We March Against Obama?

> Tuesday, 10 February 2009

>

> "Give Obama a chance." some of his less critical supporters say. "Do  

> you think you're smarter than Obama?", some of the less polite ones  

> ask. But those are not the real questions. The real question is how  

> long it will be before the left wakes up and finds

> its own voice. Shut out of Obama's policymaking circles, there are  

> few choices but to speak up. How long before more of us seek to  

> unambiguously hold the new president and his record accountable?

> How long before protesters hit the street?

> Freedom Rider: When Will We March Against Obama?

>

> by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

>

> "The Obama administration' s position is not change. It is more of  

> the same."

>

> In just three weeks, the Barack Obama administration has  

> demonstrated its determination to hold on to the same presidential  

> prerogatives claimed by George W. Bush. Bush's successor evidently  

> wants the same prerogatives and he wants to get them through by the

> same means. Obama supporters either don't care or are too deep in  

> denial to admit this now obvious fact.

>

> The much talked about Obama administration changes in interrogation  

> policy and intelligence gathering are nothing more than talk. Leon  

> Panetta, CIA director nominee, made it official during his  

> confirmation hearing.

>

> Initially Panetta stated an incontrovertible and well documented  

> fact, that the Bush administration kidnapped people around the world  

> for the purpose of interrogating and torturing them. When republican  

> Senator Kit Bond took Panetta to task for being truthful, Panetta  

> obediently remembered his place, backtracked and told an enormous

> lie. "I am not aware of the validity of those claims."

>

> The Senate wasn't finished with Panetta, who must have forgotten  

> that under no circumstances was he to stand up for truth and  

> justice. The Obama administration made a big deal about following  

> the rules regarding prisoner treatment laid out in the Army Field

> Manual. Panetta was then asked/told if he would ever violate those  

> rules if he felt he needed too. Once again, he folded and used the  

> same rationale for torture that the Bush administration used. "If we  

> had a ticking bomb situation, and obviously, whatever was being used  

> I felt was not sufficient, I would not hesitate to go to the  

> president of the United States and request whatever additional  

> authority I would need." A predictable plot line from stale movie  

> thrillers is still directing official government policy instead of  

> American and international law.

>

> "Panetta said that renditions to third countries may continue.  

> Republican Senators weren't finished showing Panetta who is boss. He  

> ended his session reassuring the minority party members he would  

> check to see if "enhance interrogation techniques" ever provided  

> useful information. Panetta also said that renditions to third  

> countries may continue. "Using renditions, we may very well direct  

> individuals to third countries. I will seek the same kinds of  

> assurances that they will not be treated inhumanely." I certainly  

> wouldn't want to be a prisoner who got an assurance from the  

> American government.

>

> As Panetta disabused anyone of the notion that the two parties  

> behave differently, a court in London, England revealed that the  

> Bush administration and now the Obama administration threatened to  

> withhold intelligence information if courts in that country

> persisted in asking questions about the treatment of Britons held in  

> Guantanamo. The British judges were not amused. "Indeed we did not  

> consider that a democracy governed by the rule of law would expect a  

> court in another democracy to suppress a summary of the evidence  

> contained in reports by its own officials ... relevant to  

> allegations of torture and cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment,  

> politically embarrassing though it might be."

>

> Those judges with their fancy wigs just don't get it. Neither Bush  

> nor Obama cares that much about democracy. The Obama administration  

> issued a statement saying just that. "The United States thanks the  

> UK government for its continued commitment to protect sensitive  

> national security information and preserve the long-standing  

> intelligence sharing relationship that enables both countries to  

> protect their citizens."

>

> The American Civil Liberties Union assessed the situation clearly.  

> "The Obama administration' s position is not change. It is more of  

> the same. This represents a complete turn-around and undermining of  

> the restoration of the rule of law. The new American

> administration shouldn't be complicit in hiding the abuses of its  

> predecessors. "

>

> "Neither Bush nor Obama cares that much about democracy."

>

> So, when do we march? We have an administration that has officially  

> upheld the lawlessness of the previous administration. The same  

> people who took to the streets or at the very least engaged in  

> righteous indignation over Bush administration actions should not

> silently sit by and allow Obama to do the same things.

>

> It isn't too soon to protest. He told us right away that there is no  

> change we can believe in. We don't have to wait for bombs to fall on  

> Iran or for more prisoners to be denied their human rights.

>

> It is not only acceptable but imperative that we speak up now. We  

> must say that Iran has the right to have nuclear power or nuclear  

> weapons or satellites or anything else it wants without being  

> threatened by the United States. We must say that the continuation

> of Bush administration human rights abuses will not be excused under  

> the guise of giving Obama one hundred magical days to learn his new  

> job.

>

> It is time to take not only Obama to task, but faux progressives to  

> task as well. They are the Obamites who claimed they would hold his  

> feet to the fire if we would just shut up and let him get elected.  

> It is time to protest against them too and call them out for being

> the hypocrites they are.

>

> That means a lot of protesting needs to be done. Why waste time when  

> Obama isn't wasting any. We must get started now.

>

> Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms.  

> Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at  

> Margaret.Kimberley( at)BlackAgandaRe port.Com. Ms. Kimberley  

> maintains an edifying and frequently updated blog at

> freedomrider. blogspot. com .

>

>

> Stop thinking like an American,

> Start thinking about humanity!

>

> _______________________________________________

> CitizensTruth mailing list

> CitizensTruth at six.pairlist.net

> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/citizenstruth

> website: http://citizenstruth.info


Kris Knight of WellAware Life Enhancement Center
Phone:  1-608-ALL-LIFE
welaware at merr.com






-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/citizenstruth/attachments/20090216/2b2af356/attachment.html>