What’s going on – News Roundup (Update)
Wednesday Morning News Roundup
I find Guantánamo Bay extremely disturbing. Yesterday, we found out another prisoner has killed himself. This gentleman, Muhammad Ahmad Abdallah Salih, also known as Al Hanashi, had been detained since 2002 without charges, of course.
The fact that Osama bin Laden is still alive to issue press statements or edicts is a crime against the American people. Yet, he is alive enough to spew more of his vile rhetoric: “…new seeds of hatred and revenge against America.” What atrocity have we committed now? We’ve asked Pakistan to stand firm against the Taliban and we have provided assistance. When do we quit playing around with Osama bin Laden? Why are we going to send 100 elite troops with whatever backup and support they need into the Pakistani mountains to hunt down and kill or capture Osama bin Laden?
President Barack Obama has traveled to the Middle East. His first stop is in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow he will address an audience in Cairo, Egypt, where he is widely expected to ask for an improved dialogue between Muslims and Americans. It will be interesting to see Obama’s relationship with the Saudi royal family.
It is my personal opinion that torture did not produce any valuable information. It appears that VP Cheney may be parsing his words a little bit. Cheney said in a recent interview with Fox News, “Yes, but the way I would describe them is that they have to do with the detainee program, the interrogation program. It’s not just waterboarding. It’s the interrogation program that we used for high-value detainees. There were two reports done that summarize what we learned from that program, and I think they provide a balanced view.” Notice that VP Cheney is trying to wrap the issue of torture inside the larger program of detaining high-value targets. I think this is typical for Cheney and several of the others. They will argue and argue a point until they’re blue in the face. Once they’re called on that argument, they’ll segue into what they really meant.
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US has signed a contract with MedImmune to produce the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. We’ll see how far $90 million goes. I’m figuring that it ain’t going to go that far.
Buzzflash is having a contest to name Dick Cheney memoirs. There are some great entries. Check it out.
The peace process will surely have difficult hotspots to say the least. We have asked everyone else to put their guns down, forgive, and establish and maintain dialogue. We need to show that America is not spouting rhetoric as usual. We need to ante up as we have asked Israel and Lebanon.
It would be nice if Obama would find some common ground in god, and to ask for his help in his speech.
I am against torture and glad that Gitmo is closing. However, with regard to the suicide of this detainee, better than he should kill himself alone in his cell than in the middle of a crowded shopping mall or restaurant wearing a explosive vest.
HR –
You are right. It is my understanding that Obama has spoke with the Israelis. We’ll see what happens.
thanks for your comments.
JohnRJ08 –
Well, I don’t think that you can compare the two things. Was the guy a terrorist? We don’t know. No charges were ever filed.
I think that every American wants to stop terrorists from attacking the US or US interests. Now, the question remains what do we do with these people in Gitmo.
Thanks for your comments.
Thanks for the thoughtful articles and comments on foreign policy. Too often though we assume the U.S.’s actions are good and “American interests” are good for humanity. Until we stop supporting and creating oppressive governments, invading / controlling weaker people and unjustly profiting from the resources of others, the bloodshed will continue and our aggression will be resisted by freedom fighters whom we conveniently call “terrorists”
Hmmm… Saudi Arabia, one of most oppressive societies on earth and the birthplace of Al Qaeda. How many remember (or are even aware) that the Saudi royal family and the US taxpayers (funds channeled through the CIA), in a dollar-for-dollar matching agreement, funded the system of madrassas that served as the breeding ground, recruitment and training centers for Bin Laden &Co. ? Any one interested in the complete history of that program should read the excellent book “Ghost Wars” by Steve Coll. Now, President Obama continues the sad legacy of US leaders compelled to kow-tow before a Saudi royal family empowered by the sole fact a bunch of plants and dinosaurs lived (and died) under that sand millions of years ago. How sad that appeasing a small band of what were beduoins, moving their tents and goats from place to place a few generation ago, is seen as the best chance to reduce the violence perpetrated by a handful of extremists using religion as a shroud for their political movement. How long before mankind realizes there will never be peace until we cast off the chains of mythology and superstition? How long before we realize that the “Big three desert dogmas: Christianity,Judaism, and Islam” ( no particular order of insignificance) all merely represent branches of the same tree of human ignorance?
Matt –
your review of history is correct. Hopefully, your ability to forecast the future is wrong. I don’t know what President Obama said in his private meetings with the Saudi royal family. I hope that he would make it clear that we have some expectations from Saudi Arabia. These expectations are different than those of the Bush administration. We need the Saudi intelligence agency to actually work with us and not against us. We need the atmosphere of oppression and hatred that festers in these madrasahs to be eliminated. Hopefully, it was not business as usual.
Thank you your comments
BobBjr -
Outstanding comment. I couldn’t agree more. We need to act like our press releases. We need to act good and be good. I do so hope that we turn around this trend.
Thanks for your comments.
Thanks E.
The system of madrasahs (I use your spelling here lest I offend any of your fundamentalist muslim readers. Also, my sincere apologies to all of you nomadic peoples out there…at least, those of you with internet access…for misspelling bedouin. Tsk tsk!) was allowed by the Saudi royal family as a way of pacifying the angry groundswell of Wahhabi (the majority sect representing approx 80% of the Saudi population) fundamentalism that was threatening the rule of the royal family. This has been a convenient and successful way for the Saudi royal family to externalize this movement and dissipate an internal threat…Yeah,thanks a lot! Insofar as Ibn Saud himself (the original Saudi…get it) was Wahhabi, I wouldn’t count on any major change in curriculum in those schools. Although, since only a few individuals can actually read the Koran and students learn to recite passages by rote while rocking back and forth, not understanding at all what they are “reading,” perhaps, they would call off this jihad if the Imams told them to. As for predicting the future, there is an “old” Saudi saying that goes like this: “My father rode a camel; I drive a car; my son flies a jet plane; his son will ride a camel.” I hope it comes true…the top speed of a camel is not sufficient to bring down a skyscaper, but I still wouldn’t want to hit one with my car either!
Bob and ECT:
It seems that sometimes in the real world decision must be made that involve no nice guys. In WWII we supported the most oppressive regime (at least body count wise) in the history of mankind- Stalin’s USSR. Yet, it was necessary to counter another monstrous regime which was more aggressive and threatening to the world- Nazi Germany.
Where is the none oppressive government in the Middle East?
TCB – You’re point is well taken. I think that we can do a better of pushing our friends toward the light.