All I can say is, it feels like a crazy situation where you hope you’ll wake up any minute now, since things couldn’t get worse. I understand that there are places in the world, where, undoubtably things ARE worse than they are here in the US. It is just sad, and outrageous, that we are, as a people, changing our concept of right and wrong so dramatically. Maybe it’s always been like this, but it feels like we’re in a different space now.
Missouri Representatives who voted on the bill to authorize torture:
Nay MO-1 Clay, William [D]
Aye MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
Nay MO-3 Carnahan, Russ [D]
Nay MO-4 Skelton, Ike [D]
No Vote MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel [D]
Aye MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
Aye MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
Aye MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
Aye MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny [R]
All Representatives who voted on this bill: H.R. 6166: Military Commissions Act of 2006 (Vote On Passage)
Here are some links discussing this historic piece of legislation. This is now the law of the land. The United States now officially sanctions torture. (These were linked by reddit today).
- This Is What Waterboarding Looks Like
- We are now officially living in a dictatorship
- Dear Senators – CIA Letter on Torture
- Habeas Corpus, R.I.P. (1215 – 2006)
- Antiterrorism Bill on Detainees, Geneva Conventions – Rushing Off a Cliff – New York Times
- Bush Rules
- Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on the Military Commission Legislation
- One Day Forward, 900 Years Back : Democracy Murdered In Broad Daylight
- This Time, Congress Has No Excuse
America, the beautiful. America the land of the free. America, land of hope. America, what are you doing?
2 responses to “Missouri Republicans helped to decide that TORTURE should be legal in the United States. Crap.”
It just amazes me that in a country seemingly so free, torture is endorsed – as well as the death penalty. Get out of the dark ages america. Hate to say it, but it’s stuff like this that makes me glad I left the US.
I know, huh. It’s always interesting that it’s often the same people who are anti-abortion (sometimes violently so), who espouse a “culture of life” but who also then endorse the death penaltly.
So, well, I guess there may still be an undercurrent of hope and optimism about the ultimate destiny of the country and it’s people, but things are currently not looking that great. Needless to say, I have checked out Canadian Alternative and I’ve gotta say that I _do_ like British Columbia and the idea of Vancouver.
Though, I could see if the US keeps on going the direction it’s headed that we could be invading Canada too someday. Lots of oil in Alberta, beautiful forests in BC.
War sucks. Living in a country that defines it’s identity through the waging of war sucks. We will get paid back what we are owed.
Karma is a bitch.