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Some things that are bothering me a lot …

And they don't bode well for Hope & Change, at least not of the kind I had in mind. The violent video I posted showing bigots in Orange County heckling and threatening Muslim families was terrible enough. But more awful news keeps dribbling out on the front pages of the newspapers and TV headlines. Some news items lead me to believe that President Obama has decided to coast for the rest of his term, resting on his corporate-friendly laurels and breaking his trust with those who had hoped that he would right some of the civil rights wrongs perpetuated by Bush-Cheney in the name of national security. Of course, Republicans are on a roll in the meanwhile with minority bashing, union busting, anti-abortion measures and other efforts to harm lower and middle class citizens that are dear to their hearts. Here are some of the things that have been bothering me.

1. Congressman Peter King's (R-NY) upcoming investigation of "Muslims" raises all sorts of red flags. Where is he going with this exactly? Is this going to be a legitimate effort to unearth radical terrorist agenda among some Muslims or is it going to be an exercise in creating a cloud of suspicion of Fifth Column tendencies around an entire community? It has been done before. (link: Leiter Reports) Also, it appears that Rep King likes to pick and choose his terrorists depending on who and what their allegiances are.

2. Should Abu Ghraib type treatment of prisoners be tolerated in the US? What happened to due process?

3. Didn't Obama promise the dismantling of the Guantanamo Bay prison facility during his presidential campaign?

4. Why are women being excluded from the reform process in Egypt after the successful revolution in which they were equal participants?

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7 responses to “Some things that are bothering me a lot …”

  1. Itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com

    Just some things? I am getting to the point where I am seriously considering just avoiding the news altogether. Between the stories you list, and oh so many more, I can only take so much before I start hoping 2012 gets here as the Mayas envision it sooner.
    Best, and keep on blogging.

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  2. Ruchira

    Angel, I know what you mean. It is one teeny step forward and two giant steps back, it seems like most of the time. Where is the vision and the ability to communicate it forcefully to the public? So many lies, rumors and regressive measures are part of the political scene. It is getting to be depressing.

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  3. Sujatha

    I think that the mistake we made is assuming that Obama has the secret wherewithal to push through more progressive measures, without considering that the whole picture involves a cooperative Congress to get much done. The tone could have been more forceful, but Obama is more centrist than portrayed in his campaign and isn’t the kind to go out on a limb, unless the limb has been cut down and is lying firmly on the ground. He’s very good at judging where and when the limb will fall, most definitely.
    This article on King is attempting to justify his stance:
    http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/09/king.profile/index.html
    I wonder when he will start the hearings about the threat posed by Tea Party radicals and the Rapture-Ready crowd.

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  4. Ruchira

    Sujatha, I had assumed that he wasn’t going to rock the boat of the financial world by much. But I did believe that given his opposition to the Iraq war, some of the misdeeds and illegal measures relating to Homeland Security implemented by the past administration would be corrected. Now look at what they are doing to the young corporal Bradley Manning. And what happened to closing Gitmo?
    And last night’s appalling news from Wisconsin is another example.

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  5. Cyrus Hall

    Sujatha, “Rapture Ready” sounds like something that should be slapped on products at the supermarket, printed on florescent yellow stickers in bold letters. “TIDE(r) detergent, now Rapture Ready(tm)!”
    Just trying to find the humor… :-)

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  6. Sujatha

    Today’s news from Wisconsin is even worse. It has now been passed by the assembly. Do they have any legal recourse at all, or will the maneuvering by the GOP in the state senate be one of those ‘legal but unethical’ operations that can’t be overturned?
    What they are doing to Manning is quite horrific,but remember we are dealing with those who thought and still think (in the US Military justice system) that solitary confinement and forced nudity are ‘mild’ in comparison with other methods adopted in AbuGhraib and Gitmo. Is it possible for a CIC to prevent such occurrences? Maybe, but what would be the mechanism to adopt, even if there was a willingness to enact such a reform?
    Cyrus, come to think of it, it does sound like a ready-made jingle, doesn’t it “Wash your sins away and be Rapture-Ready with the NEW and IMPROVED Tidal wave of the Lord”. I wouldn’t put it past that crowd to instigate/participate in any violence that leads them closer to the promised Armageddon.

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  7. addicted

    Sujatha – “Obama is more centrist than portrayed in his campaign”
    I completely agree with the sentiment. However, I will quibble a bit by saying that it wasn’t his campaign that portrayed him incorrectly, but rather, people on the left perceived him wrongly. For example, Paul Krugman warned about this over and over again during both the primaries and national elections, that Obama was not the uber-leftist people on both the right, and the left, thought he was.
    @Ruchira – If you want a glimmer of optimism, just imagine our situation right now if McCain would be president.

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