Two (and flip side of One): Killing sets a horrifying standard of behavior for children. They come to think it's ok to kill. Look at the violence in our schools, on our streets, in our homes. We've reached a level of insanity that I would not have thought possible if I didn't see it for myself. Our Secretary of State tells us, "One bullet would solve the problem." We plaster the dead sons of a fellow human across our national headlines, for even preschoolers to see; we holler and scream with glee when that same human swings from a rope. We clamor for blood and cheer on a lunatic when he cries out on international airwaves, "We'll get you, bin Laden, dead or alive!" Yipee! What sick, dumb fucks we are.
Of course, it is easy to think we can end this horrifying cycle by a few more killings, in the form of a few select assassinations, but in reality this would only be perpetuating the cycle of violence. You know as well as I do that new cockroaches would fill the void. As one commentator noted, "Assassinating these criminals is like trying to cure smallpox by shaving off the pustules -- it's just makes things worse and spreads the disease around."
Another thoughtful commentator offered this alternative: "How about life imprisonment with high visibility so they can serve as a good bad examples? That would also allow them to see how the history of their administration is taught to school children!" To which I say, "Bless your heart, Sir; you have warmed my heart!"
Surely we must get control and refrain from our more primoridal evolutionary urges to end this tragic cycle by yet more tragedy. Violence begets violence. It always has and it always will. An eye for an eye eventually brings us to no more eyes. Even a blind person can see that much.
Three: We need these human cockroaches in prison for several rather pragmatic reasons. In addition to being examples for our children, as noted above, I should think we would all get more personal satisfaction from seeing these thugs have to suffer until their natural death, rather than putting them out of their misery. Why do them the favor of ending their misery? Let them live with what they have done, and in a manner similar to what they have deemed acceptable for so many others. Also, behavioral psychologists might learn much from studying these unique specimens, and perhaps we could see to it that no more children ever experience whatever they did growing up.
Four: We should not assassinate these creeps for the same reason we shouldn't kill bin Laden (as someone else pointed out). We don't need a martyr for the wrong cause. Which is what an assassination would make them.
Five: To join the mad fray is to lose hope. And I think this is the main reason one should not assassinate. C.P. Snow once wrote, "Despair is a sin." Yes, it is. I'm not sure how to avoid it sometimes, but with a little bit of will power we can simply refuse to give in and act on it.
The opposite of despair, hope, is indeed hard to hang onto or generate sometimes. But we must make the effort, and never stop making that effort. We must hang on to hope, even in the darkest of times, that somehow, someway, in the unknown future, our laws will somehow work; we must hold out hope that we humans can actually behave in a civilized manner (indeed, most of us do, most of the time); we must retain our hope for a brighter future, and not lose hope that our children will see a world without violence; we must hope that we humans will learn to live with each other and with the natural world that sustains us, in the very near future. Given that no less than millions of people all over the world are already working hard on this-generally without making headlines-and that untold millions of others want this-I am usually able to find some hope even in the darkest of hours.
Another commentator wrote: "We need a revolution. Assassinating someone will do nothing if you leave the same social system in place. Devote your efforts to electing a government that WILL make the United States a country where there REALLY IS liberty and justice for all."
I like that, but I would also point out that we already are in a revolution. A very real one, one that we have been in since birth, and will be in till we die. It's called the revolution of the earth around the sun, and it's the most real revolution we'll ever have. We need to wake up to that and to the simple fact that we ain't goin' nowhere, except around and around that nuclear furnace we call Old Sol.
Charles Darwin made a beautiful reference to this revolution in editions two through six of The Origin of Species: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone circling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved."
If people could wake up to this simple truth, we just might begin to convert this little spaceship into one that-without violence-we could all live happily on and tidy up, while we learn to appreciate the unfathomable grandeur that is indeed all around us.
Footnote for peaceful warriors: I woke up at 3:30 because I had gone to bed too early-and I did that because I couldn't rent the video I wanted-all twenty copies of this new release were sold out (blessed be Utahns!). The title of the video, with Nick Nolte, is "Peaceful Warrior." I saw one scene from it, where Nick, a counselor of some sort, is teaching a young man how to "live in the now," by tossing him off a bridge. The enraged young fellow splashes out of the water and shouts at him, "You're out of your mind!" To which Nick says something like, "That's right. And I've spent my whole life getting that way."
Geery lived off the grid for 15 years in an earth-sheltered, solar heated home, while his kids learned in school that solar energy isn't feasible. NAPTA hosts a page on Geery's foibles in education, and explains how he got his butt fired from a tenured teaching position. Here's a short clip of his most recent solar contraption; for more on that project, and Geery's contention that the Wright Brothers took a wrong turn, please visit his airship page (hyperblimp.com). Apparently, Geery is the only one in the world to respond to Osama bin Laden, call bullshit on him and George together, and expose them for the pansy ass rich kids that they are. Unfortunately, bin Laden has been too scared to write back and explain himsself; and George is still working hard to finish his goat book.
It's a tough question. Those of us who believe in FAIRNESS and ACCOUNTABILITY would really like to see the top 100 worst Rethuglican offenders in this administration (including about 20 who have jumped ratlike from the ship) "get their due."
For my whole life, I have opposed the death penalty. I have considered it vindictive and unproductive and mostly (as you mentioned) way too KIND to the guilty, believing that a life in prison without any possibility of parole and with most of your basic freedoms removed is far superior to a quick and painless death.
The same holds for the Rethuglican crooks in this administration, except...
There would always be the chance they would get out, that some future Rethuglican nutjob President or Rethuglican dominated Supreme Court would grant them freedom (possibly, simply in return for $100Million bribe or something -- it's not like they haven't stolen a thousand times that).
They would go to some white collar, country club prison, and wouldn't have a chance of getting anally raped, beaten, and forced to toss somebody's salad every day.
In the past, I held very little hate for anybody.
But these Rethuglicans, with their absolutely vile and hateful disgust for all the things I believe in (fairness, honesty, the Constitution, the Rule of Law, equality, etc.) have made me hate them with a massive solidity I didn't previously have. I really WOULD like to see all of them dead, but only after they suffer a WHOLE LOT of pain and anguish. I'm not a religious person, but I really do wish for a hell so that these Rethuglicans could spend eternity in it.
by
Charlie L (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 674 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 1:05:19 PM
Who among us has not felt hate at some time or another? But it is like an acid on the soul and continues eating us until we let it go. It's how things are, and maybe has something to do with finding a higher purpose.
We have to look for light, especially in the dark of night. Yea, the criminals might get out later, but it's a chance we'd have to take. Well, if it came to that, all I can say is that I wouldn't want to be one of them, knowing how many people hated me!
by
Daniel Geery (26 articles, 58 quicklinks, 121 diaries, 690 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 1:27:41 PM
I got an email suggesting I take down the article, which my initial notice of the title had already gotten me thinking about. So, of course, I went to the article, seriously considering pulling it. Then I saw that YOU wrote it. That gave me a double take. You're not a crazy revolutionary. Not crazy, anyway.
So I started reading. I found one spot where a fix was needed-- the juxtaposition of the word assassination... with the elipsis, and the word, Cheney.
I did a small edit, putting Cheney at the start of a new paragraph, and I think that fixed any problems that might be had with this very thoughtful article that, by my mind, strictly argues against assasination. It's okay to talk about the thought process, especially when it leads to conclusions that oppose violence.
So, instead of pulling it, I promoted it to a main headline.
Good writing on a topic that surely crosses many creative minds who don't rule out all the possibilities before evaluating with morals, logic and reason.
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3921 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1702 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 1:41:12 PM
But to hypothetically answer this question, if somehow the United States changed direction because of an assassination, that would be asinine in my opinion, and if the U.S. did change direction, it would probably go against the agenda of the murderer, as it should.
I think leaving the article up for a short time (like 12 hours) is a form of freedom of speech, however leaving the article up longer than that is freedumb of speech.
by
Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 1:58:34 PM
10. Will take away hospital funds from vets as they try to keep his brain alive
09. Pellet stocks will crash
08. Whittington (the pellet shot victim) was in first in line
07. Who will tell George what to do?
06. Paris Hilton interviews will get interrupted.
05. Paris Hilton interviews will not get interrupted.
04. Bill Clinton will be blamed.
03. Democrats will be blamed.
02. Nobody will notice.
01. Price of gasoline will rise.
I'm a bit concerned that Opednews is part self therapy, which is actually fine. What better therapy than to write our own headlines, yet if we mistreat that incredible privilege, it will be taken away by someone. You can't yell fire in a crowded building if there is no fire, and creating public thoughts about assassinating our politicians actually does nothing "progressive".
by
Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 2:10:03 PM
The Hebrew prophets were also masters at WAKING UP their audiences by using sarcasm and irony and I applaud your article, which then led me to recall what I posted on the June 11, 2006 WAWA Blog, in which I quoted a heroine of mine, the Irish Nobel Peace Prize Laurette, Maried Maguire who wrote:
"This Peace Process has been long and arduous but one of its most important lessons is this: Those involved in conflict resolution, must never give up hope.
"Another most important lesson for all of us is that violence, whether it is state violence or the violence of opposition, never brings long-lasting benefit but always brings long-lasting suffering and misery. One of the most important lessons to come out of Northern Ireland is that violence, militarism, and para-militarism, do not solve deep ethnic/political problems. They can only be solved through nonviolence, all-inclusive dialogue, and a will by people and politicians, to forgive and move forward to build a just and shared future together.
"To break a vicious cycle of violence, it takes courageous civil and political Leadership and people willing to take risks for peace. Being willing to take the first step, to walk the extra mile, (as has happened on this peninsula) and especially to see the humanity of the other, to see their point of view, and recognize they too are afraid, and have grievances to be addressed, helps to humanize the people and situation. Often this means that it is sometimes necessary to enter into principled compromise. Diversity is a fact of life, and it is important we respect difference and create institutions that allow for representation and equal treatment of all sectors of our diverse societies.
"I believe that hope for the future depends on each of us taking nonviolence into our hearts and minds and developing new and imaginative structures which are nonviolent and life-giving for all. Some people will argue that this is too idealistic. I believe it is very realistic. I am convinced that humanity is fast evolving to this higher consciousness. For those who say it cannot be done, let us remember that humanity learned to abolish slavery. Our task now is no less than the abolition of violence and war .... We can rejoice and celebrate today because we are living in a miraculous time. Everything is changing and everything is possible."
"If we want to reap the harvest of peace and justice in the future, we will have to sow seeds of nonviolence, here and now, in the present.
"While Governments can make a difference, in the final analysis it is the individual – that is each one of us – that will bring the dream of a nonviolent world to reality. We, the people must think and act nonviolently. We must not get stuck in the past as to do so will destroy the imagination and creativity which is so n a new future together.
"To change our world we need a spiritual and a political evolution.
"The political steps are often very obvious: uphold Human rights, and International Laws, demand our Governments meet their obligations under these Laws, support and reform United Nations, etc.,
"However, all the legislation, resolutions, and fine talk will be of no use, if we do not as men and women evolve and become transformed, so that we, the human family, achieve a more enlightened and humane way of living together, and solving conflicts."-MM
St Augustine penned: "HOPE has two children. The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it."-
Well, everyone at one time or another in their lives thinks about such things. I once wrote a poem to a particularly evil guy challenging him to a duel. I wrote in Celtic, Old English, Canterburian, in which I invited him and would pay for his flight, down to the only nation on the planet where dueling is still legal.
I told him I was an expert with revolvers at any range, especially at the Old Western, quick draw single action Colt thing, so he may want to choose epees, foils, or sabers. He read the poem and couldn't understand it. He was an English major and I thought they all had to learn the language before studying Chaucer, I had to, but apparently, he either forgot or was not a very good student.
The problem with what you are thinking is that we have to stoop to their level. I would rule it out because it is a permanent answer to a temporary problem. Cheney is a nothing. There are smarter ways to remove demoniacs, legally.
Anyway, there is always dueling, down Uruguay way. Maybe we should reinstate dueling for just such matters. Remember the great old Scaramouch film written I think by Raphael Sabatini. The original was with Ronald Coleman, and the remake in the 1950's with Stewart Granger. Both major parties had a duelist in parliament challenging one everyone who was not a Conservative, the other challenging all who was not Liberal.
I have personally participated in several duels over personal insults, and one or two over ladies, whose "honor" I was defending. They were of course monitored and not to the death, (the duels not the ladies) but the loser was honor bound to publicly apologize and pay a fee. We dueled with foils, epees, (with rubber tips in place on the swords) air guns, with soft pellets, shooting hoops one on one, fast pitch baseball and once auto racing on an old dirt track, even Kriegspiel a few times. In Uruguay, they use more lethal means.
I do believe that the reason Cheney is pushing the envelope by intentionally provoking people, is his cowardice. He will only be aggressive because he has power, take it away and he will grovel at your feet. Now, however, because he knows if anything goes to his hunting buddy's (Scalia) Supreme Court, he will win and he is looking for one more edge to declare Martial Law "Legally" approved by the Supreme Court.
We do need to find some way to change the makeup of that August Body and I suggest that there are legal provisions to end the reign of Scalia and a couple of others.
Cheney would be a nonentity if it were not for the timidity of the Dem's they are cowards. Besides I think his days are closely numbered.
by
Professor Emeritus Peter Bagnolo (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 95 diaries, 1311 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 3:12:28 PM
I’m convinced Republicans have used assassination three times to change the course of history, John, Robert and Martin. Republicans have a huge edge in politics because they are bound by no laws of man or God. That and the fact they are apparently prepared to go to the mattresses if push comes to shove with Democrats. I say apparently because our Dem leaders are such chickenshit appeasers, we’ll never know if the Republicans, the real Republicans that is, not the Redneck Republicans, have the balls for a civil war.
That said, I call upon Odin to strike Cheney down.
.
by
rabblerowzer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 227 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 3:20:05 PM
When the rule of law fails violence is the natural fallback
Assassination and even terrorism are never off the table when people are sufficiently desperate. That is exactly why the rule of law is so important and why it is not a good idea to take impeachment (a peaceful solution that shows that no one is above the law) off the table.
All of us die sooner or later and none of us want to leave the people we care about in a worse situation if we can help them by the manner of our dying. And by "us" I mean we members of the species homo sapiens, regardless of our nationality or religion or sex.
Terrorism and assassination are political acts. There is absolutely nothing new in that "insight" its jungle pre-law 101.
by
Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1010 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 3:24:03 PM
Don't forget Senator Wellstone and his wife and daughter and the Anthrax thing, as far as I recall only Libberal Democrats receieved the evil mailings.
by
Professor Emeritus Peter Bagnolo (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 95 diaries, 1311 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 3:27:35 PM
I loved this article, one of my most favorites I've ever read on this site. Thanks for allowing us the readers to accompany you on your mental journey.
by
Todd Huffman, M.D. (80 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 109 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 6:08:51 PM
I never got to page two because page one didn't allow me to go there.
Here's another way to handle this topic...
"Sometimes I just wish their heads would explode", (that would be the title).
Then I'd write an editorial fantasizing that whenever an elected official knowingly makes a decision that only benefits the present, and those close to them, that that elected official's head would immediately explode. The explosion would preferably happen when the elected official publicly gushed about their awe and respect for a person who basically gave them money and expected business in return.
Eventually, all the heads exploding forced everyone to carry an umbrella at all times. Future head explodings were reduced when ESP laden citizens would always tip their umbrella just before a head would explode, which caused many politicians to tone down their act, and many politicians lived happily ever after for far longer than they had a right to.
Lets not blindly "support" one another and go soft in the process, that's exactly how this country got to where it is now with a bleak future up ahead. Wall Street supports an import economy while dampening good old American ingenuity, creativity, and productivity.
Daniel's article needs a rewrite or two and less overt obtuseness in the headline, until then, supporting it just makes us no difference than the blowhards we accuse of cronyism.
by
Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 10:08:11 PM
Sorry if that was not clear. I think the headline is not appropriate.
Think, "How I learned to love the bomb", I think a headline in that context would work without driving people away from the website.
How about...
"My fascination with Assasassination, shortlived as it may be..."
Now a title like that, in my opinion, primes everyone to put on their thinking cap. Wherea's "Why not Assissinate" is more of a "Spareus Hilton" type of headline.
Do you really want the secret service visiting you everytime the prez is in your neck of the woods? I think that's what they do if you make their hopefully short list of people who put out public innuenudo that relates to the overthrow of the present government in power.
by
Alessandro Machi (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 174 comments)
on Friday, June 29, 2007 at 12:55:01 PM
Having not read the second page, it is rather unfair of you to judge the entire piece. Daniel's neurons evidently began firing by the time he was halfway through writing, and his prose and ponderings nicely improved.
Is it the most well-written piece I've seen on this site? No, not by a long shot. But I nonetheless enjoyed it more than most writings/rantings read here, simply because of the nice job Daniel did of working through his nasty thoughts to their less violent and more hopeful conclusions.
Honestly, who of us have not thought similar thoughts in times of anger or despair? Who of us haven't wondered "What if...?" Daniel allowed us to join him along his personal meanderings into these deep dark woods, and showed us that the reasonable person can always find his way out the other side.
by
Todd Huffman, M.D. (80 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 109 comments)
on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 10:39:49 PM
I can't think of anything that's gone wrong over the last 6 years, or anything we want to know for sure, but don't, that could not be remedied by water-boarding, stress positions, and perhaps the considered application of feces, all of course televised for our education and enlightenment. And of course we'd issue a few disclaimers; "we don't torture", and "enemy combatents don't have rights".
So that's my bottom line on this administration: We need a military coup to restore the constitution, and we need the Bush administration "processed", perhaps in Poland or some other appropriate and previously used venue. I want them to live. For a very, very long time. And while the new temporary military government is at it, they can also process the entire Republican congress, and 90 percent of the dem congress.
The current system is so far beyond restoration by "civilized" or self-defining "legal" methods as to be laughable.
by
Esbe (50 articles, 0 quicklinks, 17 diaries, 85 comments)
on Friday, June 29, 2007 at 12:14:48 AM
Well, hell! I"ve had fantasies about the guy's who tailgate me, and the one's in front of me who are going too slow, and that ass on the phone who calle during dinner to try to sell me a vacation time share (see -- I got this button on the phone hooked up to a --- well -- you don't hear about it...).
Everyone has a range of emotions and thoughts,of course, and I suppose we all have fantasies to vent our anger at times. Remember when Yahoo news had a comments section? I once posted the Bush would be impeached, convicted of war crimes, and exiled to Ubekistan where he too would be boiled alive --- that post got SEVEN recommendations!! Nope -- I'm not the only one with such imaginings.
Remember that Tantalus filed machine on Star Trek where in the alternative universe the evil Capt. Kirk could make his enemies disappear? Well -- at a particularly frustrating time I drifted off into lists of politicians and neocons -- but the trouble was there are so many! I decided I would need a team of researchers to collect the names of all the hundreds who would have to be disappeared -- and that's not beginning to count the idiots who were still supporting Bush. Come down to it -- we would have to liquidate over seventy million people to get rid all the idiots and evil bastards. Wow! We'd need an awful lot of box cars and camps and ovens... not practical, I guess: even with a Tantalus field box it would three years of constantly pushing that button.
Come to think of it, if there ever IS a second coming that angel of death is going to be exhausted getting rid of all but 144,000 of us. His wings would fall off first! No wonder they got that video game to enlist the 'True Christians' who will be left behind as
