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OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 2/14/10

The Bill of Rights vs the Benefits of Expeditious Torture

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Message Rafe Pilgrim

The actual folks who trashed our Bill of Rights are in high dudgeon over the "Christmas Bomber" being read his legal rights before being turned over to the "federal interrogation team."

This raises some interesting issues, starting with: (1) If the legal rights of the innocent as well as those suspected of breaking the law are specified by statute to caution any and all before intimidating questioning (now perhaps torture), how can those rights be defied by agents of the state?

Two: And if the rights of a suspect who actually was guilty of singeing his pubic hair in a vain attempt to somehow blow a large aircraft out of the sky by means of a crotch of mass destruction -- are to be waived in favor of immediately starting water-boarding or such, how will citizens such as you or I be protected if some zealous security freak points his moronic finger at us as possible terrorists? Certainly we must defend ourselves from criminals, but how are we to protect even the innocent from the urgent grasp of the "interrogation teams," and our Constitution from the creepy zealots of state security?

Three: Perhaps the Constitution just isn't worth anything anymore? Certainly not as much as the benefits that expeditious water-boarding might yield?

Four: Where, my god, are the real champions for America today? No, not those of the bumper-sticker and little flaggy-waving imbecility, but the champions who put the Bill of Rights at a priority above that of immediate torture.

Five: And since surely those Americans of any integrity and intelligence comprehend what's happening out there, are we content to--or from fear to continue our spectator status as the once "greatest hope of humanity"--morph into the Security State led by paranoiacs, political opportunists, and madmen?

Six: Simply why, why can't the many who do know and care stand -- as did the child in the fable of the Emperor's New Suit-- and state the obvious, that America has forfeited its Bill of Rights to a sham security scam.

Seven: And then -- laying aside the signs, nuanced slogans, organization identities, activist celebs, and such -- why have we plain citizens not, and when will we all gather massively in Washington and stay upon the steps of power until we earn back America?

Does anyone have more questions? Answers? Let us know!

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Rafe Pilgrim, after "a life largely wasted on hard honest work," found himself a jungle of turkey oak, scrub pine and giant palmettos up a dirt road running east of Crystal River, Florida, which neither school busses nor the U.S. Postal Service dare (more...)
 
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