In today's America, I'm often struck by the nature of political events and decisions as being the exact opposite of what one would think as the right thing to do. In this way, America has become a Bizarro World of itself and its purported ideals. On paper, our nation supports concepts like freedom, democracy and human rights. In practice, those concepts are merely slogans used to achieve ends that have nothing to do with freedom, democracy or human rights.
Since we now live in our own Bizarro World, I'm starting a new installment of posts in which I highlight stories and events that are truly the opposite of American ideals. In our first installment, I have three selections.
From Think Progress, former US Attorney General John Ashcroft made a speech yesterday in which he declared that President Bush has respected civil liberties in a time of war more than any other president. TP further notes that this declaration comes directly after this story in which President Bush allowed the Civil Liberties Oversight Board to go vacant. Perhaps Mr. Ashcroft was thinking of these paradoxical court decisions in which detainees at Guantanomo were deemed to have no rights, yet corporations are now afforded human rights.
Remember SCHIP and President Bush's veto of its expansion? As if that decision wasn't bizarre enough, now we have House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) bragging about it as an "accomplishment" of Congressional conservatives in 2007. Once again, Think Progress has the details.
And finally, Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone Magazine tells us about the Chicken Doves of the Democratic Party and their true focus. Guess what? It's not ending the war in Iraq as we all hoped it would be. On that topic, they're full of excuses as to why a majority party in both Houses of Congress can't get anything done. This is a truly infuriating read.
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