Losing moral authority
After Friday's election in Iran, I am so sorry that the United States government can do little more than remain quiet. It wasn't too long ago that we had our version of Iran's election. I don't know how anyone who (is serious about the rule of law) didn't stand up during the 2000 and 2004 elections in the United States can right now hardly criticize the outcome or the government of Iran without seriously being a hypocrite.
This leads me to believe that United States will have to remain quiet when it comes to torture. I hope that I am wrong but I think if the United States government doesn't make corrections quickly, this aberration will weigh the country--even the world-- down when--if it hasn't already-- it tries to respond to human right abuses throughout the world. The United States will have spent what little moral authority it has left to call other countries on the carpet when it comes to specific issues of human right abuses.
This leads me to believe that United States will have to remain quiet when it comes to torture. I hope that I am wrong but I think if the United States government doesn't make corrections quickly, this aberration will weigh the country--even the world-- down when--if it hasn't already-- it tries to respond to human right abuses throughout the world. The United States will have spent what little moral authority it has left to call other countries on the carpet when it comes to specific issues of human right abuses.
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At least we have, thank God, a constitutional system with the means to uncover abuse and call those responsible for it to accountability. Is that worth something on the morality spectrum?
June 15, 2009 7:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
yes,
a stark reality shows against the backdrop of Iranians willing to risk all to protest the stealing of their vote. That we did not fight hard enough when the election was 'given' to Bush. And that because of that fraudulent choice and our unwillingness to fight against what we were being told... we don't have much to stand on when powers that be in other countries do the same.
We have lost our moral authority thanks to our own docility, naiveness, and belief in our own impotence. It is strange given our history that america is not a more demonstrative culture. Where did this docility come from... how did we arrive here?
And the only we that we can regain some integrity and moral standing is if we become a nation that enforces our laws. If the powerful and elite do not have consequences than our laws are just a political convenience for managing the rest of the population and otherwise meaningless. We must demand that the crimes of the previous administration be held to account
And we must fight to make our elections as 'clean' as possible. As in Iran, it is little enough that the choices are limited. To get any sort of representation at all, the elections must be as fair as possible.
June 15, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink