Everybody is appalled about Obama’s kill lists. They are illegal, dangerous, horrible.
Yes, they are all that. However, my question is: what is the alternative?
I see only two alternative courses of action. One, is the tried and trusty route of invasion. Do you want the US to keep invading the countries that it doesn’t like (call them undemocratic, dictator-ridden, Communist, terrorist, whatever you like, terminology is not important right now)? We all know that this is not economically sustainable at the moment and is not likely to become sustainable any time soon. Besides, this has become so outdated that the two recent endeavors in this direction bore very little desired fruit.
The other possibility is for the US to give up its belief in its exceptionalism and its role in managing the world’s affairs. Taking into account how wedded the regular Americans are to this belief and how fierce the economic competition between the US, China and India is about to become, what are the chances of that, in your opinion?
In mine, they are less than nil.
So here are our options at this point:
1. Withdraw from neo-colonial expansion, somehow change the entire national identity of the country and convince every American that is a good thing, concentrate exclusively on internal affairs, experience a dramatic lowering of the standards of living, witness the world’s hegemony of China or India. (I can’t say which one right now, what do you think?)
2. Keep to the strategies of the XXth century which mean military invasions with the attendant military, economic, and domestic costs.
3. Modernize the nature of your involvement through drone strikes, kill lists, and similarly appalling things we will see in the nearest future.
Are we really surprised that Obama is going for Option#3?
Nothing is easier than to whine that invading countries is wrong and drone strikes are evil. Yes, they are very wrong and extremely evil. Tell me instead how willing you are to put your money where you mouth is in the most literal way possible. How prepared are you to face the costs of living in a country that is not the world leader but a fairly insignificant, one-among-many place?
Everything comes at a price. Everything. Of course, it must be lots of fun to pretend the leaders you elected are doing these things out of inexplicable weirdness and not in order to give you what you insist on having.
Clarissa's Blog 
I never thought of it that way, but you do present a strong argument for what you are conveying. I think free trade is still highly beneficial to the country in economic terms and that diplomacy seems like a viable option on the table.
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I also want to believe in flowers and butterflies but, you know. . .
There is one other alternative which is a dramatic drop in world’s population. But the only road there is some sort of a natural disaster, which I obviously don’t want to see happening.
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America’s been through some very difficult times over the decades and it’s always seemed to make it out okay. I try not to really worry about the future and keep myself occupied with other things like reading, practicing, etc. The apartment I’ve moved into has been pretty good so far and I’m enjoying a new computer I got last week.
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Ah, so you are finally living on your own??
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The standard of living will decrease even more with one of the last 2 terrorist options. (even though the terrorist option #3 is less stupid that the terrorist option #2)
If this standard of living requires that kind of militaro-terrorist and anti-liberty society, I don’t give a shit about this standard of living. Go India go!
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“If this standard of living requires that kind of militaro-terrorist and anti-liberty society, I don’t give a shit about this standard of living.”
– Don’t tell me this is news for you.
“The standard of living will decrease even more with one of the last 2 terrorist options.”
– The entire XXth century proves that this is not true.
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On short term, wars are good for the america GDP, but at long term this is not a good thing for the economy (I talk about workers and small firms where the real wealth is created, not corporations), even though these wars explain some of this corporatist superiority of the United Terrorist States of America against the others, induced by the statist militaro-industrial complex.
Please note that I’m not an Keynesian economist. Keynesians economists that pretend that a war is always good for the economy are in vogue until a very long time and this is difficult to not be attracted by their sirens’ chants!
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I’m not suggesting that wars are good for the economy. I’m saying that neo-colonial domination is.
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And kill lists are not new whatsoever.
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Very true. The only new thing here is the technology.
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Nope, not yet, but in probably a few months, I’ll be moving back up north to Massachusetts.
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Good luck! I’m sure you will do great.
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But if those faggot militaro-terrorists people in America need abolutely that their militaro-terrorist mob is the best in the world to have their dicks sucked, the #3 militaro-terrorist option is the best!
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Let’s not think that if the US gets relegated to a back-burner economically and politically, Canada stands a chance.
There is very limited space within the “golden billion.”
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And again, I don’t give a shit about this. Economy should not be stimulated by theft and violence.
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And the weather should always be perfect. And people should never fall sick. And, of course. . . world peace!!! 🙂 🙂
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Would be nice if Americans stopped “helping” other nations… drone strikes (violating sovereign nations’ airspace and territory) against alleged terrorists, often killing soldiers of the state in question or civilians accomplishes only two things :
– undermining the legitimacy of the local government (since they can’t protect their people);
– destroy any trust Americans still had in said region.
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This is all self-evident but this so-called “help” maintains a high standard of living at home. That’s the point.
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Yes, it’s true. Empires maintain a good standard of living and sustain their military like this. But this will end one day, I only wonder when : will it be years ? Decades ?
How long until a country or a coalition of countries challenges United States ? Not necessarily with their armies, a serious blow to economy can make a country a shadow of what it has once been.
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“Yes, it’s true. Empires maintain a good standard of living and sustain their military like this. But this will end one day, I only wonder when : will it be years ? Decades ?
How long until a country or a coalition of countries challenges United States ? Not necessarily with their armies, a serious blow to economy can make a country a shadow of what it has once been.”
– These are very good questions. I think this is THE geopolitical issue of the day.
“I only wonder when : will it be years ? Decades ?”
– This depends on the choices the US makes right now. I believe that a massive break-through in education and the reformatting of society towards a much accelerated development of high-tech is the road to stretching out that time period. Instead, we are getting bogged down in endless medieval discussions about evolution, fetuses, gay marriage, guns, and dinosaurs. This is such an important moment, globally, historically, and the US is self-sabotaging like there is no tomorrow. And maybe there is none if this continues.
“How long until a country or a coalition of countries challenges United States ?”
– We first need to see a capacity to form a coalition. It has now become clear, I believe that the EU is not a contender here. Now, if China and India entered into a coalition, that would change things. But given the history of relations between them, the chances are poor.
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Many times countries formed alliances only to fight a common enemy; they weren’t joined by anything else. It’s simple, really: it’s “let’s topple our common enemy and then we’ll see who takes it all”.
The amount of money America spends on its military is astounding. All this effort in order to be able to project force all around the world… just imagine if US economy enters a recession serious enough to severely weaken the military and its ability to threaten other nations, US ability to force others into unequal treaties.
I am not saying US will cease to exist or something, but its glory days will be over then; just another large country with a small name and a big ego.
A word of warning, though : many countries had their five minutes once. Mongolia, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal… compare their territory and spheres of influence then and now. It will happen to United States and many things depend on how friendly you were to other nations, how you treated them when you were strong and they were weak.
Poland was powerful, once. It all ended in 17th century, when my country suffered plagues, attacks by hostile countries, an insurrection or two. We were never able to return to that times. And believe me, our neighbors still remember all insults, all indignities they suffered from us, including :
-occupation of Moscow,
-how polish nobility treated Cossacks (e.g Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s uprising was largely because his wife was raped),
-taking part in Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia
And many, many others. You are repeating others’ mistakes. And you will pay for them one day.
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“I am not saying US will cease to exist or something, but its glory days will be over then; just another large country with a small name and a big ego.”
– Exactly. And the loss of status – if there is nothing to make up for it – results in a crippling trauma. Look at Spain in 1898.
“A word of warning, though : many countries had their five minutes once. Mongolia, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal… compare their territory and spheres of influence then and now. It will happen to United States”
– Very true.
“and many things depend on how friendly you were to other nations, how you treated them when you were strong and they were weak.”
– Again, Spain is the best example ever of this with its “Black Legend” that still hasn’t gone away.
“And many, many others. You are repeating others’ mistakes. And you will pay for them one day.”
– I have to agree completely. It’s not too late to start offering something else, something other than military dominance. Look at the Roman Empire. It has been dead for 1,500 years, yet its cultural legacy still dominates us all.
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“I’m not suggesting that wars are good for the economy. I’m saying that neo-colonial domination is.”
Yeah, thief is good for the thieves’ economy. That’s the nature of capitalism.
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You have a point…
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This is all empty verbiage that leads nowhere. The adult response here is to accept that you are willing to undertake 16-hour workdays for the rest of your life, no clean water, no available health services, etc. in exchange for your country abandoning capitalist thieving. Otherwise, the exact value of all these pretty words is water from boiling eggs.
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You’re too pessimistic.
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Clarissa, how do other 1st world countries live, which don’t have anything close to US status? No clean water? You honestly think that honest work and technological development can bring no better than 16-hour workdays?
Israel has huge problems with Palestinians, but high standard of living doesn’t demand our being on territories of PA or Gaza. There is a question of terror if we weren’t there, but it’s different.
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“Clarissa, how do other 1st world countries live, which don’t have anything close to US status?”
– Have you heard of the existence of NATO? Why do you think it was formed? With what purpose?
“You honestly think that honest work and technological development can bring no better than 16-hour workdays?”
– Tell it to the Chinese and the Indians. Are you aware that we cannot even begin to come close to how hard-working the Chinese are and what technological advances the Indians are coming up with?
“Israel has huge problems with Palestinians, but high standard of living doesn’t demand our being on territories of PA or Gaza.”
– Just wait for the next demographic spike and then we’ll talk.
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I meant that except Palestinians Israel doesn’t interfere abroad (for recources or other economic reasons, I don’t talk of self-defense against Iran f.e.), and we live well.
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“I meant that except Palestinians Israel doesn’t interfere abroad ”
– It defends the US military interests in the region.
” I don’t talk of self-defense against Iran f.e.), and we live well.”
– And what about the massive economic help from North American Jews? I know for a fact that it rises to the level of an absolute obligation among North American Jewish comunities.
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// – Have you heard of the existence of NATO? Why do you think it was formed? With what purpose?
You mean NATO has been formed to rob other countries, and Israel f.e. gets money from it too. What about Germany? France? How does NATO benefit them?
// Tell it to the Chinese and the Indians. Are you aware that we cannot even begin to come close to how hard-working the Chinese are and what technological advances the Indians are coming up with?
I would love to read more about those issues on your blog. Some not very educated thoughts based on absorbing information from Internet:
As I understand, Israel f.e. has better technology than the Indians and better educated population (just recently read a post about Indian girls not getting education, which is already half work force gone).
Producing lots of cheap stuff =/= high technology level, imo. And digging very hard with a spoon isn’t the best way, a tractor would do better. You must have both a work ethic and high-tech industry, in which big part of population could participate.
In general, one has to take into account general education level of population (how many can participate in the new high technology market), cultural norms (f.e. violence against Indian women, who try to exit the house), corruption (regime may not provide protection of property rights) and much more.
//“Israel has huge problems with Palestinians, but high standard of living doesn’t demand our being on territories of PA or Gaza.”
– Just wait for the next demographic spike and then we’ll talk.
Spike where? In Israel or with Palestinians? Why would bigger Israeli population mean needing PA land? We have Negev desert f.e. and other numerous places to build houses on, and water & fertile land are on Golan Heights, not in Gaza.
// – And what about the massive economic help from North American Jews?
I hope you don’t really believe Israel is successful because of some private donations. US government’s help does help, but it goes mainly for military purposes, not for economic or high-tech private sector development.
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“In general, one has to take into account general education level of population (how many can participate in the new high technology market), cultural norms (f.e. violence against Indian women, who try to exit the house), corruption (regime may not provide protection of property rights) and much more.”
– I’m talking about the economy. Of course, I personally would prefer that the world be dominated economically and militarily by countries that uphold the ideology of feminism and individual rights that is so dear to my heart. However, there is no guarantee that this will happen. This is precisely why I’m worried.
“Why would bigger Israeli population mean needing PA land? We have Negev desert f.e. and other numerous places to build houses on, and water & fertile land are on Golan Heights, not in Gaza.”
– Because the growth of population always necessitates more resources for said population. This is the problem the entire world is facing right now: the population is growing and the resources are diminishing.
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theft
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“…witness the world’s hegemony of China or India. (I can’t say which one right now, what do you think?)”
Using your own militaro-terrorist argument, this would be China.
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The world is a very dangerous place and rich countries are always envied by poor countries, especially those who make themselves poor through bad economics and/or dreadful religions. George Washington, in his farewell address, gave the best advice ever to Americans. The country should protect itself from outside attack. It should not intervene in the affairs of others, save only in its own defense. And it should trade freely with everyone (military materiel excluded).
If protection is best delivered through drone strikes, then so be it. Minimize collateral damage, and operate on a tit-for-tat principle. That was Reagan’s policy and it worked well. W forgot that lesson to the cost of us all.
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How can you have a tit-for-tat principle when US hasn’t been attacked by terrorists in years ? USA is thousands of kilometers away from most would-be attackers. This geographical barrier, oceans are your greatest protectors. Most countries do not have that luxury (hello, it’s been fun sharing borders with Russia and Germany for centuries. It was never boring).
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“hello, it’s been fun sharing borders with Russia and Germany for centuries. It was never boring”
– Yes, these are really unfortunate neighbors. I know what you mean. 🙂
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The New Deal 2.0 economic plan:
1) Ban guns and disarm all americans, except the police, the military and the CIA.
2) Abolish the democracy in USA and nominate Halliburton as the commander-in-chief, with Paul Ryan as their new CEO.
3) Invade Somalia, send all the dump there and hire all pirates as soldiers for the miltary.
4) Kill all american anarchists, beginning by Kevin Carson and François Tremblay.
5) Kill all actual beneficiaries of entitlement (sic) programs in America.
6) Kill all 80 years old and older people linving in America, except former Repubenron politicians and Charles Rowley.
7) Kill all non-white people because they vote too much for Democrats.
8) Use drones to destroy as many factories as possible in China.
9) Use drones to destroy petroleum facilities all over the world.
10) Make many not very costly colonial invasions: invade the rest of the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Phillipines, all non-muslim countries in Africa and all Europe except France, United Kingdom, Germany, South Spain, Turkey, and former CCCP republics.
Here comes the money to Uncle Sam papa! 😉
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And
11) Give 95% of the territories of the USA and other USA colonies to Monsanto.
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9) Use drones to destroy petroleum facilities all over the world, except in USA and USA colonies
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I think most people will be far more interested in considering your program versus mine. 🙂
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I hope not! 😉
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“And what about the massive economic help from North American Jews? I know for a fact that it rises to the level of an absolute obligation among North American Jewish comunities.”
Good point.
So here comes my 12th item of my plan;
12) Kidnap all Israeli Jews, give them the american citizenship and leave Palestinians alone.
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Tit-for-tat occurred under Reagan when Americans were targeted overseas. Reagan hit back at Gaddafi’s tents and his families because he killed US soldiers in Germany. He invaded Granada when militants threatened American lives. Both responses worked as planned. No more trouble from those sources. If Clinton had taken out bin Laden after the USS Cole and Twin Towers 1 there wouild have been no 7/11. Big mistake!
David Gendron’s outrageous commentaries on this topic verge on the irrational. Not only is he anti-Semitic. He is anti-American. Where does he want to relocate? Syria? Iran? North Korea?
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“David Gendron’s outrageous commentaries on this topic verge on the irrational. Not only is he anti-Semitic. He is anti-American. Where does he want to relocate? Syria? Iran? North Korea?”
– He has this way of speaking that outrages everybody he talks to but I promise that he means no harm whatsoever.
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Good point about the tit-for-tat policies of Reagan.
I’m anti-zionist, not anti-semitic. I’m anti-usa-government, not anti-american. My idea to kidnap Isreali jews was an ironic remark, even tough I think that it would be less ludicrous to do that than to dump them in Israel at the first place. Many Jews were killed by the Nazis in consequence of ludicrous imperialist behavior against Germans and anti-semitic immigration restrictions by Occidentals after WWI.
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But nobody “dumped” any Jews in Israel, on the contrary, the British did a lot to stop them.
//Many Jews were killed by the Nazis in consequence of ludicrous imperialist behavior against Germans … anti-semitic immigration restrictions
So, every time there is injustice in the world (which means always), Jews must be ready to be the lightening rod for all anger, if they happen to live in that country.
That’s why I think Jewish country is a great thing since it’s the only body bound not only in words to protect Jewish interests, if push comes to shove. F.e. protect Jewish lives.
If there will be 3rd World War, it will not be because of Jews / Israel, even if it begins in the Middle East. The area is unstable not because of Israel & Palestinians.
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“Where does he want to relocate? Syria? Iran? North Korea?”
Sweden or Iceland (a new terrorist leftist enemy?) would be good options. 😉
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So here are our options at this point:
1. Withdraw from neo-colonial expansion, somehow change the entire national identity of the country and convince every American that is a good thing…
2. Keep to the strategies of the XXth century which mean military invasions with the attendant military, economic, and domestic costs.
3. Modernize the nature of your involvement through drone strikes, kill lists, and similarly appalling things we will see in the nearest future.
Perhaps future generations will call this “Clarissa’s Trilemma.” 😉
Like Dani Rodrik’s Trilemma, only more particularized.
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“Perhaps future generations will call this “Clarissa’s Trilemma.””
– I know that greatness awaits me. 🙂
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witness the world’s hegemony of China or India. (I can’t say which one right now, what do you think?)
Brazil doesn’t even merit an honorable mention?
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Yeah. . . I’m not seeing it, to be honest. People keep talking about Brazil being one of the 3, but I see no realistic evidence of that.
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Brazil could become the second best occidental economy, tough.
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“Brazil could become the second best occidental economy, tough.”
– I know people say that but I simply don’t see it. I want to believe this but there is no evidence,, in my opinion. I believe that Brazil is currently experiences a fluke that other LatAm countries also experienced and that led nowhere. (E.g. Argentina).
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You’re suggesting that if the US stops or curtails its forever-expanding War On Terror, it’ll lead to a dramatic lowering of living standards at home. I don’t see it.
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War on terror is just a code word for neo-colonial expansion. It has nothing whatsoever to do with a terrorist threat. The terrorist threat is just another in a long series of excuses for the US messing with other countries. Before, it was called war on communism, and before that something else. Words change, yet neo-imperialism remains.
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I agree.
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To what end, though? This War on Terror hasn’t brought about anything good to american citizens. Hell, I could even accept the premise that the Iraq war was for oil, but then the price of gas only increased after the war. So is it expansion for its own sake? Because, by all reasonable measures, the War on Terror has only worsened this country’s economy.
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// War on terror is just a code word for neo-colonial expansion. It has nothing whatsoever to do with a terrorist threat.
Could you write more about the benefits US / other countries get, please? A post? 🙂
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You don’t really need me for this since volumes have been written on the subject.
I can recommend:
1. Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine
2. Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America.
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See the next post.
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What do you think stopping would and would not do to the economy? What measures would work to keep standards of living up if we stopped raiding other economies?
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We should accept a decrease in america’s economy before, but I think we could overcome this.
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// – I’m talking about the economy.
But economy can’t be seperated from cultural norms. Communism and Saudi Arabia may be extreme examples, but corruption, rent seeking behavior instead of producing stuff (think FSU – “to advance in life depends on who you know”), hurt economy. Nepotism or the culture of not paying taxes ditto. Or having huge uneducated for high-tech population and specializing in producing cheap stuff for even cheaper wages.
// Because the growth of population always necessitates more resources for said population
I don’t see Gaza strip as holding those crucial resources. And there are countries with bigger population density, especially in some cities there, and people may live not badly.
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“I don’t see Gaza strip as holding those crucial resources. ”
– We are getting to the point where the Sahara desert will become a crucial resource.
“But economy can’t be seperated from cultural norms. Communism and Saudi Arabia may be extreme examples, but corruption, rent seeking behavior instead of producing stuff (think FSU – “to advance in life depends on who you know”), hurt economy. Nepotism or the culture of not paying taxes ditto. Or having huge uneducated for high-tech population and specializing in producing cheap stuff for even cheaper wages.”
– You are confusing macroeconomics and microeconomics. People inside a country might be mightily miserable yet that has never been an obstacle to such a country’s world dominance.
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// People inside a country might be mightily miserable yet that has never been an obstacle to such a country’s world dominance.
And it hasn’t changed still? Despite power being technological nowadays, unlike in the past? Even wars are cyber to a large extent already. To develop latest warfare doesn’t a country need great minds, which need to be educated from childhood and not badly paid since immigration to more successful country is possible?
Nowadays I see only high-tech countries being dominant.
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“Nowadays I see only high-tech countries being dominant.”
– That’s exactly what I said at the beginning. The US is set to lose that competition if things continue as they are, with the horribly poor level of secondary education and the shackling of higher education. India, in the meanwhile, is doing extremely well in this direction. We need to step up education and high-tech NOW. And then maybe we will manage to offer some competition. Otherwise, India will be the brains of the world and China will be the hands of the world, to speak metaphorically. And we will not have a role.
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“Could you write more about the benefits US / other countries get, please? A post?”
Please do. el seems to be running out of talking points to defend Israel’s activities. It’s so cute when she uses the ‘your country did something bad 200 years ago so this justifies my country’s apartheid regime’ defense.
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I wasn’t justifying anything. I did tell that I don’t think Israel is economically successful because of building on territories. Without saying anything about what Israel should do in any way.
As for other countries, the “war on terror” is in full force now, not 200 or 2 years ago. As I understood, Clarissa said war on terror and NATO enrich Europe & US, that without them US / Europe would be like China now. Personally I find it hard to believe, so asked for more explanation.
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“I wasn’t justifying anything. I did tell that I don’t think Israel is economically successful because of building on territories. ”
– There would be no Israel if crowds of people weren’t displaced (let’s not argue about the legitimacy of the means for that displacement) from the territories it now occupies.
“As I understood, Clarissa said war on terror and NATO enrich Europe & US, that without them US / Europe would be like China now.”
– SO love it when people put words in my mouth. 🙂 Do I look like the kind of person capable of saying “US / Europe would be like China”? What does it even mean to be “like China”? 🙂
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// What does it even mean to be “like China”?
In this case: a similar standard of living for most of the population.
// There would be no Israel if crowds of people weren’t displaced
I meant that *after* the displacement Israel doesn’t need their economic help or land they’re currently on to be 1st world country economically. Despite Israel not being world power like US.
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“I meant that *after* the displacement Israel doesn’t need their economic help or land they’re currently on to be 1st world country economically”
– Who is on the way to be the 1st world country economically?
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// – Who is on the way to be the 1st world country economically?
I don’t understand the question.
I meant that Israel is 1st world country.
Without invading many other countries we live better than China. 🙂
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“Without invading many other countries we live better than China.”
– We can argue about what constitutes “many countries” in such a short span of existence.
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Just out of curiosity, I forgot: do you live in US?
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Banks are the ones making the money and for the most part they couldnt give a rats ass about Nationalities. The Rothschild banking family were known for funding both the British and French during the war between those two countries. I dont think we need to ask who actually controls the American government……..Can you say Bailout. 😉
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Just for fun:
No Holy Wars for Them
~ Robert Frost
States strong enough to do good are but few,
Their number would seem limited to three,
Good is a thing that they, the great, can do,
But puny little states can only be.
And being good for these means standing by
To watch a war in nominal alliance,
And when it’s over watch the worlds supply
Get parceled out among the winning giants.
God, have You taken cognizance of this?
And what on this is Your divine position?
That nations like the Cuban and the Swiss
Can never hope to wage a Global Mission.
No Holy Wars for them. The most the small
Can ever give us is a nuisance brawl.
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I agree that neo-colonialism has been quite beneficial to the USA during the twentieth century. I.e; Bananas are too expensive? Better overthrow the government of Guatemala. Oil is too expensive? Better try installing a loathsome, flamboyant dictator in Iran.
That said, I think that more recent US imperial ventures (last twenty years or so) have hurt the country far more than they have benefitted it. And in any case, most of their economic imperialism these days seems to consist more of bullying smaller nations into signing restrictive “free” trade agreements than it does toppling their elected leaders and bringing-in friendly dictatorships. Indeed, even the interventions of the twentieth century seem to be coming back to haunt them. Their post-war policy in the Middle East, for example, has lead directly to the rise of fundamentalist terrorism.
Overall, I suspect that if any president ever brought a halt to imperialis ventures the standard of living over the short term would indeed decline; but in the long run, it would probably benefit the US far more than permanently pissing off the rest of the world. No empire lasts forever, after all.
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“Overall, I suspect that if any president ever brought a halt to imperialist ventures the standard of living over the short term would indeed decline; but in the long run, it would probably benefit the US far more than permanently pissing off the rest of the world.”
– I don’t dislike this optimistic vision. However, there is one other obstacle to this course of action: the America people will not easily abandon their identity as the world “helper and democracy-bringer.” There needs to be another identity that will be put in its place but that is a huge endeavor.
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However, there is one other obstacle to this course of action: the America people will not easily abandon their identity as the world “helper and democracy-bringer.”(Clarissa)
Yep, and I think the good ole US of A brought us the term co-dependent. 🙂
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Beautiful post–especially the last sentence.
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Read this article. It’s surprisingly good and worth a couple of minutes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/obama-guantanamo-bay_b_2623008.html
It’s about not only Guantanamo, but also about drone strikes, Patriot Act and other ways US government tries to undermine your freedom.
Our historians refer to practices like this “slicing bread” : slow changes that gradually transform a democratic country into a police state, often under guise of protecting the population from imagined threats. And one day, you wake up with Secret Police, secret prisons, enhanced interrogation techniques (it’s funny that Bush used this phrase, since it was first used by Gestapo in 1930s when they still tried to hide acts of torturing people) and many, many other horrible practices. But it will be too late then.
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