Last week, we here at Awake Minds asked if HOPE had become a TURKEY in this write-up.
Today, we're sad to say: YES IT HAS.
The White House has just approved the resumption of military trials at Guantanamo, the military base set up after 9/11 to deal with al-Qaeda operatives and detention without trial in this New York Times story. This is an about turn from its original position to allow for civilian trials, instead of military ones which are held behind closed doors and far from public scrutiny.
Rising to power on the back of promises to close down Guantanamo, President Obama says he remains committed to closing it down some day. This is an about turn after its withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in 2010.
The existence of Guantanamo for so many years is already a violation of the Geneva Convention. For the US to issue an executive order that asks for resumption of military trials YET insist on compliance of questioning procedures according to internationally accepted codes of conduct... are we the only ones to see the absurdity of it all?
But it is all quite absurd - international conventions that talk of 'good' conduct in times of war. Most of us were brought up with the notion that war is just a bad idea. How anything good could ever come out of a rotten apple, is beyond belief.
Question is: What spooked the administration?
Perhaps an overly vigorous backlash to the Wikileaks debacle with Julian Assange - that instead of opening up to democratic principles, the US thinks that 'too much' freedom of information is out there and this is their over-reaction. One *achoo* and suddenly the whole presidency yells SARS!
Well, gesundheit to you Mr. President. We'd like you to please return us the Obama that we all voted for. You know, the one that believed in Change and Doing What's Right.
Irrespective, it's a good reminder that the cry of "YES WE CAN" can swing both ways. It can be the wings that bring you to power, or the shouts of a people, cheated by empty promises, asking you to resign.
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