I Know It Sounds a Bit Bizarre...
Marshall Massey
in Blogwitness, Current Political Events
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2 Comments
In a recent installment of his comic strip, Arthur, King of Time and Space, Paul Gadzikowski, who attends my local Friends meeting, made a splendid statement on the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which was approved by Congress last week.
Paul’s characters — Morgan, Guenevere, Nimue, Lancelot, Merlin and Arthur — lined up and declared to their audience, “Torture is wrong. No one here endorses it or is truly represented by someone who does endorse it.”
Got that?
Those in Congress who endorsed torture last week may represent the United States, but they sure don’t resemble Camelot.
And he who asked them to endorse it may be President, but he sure ain’t King Arthur.
King Richard III, maybe, but not King Arthur.
Maybe this is something that needs to be made clear —?
People need to think carefully about the sort of world they’re setting up for their children. People in government especially, perhaps. They need to realize: the acceptance of torture is neither a fit act of Camelot, nor a movement toward Camelot.
Even if it is something out of the Dark Ages.
For a plain-spoken summary of what the Military Commissions Act is and does, see Anup Shah’s article on ZNet.
And then consider writing your Congresscritters.
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Reader Comments (2)
I just found this post. Sitting here pretty since early October and not a comment. And it does bother me quite a bit that the neighbour to the south of my own country seems to be moving comfortably towards something rather uncomfortable. The Roman Empire as I recall began as a republic. Increasingly to be a Canadian in this world feels rather like being a mouse sleeping with an elephant -- if you know I mean.
There are indeed times when modern Friends seem less like the courageous early Friends whose name they've taken than like deer caught in the headlights.
Not long after this essay was written, the Bush regime applied the Military Commissions Act's provisions to 196 detainees at Guantanamo -- effectively depriving them of all mercy but its own.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has already upheld the Act against a formal court challenge.
So far, I've seen no indication from the new U.S. Congress as to whether it has any intention of repealing the Act.
And the sole reader to respond to this essay so far is you. A Canadian.
Dear God.