"For now I am a judge, and a good judge too."

W.S. Gilbert's jolly, little song should stand as a serious monument to Judge Hellerstein of the Supreme Court.  He insisted, against the wishes of the administration, that the Freedom of Information Act stood above national shame and embarrassment and allowed publication of the Abu Ghraib pictures.  Gregory Djerejian has the details here; and in another post, here, he details growing unrest in pro-war, Right-wing circles that in the numerous prisoner abuse scandals, no-one further up the chain of command has taken any responsibility.  This is what makes America an admirable nation, but don't expect to read about it at 'Lenin's' Tomb, 'Bion Octupus' or 'Dead Men Left', they're too busy pumping out every piece of anti-American agit-prop they can find in support of people who entice the jobless into a phoney set-up and then blow them to pieces.

Comments

[mark]

How does the fact that
a) these outrages happened
b) no high-ranking officials have taken responsibility
c) the ACLU had to sue for the release of these pictures
show America to be "admirable"?

"entice the jobless into a phoney set-up and then blow them to pieces"
Like enlisting poor & jobless Americans into the army for them to be blown to pieces in the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation?

[Backword Dave]

Mark, I believe what Duff (he won't use my preferred form of my first name; so I won't use his) means is that the judge's decision (and its basis in the Constitution and US law) is "what makes America an admirable nation." He may also mean Gregory Djerejian.

If he does, then I agree with him. My present formulation is something like "the US is an admirable nation in principle, and the majority of its citizens are admirable people; sadly, like everywhere else, it is ruled by incompetent cupidinous fools." This makes me either anti-American, or pro-American, according to taste.

That said, I find the majority of comments on lgf hateful. And the answer to "How does this idiot Judge have the right to tell the Pentagon what to do?" is "Read the Constitution, you idiot!"

Er, lgf link: http://snipurl.com/i1q3

[David Duff]

'Dave', 'Dave', I *will* use your preferred name, honestly I will, but only with inverted commas because that is how Miss Wood (Eng. Lang. & Lit., c. 1950-55) taught me. Also, because I am, as I think you may know, the Founder, President-for-Life, and, alas, sole member of S.A.D. (the Society Against Diminutives). This is a nasty habit that has encroached upon these shores from those rebels across the ocean.

Even so, I must admit that as we become more European in attitudes, my admiration for America increases. (I do admire Djerejian, but that was not the main point of my remarks.) I think your formulation is not totally false, but perhaps, unduly harsh. Of course, it is increasingly difficult to actually admire politicians in isolation, as it were, but that makes it all the more necessary to compare them to some specimens from other nations. That is why I think that, on the whole, by and large, taken in the round, as it were, America is 'A Good Thing'.

[Meaders]

...find in support of people who entice the jobless into a phoney set-up and then blow them to pieces.

Funny, I thought you'd be all in favour. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/modest.html

[Meaders]

Another thing: would you mind showing me the last bit of "anti-American agit-prop" I "pumped out", please?

[David Duff]

Well, Meaders, I took a quick look in your archives and found a couple fairly quickly, but then I felt my eye-lids getting heavy and I couldn't cope with looking for more. Anyway, you're a 'guest contributor to 'Lenin's Tomb' - 'nuff said!

[Meaders]

From which I'd have to conclude that you can't find any "anti-American agit-prop" I've produced on my site, or Lenin's, let alone that I "pump it out".

Cheers then.

[David Duff]

No, Meaders, on this site, unlike the Orwellian style beloved by the 'Trot-lot', words mean what they mean in every-day language. Thus, "I took a quick look in your archives and found a couple fairly quickly.." means just that. I kept them as a word document (it is not easy to swipe and paste into 'Typeface) for a while in case you came back but, sod's law, I cleared them before your response. I'm certainly not going back to find them, you single-minded, political fanatics are just too tedious. However, if anyone isn't sleeping well, and wishes to check my accusation against Meaders's plea of innocence, please feel free to undertake your own investigation. One thing I do remember, with sickening clarity, is that Meaders is the man who endorsed the SWP/(dis)Respect's call for the Iraqi terrorists to 'use all possible means'. I would very much like Meaders and his comrades to take this message to Colchester which is now the base for my old regiment. And I would urge readers to remember that Meaders is a contributor to 'Lenin's Tomb' (I refuse to link to it) which has another contributor who offers thinly-veiled incitements to murder whilst also making jokes about murdered Jews on her own site.

You see, Meaders, old boy, it's the company you keep that says so much about you!

[Meaders]

Your memory fails you, Duff, since at no point and under no circumstances would I urge anyone to "use all possible means" to achieve anything - least of all when violence is a real possibility. I challenge you to find any instance; you won't be able to.

I've discussed with you, at greater length than it merits, the distinction between "necessary" and "possible" means. I am more than happy to repeat the slogan "by any means necessary". I have used it in the past. It denotes the strong connection between means and ends that is vital if any moral sense is to be given to political decisions: it states that only those means absolutely needed for a given ends should be used, and that this should be a maximum of force. It is stands in stark opposition to the phrase "by any means possible".

For the suggestion that I "pump out" "anti-American agit-prop", and for the sickeningly mistaken accusation that I support "any means possible" in the liberation of Iraq, an apology would be appreciated.

("I would very much like Meaders and his comrades to take this message to Colchester which is now the base for my old regiment."

Funnily enough, I *have* taken this message to Colchester and am pleased to report that the spirit of anti-imperialism is alive and kicking in this corner of north Essex. The "comrades" are doing a fine trade, you'll be glad to hear. In the meantime, try http://www.mfaw.org.uk)

[David Duff]

Meaders, in case you are following this thread, I have promoted it to a post up above.