Dick Durbin: never apologize
Thanks respublica: Dick Durbin: never apologizeThe senior senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, (a man the junior senator, Barack Obama, would do well to stay away from), has managed to say the worst and manage to appear not the least embarrassed by it.
Durbin, in a speech on the Senate floor compared the actions ofHear it here
American soldiers in charge of the Gitmo prison on Guantanamo to "Nazis, Soviet gulags and a ''mad regime'' like Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's in Cambodia."
There is quite an uproar over Durbin's words, criticism coming from
both sides of the aisle and from both left and right leaning
media. But what about Durbin himself? Is it surprising he
won't back down and apologize for words that even got him a great big
story on Al Jazeera? This may sound flip and shallow, but Durbin loves
nothing more than to have face time on TV. And now he has it, big
time. So he's happy. Doesn't matter that no one else is
pleased with him, he wakes up to see his own face in every national
paper and on every tv channel. Sorry, folks, that is what Durbin
lives for. Thanks to Bill Baar for finding the Al Jazeera link.
posted by Red Chicago @ 8:40 PM
4 Comments:
Here's an email I received from a Methodist minister from Northwestern Illinois who served as a chaplain at Gitmo. I apologize for the length. I didn't want to edit it.
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The following is a e-mail letter I wrote to the Women's Division of the General
Board of Global Ministries concerning their announcement of beginning a new campaign.
Please feel free to pass it along to others and especially any other United Methodists.
FROM: Reverend Kent L. Svendsen
Ordained Elder
United Methodist Church / Northern Illinois Conference
Dear Women's Division
General Borad of Global Ministries
United Methodist Church
I understand that you about to start a campaign relating to among other things
human rights protections and the detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
I can speak with some authority on the subject since I served as the chaplain to the
Joint Detention Operation Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from May 2004 until March 2005.
As a United Methodist I have a keen sense of world justice and while serving in Cuba
sought to be faithful to our social principles and their concern for social holiness.
So I am not speaking to you as a military chaplain but as an Ordained United Methodist.
I have a great concern for our news media sources today. There was a day
when the truth and protecting our nation from harm took precedence over
being the first to break a story. Now it seems that accusations, no matter
how harmful, no matter the source, no matter the possible consequences,
are enough to use them as weapons upon the innocent as well as the guilty.
I am also grieved that there seems to be not only an automatic assumption
of guilt when the accusations are aimed at our military and our government,
but that any explanation aimed at proving them innocent is also
automatically viewed as a "cover up". And that when those who are guilty of violations
are uncovered, prosecutated, and punished there is a tendency by some to want to use
that as evidence that the violations were policy instead a violation of the standing
orders and policy. What the new media and groups like the Woman's Division needs to
understand is that accusations cause harm and create damage that a retraction and
an admission of error later cannot repair. (I don't think we will ever really know
exactly how many died after Newsweek made the false accusation of a Koran being flushed
down a toilet.)
There are those who would use accusations such as those recently made against our
military as weapons to gain political power. They count on the fact that people will
believe something if its said enough times and said by people and organizations they
respect. It was the case in the past that our nation's opponents tried to prevent our
culture and news sources from reaching their people. After all, the ideas of freedom,
democracy, and equality for all doesn't play well in some parts of the world. So since
modern technology cannot be stopped and "world news" is now also news to the world there
is now a new strategy. They use it to their advantage as a weapon against our nation.
The accusations are flying fast and furious. If your organzation would be interested
in knowing about my experience. (I cannot talk about the day to day activities in the
camp but I can either verify or deny many of the accusations that are being made.)
Here's a list that might help you if your willing to listen to an Ordained Elder who
knows the facts rather than accusations made based on speculation. I'll respond here
specifically to some of the one's I've heard.
1. The detainees have direct access to the International Red Cross represenatativies
contrary to the accusations that they have no outside contact. Also, all the detainees
are allowed to write and receive mail from family.
2. The detainees have their food prepared according to Islamic guidelines. The call
to prayer is broadcast for them to go to prayer. Each detainee has the direction
to Meccah painted in their cell. They are allowed to practice their religion wihtout
interference and are given the religious items they need to do so. They are allowed
to observe Ramadan.
3. There are strict guidelines and training concerning human rights protections. If a
service member sees a violation they are to report it and if asked to violate someone's
human rights they are to consider it as an unlawful order. Those who violate are subject
to prosecution.
If you are interested in more information please contact me. There is also an article
about my work in Cuba which was published in the July issue of Esquire magazine.
Kent Svendsen
Chaplain (Major) USAR
Well done!
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