I hate to end the year on a down note, but I have to say that my overriding emotion right now is one of disgust. And it seems that everything I've heard on the news lately just adds to that feeling.
First there was the "execution" of Saddam Hussein. I have nothing but contempt for this evil man, but the way he died leaves me with a strong feeling of unease. His trial was a farce, then we rushed to turn him over to the Iraqis, who handled his hanging more like a lynching than an legitimate state execution. If you watch the video, you will hear the onlookers taunting him and shouting insults, while Hussein, who chose to leave his face visible, calmly faces his death chanting holy words. And to do this on the first day of the Sunni Eid ul-Adha (which is a holy day commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for God. It's as if everything was calculated to inflame the Sunnis and to turn Hussein into a martyr. And how can we now bring about a coalition government when we've inextricably allied ourselves with the Shia militia? What insanity.
Then there was the revelation that Gerald Ford admitted before his death that in fact he had pardoned Richard Nixon because of their friendship. All this time I had bought his previous statements that he did it "for the good of the country". What bullshit. Now we find that Ford was no better than the rest of them, sticking together to save his crony, and taking the first step to the lack of accountability that is now rampant in the Bush presidency. Furthermore, we now learn that he believed the Iraq war was a mistake, but did not have the courage to speak out publicly at a time when it might have done some good. I guess it's what we can expect from the guy responsible for bringing Rumsfeld and Cheney into government service.
Finally, the news that Bush met for three whole hours with his advisors while on vacation in Crawford, Texas, trying to figure some way out of the mess that he has created. Three whole hours! Golly, this presidenting job sure is hard work.
Disgusting.
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