caminante haciendo camino
"just trust us"
2004-05-11 | 3:58 p.m.

�Just trust us,� has been the Bush administration�s mantra since 9/11.

Just trust us that the Patriot Act, with its inherent ability to undermine civil liberties, is necessary to catch and prosecute terrorists. Just trust us that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction at the ready. Just trust us that there is a link between Saddam�s Bathist regime and Al Queda. Just trust us that the Iraqi people will welcome our invasion and occupation with open arms. Just trust us that this will be an easy war to win. Just trust us that hostilities are over and the war has been won. Just trust us that there will be a governing body to hand over sovereignty to on July 30th.

Just trust us. Just trust us. Just trust us.

The administration�s argument before the Supreme Court a few weeks ago was basically another recitation of this well-worn slogan, �just trust us�. The argument was basically, �enemy combatants are beyond the reach of the Geneva Convention and the U.S. Constitution, but, Your Honors, you�ll just have to trust us that this type of confinement is necessary during this time of war on terror and you�ll just have to trust us that these enemy combatants aren�t being tortured or killed.� I don�t think it will be so easy for the Supreme Court to �just trust� the administration after the recent developments in Iraq.

And still, the administration insists that we should �just trust� them. Just trust them that all those responsible for the torture of prisoners will be held accountable, while at the same time praising Rumsfeld�s �superb job.� Just trust them that the pictures of horrible abuse are just the work of a few bad apples, even though General Taguba�s report says the incidents of abuse were a result of a failure in leadership. Just trust them even though a Republican Senator (Senator Inhofe from Oklahoma) has the audacity to state that he�s outraged by the outrage over the abuse of Iraqi detainees.

That�s right, he�s outraged by the outrage, because �these prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations . . . they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents.� So he simply can�t understand why �humanitarian do-gooders� are so concerned that such lowly people have been mistreated by those wearing a military uniform.

What the fuck?!?! I�m supposed to just trust this?!

Well I don�t. I don�t trust this administration at all. In fact, I wouldn�t trust any administration with such unfettered authority. It�s just un-American to place this type of unchecked power with one branch of government. Yes. That�s right. It�s un-American. You don�t believe me? Go read the Constitution. Three branches. Each intended to check the power of the other two.

So, yes, an administration that continuously cries, �just trust me,� is simply not worthy of my trust. And it certainly isn�t worthy of another four years in office.



Listening To: NPR
Reading: legal briefs
Feeling: angry

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