Torture and the Right

M

midcan5

Member
Did conservatism lose all sense of value when it condoned torture and the suspension of law after 911?

"My own view is that the American conservative movement's embrace or defense of torture was the moment its intellectual collapse became irrecoverable. When conservatism abandoned core values of American decency in favor of pure force, exemplified by torture techniques designed by Communists and Nazis, then it ceased to be conservative in the sense that Burke or Hayek or Oakeshott or Kirk would begin to understand. And watching the intellectual dishonesty of the right on this issue in the last few years has been a watershed for me. It has been, in my judgment, one long, awful surrender of truth to power. Take a moment with me to review what one leading light of the Republican blogosphere wrote when the Abu Ghraib scandal first hit the news in the spring of 2004." A.S.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/the-right-and-a.html
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/ross-on-tortu-1.html

"So as far as the bigger picture goes, then, it seems indisputable that in the name of national security, and with the backing of seemingly dubious interpretations of the laws, this Administration pursued policies that delivered many detainees to physical and mental abuse, and not a few to death. These were wartime measures, yes, but war is not a moral blank check: If you believe that Abu Ghraib constituted a failure of jus in bello, then you have to condemn the decisions that led to Abu Ghraib, which means that you have to condemn the President and his Cabinet." R.D.

http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/12/thinking_about_torture.php
 
The demise of the conservative movement began back in 1994 with the contract with America which was used to move the Republican party to the far right. The party stopped being a party of conservatives, as we've traditionally known them and became a party of reactionary activist. That worked for a time and we got 8 years of far right reactionary governance for Mr. Bush which, through crises, proved time and again it's failings as a governing policy.

With the alienation of the American public of far right politics the Republican party made the conscience decision to go even further to the right. Hardly a rational decision considering the sentiments of the mainstream American public.

My point is, is that the Conservative movement did not die from losing it's moraly authority (though it did lose that.). The movement died simply because the leaders stopped being conservatives and embraced reactionary and authoritarian extremism.

The base of the Republican party, as represented by the views of many member here on the far right, is in no way shape or form conservative.
 
The gag quality of democratic pompousity is sickening.

If Barack Obama was to say the torturing Pakistanis is the best way to fight the 'war on terror" democrats would swallow that bullshit in a heartbeat .. and they'd shut the fuck up and wouldn't make a peep .. just as they shut the fuck up when the Mindfuck Master agreed to illegal wiretapping and the Patriot Act and called the surge "successful beyond our wildest dreams."

Why don't you scold republicans for agreeing to the bailout of rich people and calling the bailout "a rescue plan?" .. which Obama also did.

Why don't you scold republicans for the "Bridge to Nowhere" and voting for wasteful pork they know is just pork? .. which Obama and Biden also voted for.

Why don't you scold republicans for Bush economic polices? .. which Obama is also following WITH some of the very same people who espoused the very same failed policies.

Why don't you scold republicans about their rush to war .. then go find a SINGLE antiwar person in the Obama Administration.

Democrats swallow every bit as well and as much as do republicans.
 
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The Contract with America was hardly radical, particularly considering that it propelled Congressional Republicans to victory; but by all means whatever helps you sleep at night.

The only thing that could have remotely been considered radical was the position on education in 1994, but even that was abandoned and went nowhere. The majority of the Contract relied on simple, common sense legislation that had at least a majority of support among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents like term limits and budgetary restraints.
 
blackascoal said:
The gag quality of democratic pompousity is sickening.

If Barack Obama was to say the torturing Pakistanis is the best way to fight the 'war on terror" democrats would swallow that bullshit in a heartbeat .. and they'd shut the fuck up and wouldn't make a peep .. just as they shut the fuck up when the Mindfuck Master agreed to illegal wiretapping and the Patriot Act and called the surge "successful beyond our wildest dreams."

.
Click to expand...

Some demoncrats would. I do not.

Your understanding is so small that you think all Democrats are alike ?
Must be your republican indoctrination at work.

Btw you post was so far right wing it is not funny.
You write for Rush?
 
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