Torture

Just wondering, is anyone else appalled that the man instrumental in permitting the use of torture on terrorist suspects is about to become the chief law enforcement officer in the USA? To me, it's further indication as to how much the current US Administration has lost the plot.

 

No, what's worrying is they haven't lost the plot. They are following through their idealogy to its end. Be very afraid.

from some '60s song

 

Tom,

I'm confused and would like to understand what exactly you're referring to when you talk of their ideology.

I'm not asking for a detailed report but perhaps it would be possible to give a brief summary of the salient points.

Thanks.

 

If you keep a population constantly under a high state of alert it is easy to scare them into accepting legislation that may not benefit them. The more restricting the legislation, the easier it is to control them and ultimately bleed the system to your own ends.

A cynical out look? Yes but then what can you say about a government that invades another country for personal gain or shuts down its own National Parks so that their pals can exploit the oil under them?

So I guess what I mean by "ideology" is "Keep 'em scared and we can make money".

 

No. Realistic. They've reverted to the 50's when the cold war kept them under control.

 

sounds like exactly what's been goin on here, Tom, the news hasn't been free of terror, iraq, all that.
clearly intended to frighten us all to death.

 

Isn't that one of the tracks from Simon and Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - the one about being Robert McNamara'd into submission, or whatever?

I think that's the first ever pop culture reference not to go clean over my head BTW

 

Correct

SIMON & GARFUNKEL lyrics - "A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)"


I been Norman Mailered, Maxwell Taylored.
I been John O'Hara'd, McNamara'd.
I been Rolling Stoned and Beatled till I'm blind.
I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded
Communist, 'cause I'm left-handed.
That's the hand I use, well, never mind!

I been Phil Spectored, resurrected.
I been Lou Adlered, Barry Sadlered.
Well, I paid all the dues I want to pay.
And I learned the truth from Lenny Bruce,
And all my wealth won't buy me health,
So I smoke a pint of tea a day.

I knew a man, his brain was so small,
He couldn't think of nothing at all.
He's not the same as you and me.
He doesn't dig poetry. He's so unhip that
When you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas,
Whoever he was.
The man ain't got no culture,
But it's alright, ma,
Everybody must get stoned.

I been Mick Jaggered, silver daggered.
Andy Warhol, won't you please come home?
I been mothered, fathered, aunt and uncled,
Been Roy Haleed and Art Garfunkeled.
I just discovered somebody's tapped my phone.

Strange thing is I was listen to this album the day Our Boys went into Kuwait. Somethings never change

 

It was a great era for protest songs that were also amazingly good works of music & lyrics - Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Tim Rose, Donovan, Nina Simone, etc.

Is there anything of that quality happening now, protest-song-wise?

 

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
n

 

Isn't that Country Joe?

 

Sure is.

 

With threads like this, we don't need a thread asking people how old they are