A Bird’s Eye View : Stupidity and more of the same
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Advena Avis
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 23, 2009 00:00
In our column of Feb. 1, we praised the new U.S. president. We had then written about him the following: " É But it was not only his words that impressed us. His words were immediately followed by action. One of the first things that he did upon assuming office was to request the suspension of all war crime trials at Guantanamo. É "
But alas, on May 15, administration officials announced that some Guantanamo detainees would be prosecuted in a military commission system. In a statement, Obama himself noted that there was a long U.S. tradition of using military commissions and said the administration was proposing changes to make them provide fairer justice. He said the commissions would be used as one avenue for prosecution, along with existing U.S. courts. "This is the best way to protect our country, while upholding our deeply held values," the statement said.
We were shocked and saddened by this reversal. We feel betrayed. The military commission system will delay the closing down of Guantanamo, until the trials are over and they might last long enough to keep Guantanamo open for some time to come. In his statement Obama mentions that the changes made will provide fairer justice. Fairer justice for whom? To prisoners who have been tortured? Fairer also means more fair than the previous unjust system. This means that the new system is not just but only a little better than the previous one. If this is the way that the U.S. will restore its respectability in the world, then Obama is making a serious mistake. What more can we say but express our bird-brained indignation.
Human stupidity continues as humans do not stop inventing stupid things. A Seattle designer has come up with the ultimate gadget for people who would like to be taller and use more graceful, animal-leg extensions! Kim Graham's Digtiigrade Leg extensions add 14 inches of height to the wearers *Ğ and she claims a number of famously pint-size actors and performers already have their names on the two-month waiting list. The fine arts sculptor says the steel extensions are much more than just stilts and insists that they give a person the uncanny and graceful appearance of an animal. If you humans want the graceful appearance of an animal, you can also add cow horns, and why not a lion's tail? Can you imagine pigs using human steel legs to become taller? That is how we birds see it. So why don’t you simply use pogo sticks? The result is almost the same.
Ponder our thoughts, dear humans, for your benefit.
We were shocked and saddened by this reversal. We feel betrayed. The military commission system will delay the closing down of Guantanamo, until the trials are over and they might last long enough to keep Guantanamo open for some time to come. In his statement Obama mentions that the changes made will provide fairer justice. Fairer justice for whom? To prisoners who have been tortured? Fairer also means more fair than the previous unjust system. This means that the new system is not just but only a little better than the previous one. If this is the way that the U.S. will restore its respectability in the world, then Obama is making a serious mistake. What more can we say but express our bird-brained indignation.
Human stupidity continues as humans do not stop inventing stupid things. A Seattle designer has come up with the ultimate gadget for people who would like to be taller and use more graceful, animal-leg extensions! Kim Graham's Digtiigrade Leg extensions add 14 inches of height to the wearers *Ğ and she claims a number of famously pint-size actors and performers already have their names on the two-month waiting list. The fine arts sculptor says the steel extensions are much more than just stilts and insists that they give a person the uncanny and graceful appearance of an animal. If you humans want the graceful appearance of an animal, you can also add cow horns, and why not a lion's tail? Can you imagine pigs using human steel legs to become taller? That is how we birds see it. So why don’t you simply use pogo sticks? The result is almost the same.
Ponder our thoughts, dear humans, for your benefit.