Sleepycatz

Men of Steel

It has now become apparent that –with the support of Sens. Schumer and Feinstein and the insane hyperbole of President Bush– Judge Mukasey will be confirmed as the next Attorney General of the United States. It is nearly inconceivable that a man who who believes that the President has the right to detain citizens and residents without charge, and who has called for secret courts of prosecution, could be confirmed as the chief legal representative in the United States. Yet, these are the times in which we live: Times filled with fear and uncertainty. It is in these times that an old ideology has risen to prominence: The ideology of authoritarianism.

Authoritarianism should not be confused with fascism –though one may lead to the other and vice-versa. Where the later seeks to unite a country under single cooperative rule lead by a charismatic leader, authoritarianism seeks only the goal of power for its leader, and his small band of loyalists. Where fascism uses nationalism and fear to unite the people into a fasces, authoritarianism primarily uses fear to maintain power, with little concern of uniting people in anything other then fear of itself or its prescribed enemies. Authoritarianism is the poor man’s fascism. It requires little to intellectual honesty, but offers the same ultimate power to its leaders.

The current authoritarian crop is found among the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States. These men are engaged in a battle to prove which is stronger. They argue as to which will more quickly throw off the burdensome weaknesses of law (national or international), or which has the strength of will to incarcerate and abuse more of their enemies. These are men of steel. They argue for the preternatural power of the Presidency. They acknowledge no limits on this power; for they believe that that the next president must expand upon the powers the existing one. This, they suggest, must be done until the Presidency is indistinguishable from the Roman office of Dictator: an office with unlimited power to protect the state.

Among the prospective Duci, John McCain –the only combat veteran– has suggested that America cease torturing its detainees. Mr. McCain has been mocked for his stance in the past, and met with the equivocation argument of “we’re no worse then the evil we are fighting;” an argument used to justify nearly every atrocity throughout history. Mr. McCain has suffered for his beliefs among the base of his party –he is presently polling third or fourth. And though Mr. McCain believes in the authoritarian office of President, this is not enough to satisfy many. His party stalwarts believe that a single iron willed leader is the only thing that can save them from the enemy they have created in their fear. They will trust only a man who has the vision to see beyond law and reason and into the depths of their fears and dreams for order and vengeance.

For nearly one hundred years, our country had hosted two great political parties, both of which vied for political dominance generally within the framework of our laws and government. Even in the worst days of our republic in which the most heinous decisions were made (such as Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus and Roosevelt’s internment of American citizens) the acts were made with the full knowledge of the other branches of our government and with lawful review. But today, one party insists that one part of our government –the excellency of the Presidency– must be allowed to operate in secret, with secret expansive powers which no court nor man can hold to account. The Republican party has chosen an expedient path of authoritarianism in hopes that the fears and desperation of the American people match those of the party’s financiers and base. The other party, the Democratic Party, has showed itself either too afraid or too covetous of these new powers to act against its political adversaries. This party has shown itself to lack any will of leadership, authoritarian or otherwise, and thus struggles for unity and direction. The base of the Democratic party has been clear in its demands, but the leadership has ignored their calls and has pursued appeasement through ‘moderation’. The Republican party has offered a vision of the future, though be it a frightening one. The Democratic party, however, has been able to provide little evidence that it is opposed to the authoritarian ideas from across the aisle, or that it has the will to govern at all.

Our republic is in danger. But it is not threatened from without, but from within. It is threatened by those who seek to use its offices to gain ultimate authority; it is threatened by those pundits and politicians who cynically see all of politics as a win/loose game; and it is threatened by a frightened and apathetic public who seek quick fixes over reasoned understanding. It is only this final element which may be changing. There are growing voices outside of the pundits and politicians calling for introspection and change. It remains to be seen whether those voices will be heard by those threatening our nation.

Panties for Peace

Despondent over the lack of of action against the Burmese dictators recent murder and repression, an activist group in Thailand has organized women to send their underwear to the Burmese government offices and embassies. The Panties for Peace protest is designed to first keep the ever saddening plight of Burma in the minds of the media and policy makers, and secondly to play upon the masculine superstitions of the Burmese depots:

Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee.

“Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman’s pants or sarong will make them lose their strength,” Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.

It never ceases to amaze how common the fear of women’s naughty bits is among despotic authoritarians. During a visit from the Pope last year the Polish authorities banned the sales of lingerie and tampons. The sale of tampons, by unlicensed medical professionals has also been banned in Taiwan. Authoritarians seem to have some innate fear of the female body. Nearly all the anti-homosexual rhetoric, here in the states, focuses on the feminizing of the male body by emphasizing stereotypical female characteristics such as physical weakness, passivity, and of course an obsession on the penetration of the sexual body.

The despots of Burma seem to believe that simply touching a pair of panties, which may have been in the proximity of a vagina, imparts femitons which attack the precious masculine bodily fluids. It is no coincidence that this fear of women’s bodies has created a policy of using rape as a political and military weapon. Their fear and hatred of women’s bodies allows these men to justify performing the most unspeakable acts against them.

Next week on October 24th, the US Campaign for Burma will be holding a grass roots media awareness day. They hope to bring more pressure on the UN — and particularly China — to take action against the brutal leaders of Burma. There is still some hope for the Burmese people that the world can force the government to recognize the duly elected leaders of Burma and provide some relief to the brutalized citizens of this small country.

Sadness for Burma

The Daily Mail is reporting today that thousands have been massacred in Burma over the weekend, and that there is little hope left for the Burmese people. The repressive regime has deployed over 20,000 troops in Rangoon and has been performing mass arrests and killings, dumping the bodies in the jungle. Ko Htike has been blogging about he detention camps set up in the Yangon Institute of Technology and General Institute of Technology and the appalling brutality met out to the peaceful Buddhist monks.

A Swedish diplomat who visited Burma during the protests said last night that in her opinion the revolution has failed.

Liselotte Agerlid, who is now in Thailand, said that the Burmese people now face possibly decades of repression. “The Burma revolt is over,” she added.

“The military regime won and a new generation has been violently repressed and violently denied democracy. The people in the street were young people, monks and civilians who were not participating during the 1988 revolt.

“Now the military has cracked down the revolt, and the result may very well be that the regime will enjoy another 20 years of silence, ruling by fear.”

I hope that this is not the case; that the Burmese people still have some hope of removing their despotic government. But I am also saddened by my knowledge of political realities. With the unfettered support of China, the Burmese government will continue to exercise its reign of rape, brutality, and executions.

In reading the coverage today, I was struck by how many European readers commented on the lack of American intervention. The frustrations in their comments pointed again to American hypocrisy: “Americans call for Democratic reforms, but won’t do anything about it.” In some sense they are correct, but America is a paper tiger in Asia. We have no military left — it has been squandered in Iraq. We have no economic leverage left –it has been purchased by the Chinese. We have no diplomatic force remaining — it was abandoned in the case for WMDs and broken on the shores of Guantanamo.

There are times which i wish I did believe in God. At least then I could prey for the people of Burma, and hope some divine power would intervene and stop their suffering. Sadly, I know this will not happen.

Sadness & Hope

I have been slammed at work all week, so I haven’t had any time to devote to things unrelated to the broken Internet. Therefore I have a lot of catching up to do this weekend. But I have been deeply struck by the horrific and slightly hopeful bits of information coming out of Burma this week.

About ten days ago, Buddhist monks in Burma began protesting the repressive government’s increase of fuel prices. Over the next few days the protests continued to grow as students and others joined in. The government responded by sending in combat troops and murdering several of the monks.

Throughout the protests Burmese citizens and expatriates pushed pictures, stories, and videos out on to the Net to illustrate the horror of their plight. Using blogs, file sharing, and e-mail ordinary Burmese cried out to the world for attention. If there is anything repressive regimes cannot stomach it is attention. Approximately thirty hours ago, the Burmese regime tried killing the voices of the people by cutting Internet service and shutting down Cell systems. But it is too late. Communications have been established; alternate routes for information to travel have been set up; words and pictures continue to flow out of the country.

I’ll never claim to be more then marginally familiar with the history and political situation in Burma. I know something of its post-colonial history — the wacky Ne Win, who superstitiously reissued Burmese currency so all denominations would be a factor of nine (his favorite number); thus, wiping out years of Burmese savings. I am aware the Burmese regime uses rape as a weapon against ethnic minorities and prisoners to sew fear, shame, and compliance. And, like many, I have watched the plight of Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyl. But I am also aware that the Burmese state has been, and continues to be, protected from international pressure by China.

It is in this last area where some difference can be made. China desperately wishes the upcoming Olympics to be seen as a great success and renewal for their country. Already pressure is being placed on them to change their Burmese policy, but a slightly more pressure may provide the tipping point. The US Campaign for Burma has begun organizing events and a petition to persuade the Chinese to change their policies. I urge people to sign their online petition.

At a time when so many leaders claim to be acting in the name of their people, let us listen to the people of Burma. They are calling, and maybe we can help.

For updates, blogs and news sites like Ko-Htike’s, Dawn_01, Burma Diegest, the Democratic Voice of Burma, and, of course, the BBC have some of the latest news and images coming out of the country.

Stress Positions

In 1788, Alexander Hamilton, in defending the Constitution, wrote:

The observations of the judicious Blackstone in reference to the latter, are well worthy of recital: “To bereave a man of life, [says he] or by violence to confiscate his estate, without accusation or trial, would be so gross and notorious an act of despotism, as must at once convey the alarm of tyranny throughout the whole nation; but confinement of the person, by secretly hurrying him to jail, where his sufferings are unknown or forgotten, is a less public, a less striking, and therefore a more dangerous engine of arbitrary government.” And as a remedy for this fatal evil he is everywhere peculiarly emphatical in his encomiums on the habeas corpus act, which in one place he calls “the BULWARK of the British Constitution.”2

Hamilton was arguing that America could not nor could ever forgo the basic rights of English common law; thus, there was no need to include a Bill of Rights into the proposed Constitution. Ten score and eighteen years later, we have shamefully betrayed the hope and convictions of America’s founding fathers. Today, our government will revoke the Great Writ, and endorse the practice of torture; all in the name of partisan politics. America has lost the greatness that it once held - the greatness which drew hopeful immigrants from around the world in order to make a better life, and escape tyranny. America’s greatness was never to be found in its shopping aisles, its financial markets, or its factories; it was found in America’s laws, its philosophy, and its rejection of tyranny. When one man, be him president, pope, or king, can deprive anyone of due process and liberty that man must instantly be labeled a tyrant. It is far too easy to blame only our representatives who, out of desperation and fear, acquiesce to such a tyrant. Much of the blame - or responsibility - lies within our own fears and apathy. Our country was founded by men of enormous courage. At a time when most of the world was ruled by kings and potentates, our leaders decreed that our country would not be governed by one man, but by all men; that power would never be concentrated in a single office, but shared among branches of government - that our land would not be subjected to the whims of imperial power. That courage has faded over the years, and today it is nearly invisible in our government and newscasts. Those of us who speak up are shouted down with cries of traitor or go unheard, drowned out by the constant calls for strength and protection. Somewhere we hope that there lives that small still voice in our nation conscious that will cry out against tyranny and fear, but we also know that, by then, it may be too late. Arbitrary imprisonment and torture are self perpetuating engines. A man is tortured until he implicates co-conspirators; another is arrested and tortured, and so on and so on. The soils of Chile, Ukraine, and Cambodia bear the blood of this awful truth. The scratch stained walls in the prisons of Soviet Russia, China, and Iran are the murals testifying to ultimate, arbitrary, state power. America now claims the right to perpetrate what we once condemned. Our greatness is lost. The only question that remains is whether we shall recover it, or shall we follow the history of other corrupt empires.

As always Glen Greenwald has the details