Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
- George Santayana, philosopher, poet, critic
I’m convinced that the recently released “Torture Memos” need careful reading.
I’ll be royal here for a moment.
“We” need to develop the skills to see through the veneer of rhetoric and “we” need to develop these skills now.
“We” need to take advantage of these relatively placid times in which we currently live to learn how atrocities can “spun” with labels such as “patriotism” and “national defense.”
“We” need to learn what spin looks like so that “we” are able to act with greater competence and vigor next time (and there will be a next time) someone in authority wants to throw human rights under the bus in favor of the “expedience” of the moment.
Find the Memos here (warning — 10MB PDF file) and…I implore you to do the patriotic thing on this so-called “Patriot’s Day”….learn.
Amen!