The Rhetoric
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During his inaugural speech, President Bush spoke thusly:
"The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.""
The Reality
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Former Army Sgt. Erik R. Saar has written a book about interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay. Every man woman and child star-struck by the glory and the piety of George W. Bush should ponder one of the stories he tells. It fills me with a sickness of spirit that will not genuflect before the throne of our dear leader. If this kingdom be the kingdom of God, send me to hell with glee:
Imagine a prisoner far from the softness of hope under interrogation. Imagine the interrogator a woman. Imagine the prisoner being told that he can either "cooperate" or "have no hope whatsoever of ever leaving Guantanamo or talking to a lawyer"
Imagine that the man closes his eyes and begins to pray.
Imagine now that the interrogator removes her uniform top and taunts the detainee, touching her breasts, rubbing them against the prisoner's back and commenting on the contents of his trousers (to put it as politely as I can).
Imagine that the interrogator leaves the room to ask a Muslim linguist how she can "break the prisoner's reliance on God".
I will not tell you the linguists advice, nor the events that followed. If you care to know what the President that speaks with God has wrought, you may find out by reading this. I must warn you, though, that it is an abomination to kindness and betrays the Sermon on the Mount:
Inquisition II
How long can we maintain our freedom under the rule of a just God?
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