Bones

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Bones
By John S. Hatch
November 27, 2008

It is generally considered a courtesy for a newly inaugurated President to overlook any sins of the past incumbent in the interests of 'looking ahead' and in the knowledge that the same good manners will be repeated after his/her own end of term. The most extreme example of this was Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon after the latter's ignominious resignation. Arguably necessary for the health of the nation after its 'long nightmare', it was nevertheless handled badly, and Ford paid a price by becoming a one-term President.

Not to trivialize Nixon's crimes (and part of the flawed pardon process meant there was no allocution, no admission of guilt, no mention of the many crimes besides Watergate), the three articles of impeachment mentioned the actual break-in, cover-up, including the payment 'hush money', misuse of the FBI and IRS, ignoring subpoenas, spying, and such matters (remind you of anyone?).

For these 'crimes and misdemeanors' he undoubtedly would have been impeached, but he resigned to avoid that outcome, and was pardoned for any of his actions which might have crossed the line into illegality. However one might have wished to see Mr. Nixon brought to account, no one argued that the pardon itself was illegal. The matter was handled constitutionally, and people got back to their lives and the nation tried to move on.

But what of Mr. Bush? It could be argued that his domestic crimes far surpass anything done by the Nixon Administration, and while some saw Nixon, Kissinger, McNamara and others as international war criminals, there again Bush has far surpassed Nixon in the number and nature of crimes against humanity, if not the numbers of dead. It's hard to keep track once you surpass a million corpses.

...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21330.htm">Bones

[Old Codger]

1. I hope

That they take the tome to investigate and charge * and C* with all applicable crimes.. if they let it go for "the good of the country" they are wrong and guilty of malfeasance (IMHO)

[kas125]

2. and they'll come back again just like they've done twice already.

We HAVE to investigate, charge, try and punish the criminals.

[Vincardog]

3. tell Obama

[tblue37]

4. Without Truth there can be no Reconciliation. nt

[asteroid2003QQ47]

5. The American War in Viet Nam? Bush worse than Nixon? WTF?

"But what of Mr. Bush? It could be argued that his domestic crimes far surpass anything done by the Nixon Administration, and while some saw Nixon, Kissinger, McNamara and others as international war criminals, there again Bush has far surpassed Nixon in the number and nature of crimes against humanity, if not the numbers of dead."

I'd settle for equally insidious and morally bankrupt.
-----------------------------------------------

"Well, the Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as does a Westerner. Life is plentiful, life is cheap in the Orient."
-General Westmoreland

[Old Codger]

6. One difference (and a major one)

Nixon etc. were in a war that someone else started, we will never really know all that went on at that time, but * etc. started this war, they invaded a sovereign nation and ousted its government, they have most likely killed more than he did or at best been the cause either directly or indirectly for those deaths. IMHO the only way we can regain our national honor and some semblance of national pride is to clear it all out with public prosecutions of the war crimes domestic criminal acts he and his administration have committed.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

8. Horseshit!

Uncle Sam wasn't exactly dragged kicking and screaming into Viet Nam as you would have us believe. He was after the regions natural resources, primarily off shore oil (sound familiar?). At the time it was thought the largest source of untapped oil waiting to be discovered was under the sea floor between Viet Nam and Australia. Maps published by the WSJ at the time showed the sea-floor divided
into a grid and identified the leaseholders who eagerly awaited a favorable conclusion to the war of aggression so that they might commence drilling.
To " Regain our national honor and some semblance of national pride" we must prosecute war criminals with no mention of prosecuting out of a sense of moral duty. That bespeaks volumes!

[Old Codger]

9. WTF

Please show me in my message were I said anything at all about who started that war...or why we were there...
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY MESSAGE:
Nixon etc. were in a war that someone else started, we will never really know all that went on at that time, but * etc. started this war, they invaded a sovereign nation and ousted its government, they have most likely killed more than he did or at best been the cause either directly or indirectly for those deaths. IMHO the only way we can regain our national honor and some semblance of national pride is to clear it all out with public prosecutions of the war crimes domestic criminal acts he and his administration have committed.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

[asteroid2003QQ47]

10. Nixon and the nebulous 'etc.'

Wouldn't 'etc.' be synonymous with the 'we' you seem so fond of identifying with?
A 'war that someone else started?' Why cloud that issue, the 'someone' was just another White House seat holder that predated Nixon, going all the way back to Ike or even Truman.
American Presidents started both genocidal wars!
I can understand that admitting that would adversely tarnish the image you seek to project, that of one committed to regaining a 'national honor' that never existed!
Save the obfuscation for others more gullible than I.
-------------------------------------------
Hearing, 'We doctors...', he knew this man to be a slave. This 'We doctors...' was his self as co-extensive with his internalized others, the parasitic creatures who sucked his blood.
--R. D. Laing and D. G. Cooper on Jean Paul Sartre in
Reason and Violence,
A decade of Sartre's philosophy 1950--1960

[Tansy_Gold]

11. I think the point is that Nixon himself as C in C did not order and

begin the invasion of Viet Nam (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, etc.) but was continuing an overt aggression started by Johnson via Tonkin Gulf, who in turn was continuing both overt and covert operations going back at least to Eisenhower re Dien Bien Phu and the French debacle.

While boooosh inherited the various embargoes and sanctions and oppressions targeting Saddam and Iraq, he made the 2003 invasion publicly his. It can be argued that yes, the sanctions and limitations, etc., of the Bush I, Gulf War I, and Clinton adventures in Iraq also took a toll, there are distinct differences in the origination of the actual quagmire.

Or so it seems to




Tansy Gold

[Old Codger]

12. Hmmmmm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETC


You can interpret it to mean anything you choose, but before you rag on me or attempt to flame me over your interpretation of what I "might" mean you might just try asking me what I had in mind with that.. the abbreviation etc. for the word Etcetera means "and others" not "We" I guess I could change that to "Et Al"

et al.
n. abbreviation for the Latin phrase et alii meaning "and others." This is commonly used in shortening the name of a case, as in "Pat Murgatroyd v. Sally Sherman, et al."

same meaning....

really not interested in carrying this discussion on in this vein... I never in any way meant nor intended to intimate that we should have been in Nam, lost some good friends there, and had no intention whatsoever of comparing the two conflicts as being anything akin, Nixon did not start or end Nam the only comparison between he and * is the attempt to contravene our constitution.. Nixon IMHO was an angel compared to * and *heney

I was and still am against what happened in Nam. And am against what is happening in Iraq at this time....

[yurbud]

7. Did anybody see the series finale of THE SHIELD? they had a devastating allocution scene

that immediately made me think of the Bushies.

The character actually gets immunity for drug dealing, kidnapping, grand larceny, and murder, but he is so tarnished he is essentially quarantined for life.