vendredi 4 décembre 2009

Les américains majoritairement pour la torture (grâce à Obama)

En choisissant de ne pas poursuivre les criminels du Bush Regime sur la torture, Obama a normalisé celle-ci dans la conscience (l'inconscience?) américaine. C'est la grande responsabilité d'Obama: la légitimation post-fact d'un grand nombre des transgressions de Bush qui va finalement encore plus changer la nature du pays que les exactions de Bush elles-mêmes. Hillary Clinton aurait eu droit à beaucoup plus de grognements des démocrates pour la même politique de blanchiment des exactions bushistes. C'est la magie d'Obama: si les élites américaines ne l'avaient pas, elles devraient l'inventer!

C'est donc un legs du benêt texan, d'Obama et de Jack Bauer: les américains sont désormais majoritairement pour la torture. Greenwald le relève:

Currently just over half of Americans say that the use of torture against suspected terrorists in order to gain important information can either often (19%) or sometimes (35%) be justified. This is the first time in over five years of Pew Research polling on this question that a majority has expressed these views. (NDLR: Merci Barack Obama!*) Another 16% say torture can rarely be justified, while 25% say it can never be justified.
...
With these new numbers, it's virtually impossible to find a country with as high a percentage of torture supporters as the U.S. has. In Iran, for instance, only 36% believe that torture can be justified in some cases, while 43% believe all torture must be strictly prohibited. Similarly, 66% of Palestinians, 54% of Egyptians, and over 80% of Western Europeans believe torture is always wrong.
...
Adam Serwer says that this is "what happens when one party in a two party system makes something outrageous part of its political platform: Even the most abhorrent behavior can be mainstreamed." That's basically true, but even leaving aside the fact that many Democrats acquiesced to if not outright supported the same polices, this outcome is also attributable to our collective and very bipartisan decision not to investigate and prosecute the torture crimes that were committed. After all, how is it possible to credibly maintain that we believe torture is some sort of extreme crime and absolute evil when we sat by while our political leaders did it and now refuse to comply with our obligations to prosecute it?

* A noter aussi que l'institut sondage ne pose cette question que depuis 5 ans! Avant, la réponse allait de soi... Happier times, quand le commandant Sylvestre m'apparaissait encore comme une caricature marrante mais grotesque.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin. Cela s'est vérifié assez rapidement.

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