The American Way

I was writing something about the presumption of innocence the other day, when these three words slipped out: The American Way.

For a brief, shining moment, the towers stood again, and we were the good guys, basking in the admiration and respect of the rest of the world. From that vantage, I saw us complete, rather than in the dribs and flashes daily life only provides.

We have strayed. Oh, how far we have strayed!

Let's cut the bullshit that permeates our political discourse. The cold facts show the following:

We invded a nation that did nothing to us, and didn't ask for our help. Quibble all you want, but there were no WMD's, no mushroom cloud, and no partnership with Al Qaeda. Saddam was a brutal tyrant, but Iraqis were better off under Saddam.

We debate what torture is and isn't because our leaders tell us they need new "coercive techniques" to get information from captives, but have never proven that the old techniques don't work. Nobody's demanded that proof. In the meantime, we have undeniably tortured people to death.

We pass laws to strip the people we detain of the ability to contest their detention, get a speedy trial, or even see a judge. We argue that they are terrorists and don't deserve such rights. But we have disappeared innocent people, and put them through hell.

We spy on our own people, and equate criticism of the government with aiding the enemy. Citizens are intimidated and the press is cowed when they exercise their First Amendment rights.

It's all justified in the name of defeating evil terrorists, which turns out to be a dubious rationale, though you may buy all the excuses offered. Just get this straight:

It's not the American Way.

Americans don't start wars, we finish them.

Americans don't torture prisoners, we treat them lawfully and win their cooperation.

Americans uphold the Bill of Rights and the rule of law.

Americans may disagree, but we work together.

Tyrants are cowards. Americans are brave.

Our society has always had its problems, 9/11 didn't change that. But we kept in our hearts a vision of America - “Bring us your tired, your weak, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” - that was real for all our faults, and others could see that and responded to it.

Now, we live by the one percent doctrine, "Even if there's just a 1 percent chance of the unimaginable coming due, act as if it is a certainty."

That's not the American Way. That's cowardice!