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Chris Satullo: A not-so-glorious Fourth 'U.S. atrocities are unworthy of our heritage' [BARF ALERT]
The Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 1 Jul 08 | Chris Satullo of the "Be Ashamed of America" crowd

Posted on 07/02/2008 6:36:40 AM PDT by seanmerc

Put the fireworks in storage. Cancel the parade.

Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time.

This year, America doesn't deserve to celebrate its birthday. This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement.

For we have sinned.

We have failed to pay attention. We've settled for lame excuses. We've spit on the memory of those who did that brave, brave thing in Philadelphia 232 years ago.

The America those men founded should never torture a prisoner.

The America they founded should never imprison people for years without charge or hearing.

The America they founded should never ship prisoners to foreign lands, knowing their new jailers might torture them.

Such abuses once were committed by the arrogant crowns of Europe, spawning rebellion.

Today, our nation does such things in the name of our safety. Petrified, unwilling to take the risks that love of liberty demands, we close our eyes.

We have done such things, on orders from the Oval Office. We have done them, without general outrage or shame.

Abu Ghraib. Guantanamo. CIA secret prisons. "Rendition" of prisoners to foreign torture chambers.

It's not enough that we had good reason to be scared.

The men huddled long ago in Philadelphia had better reason. A British fleet floated off the Jersey coast, full of hands eager to hang them from the nearest lampposts.

Yet they pledged their lives and sacred honor - no idle vow - to defend the "inalienable rights" of men. Inalienable - what does that signify? It means rights that belong to each person, simply by virtue of being human. Rights that can never be taken away, no matter what evil a person might do or might intend.

Surely one of those is the right not to be tortured. Surely that is a piece of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

This is the creed of July 4: No matter what it costs us, no matter how it scares us, no matter how foolish it seems to a cynical world, America should stand up for human rights.

No, not even the brave men who picked up a quill, dipped it in ink and signed the parchment that summer day in Philadelphia lived up perfectly to the creed. But they did something extraordinary, founding a new nation upon a vow to oppose all the evil habits of tyranny.

That is why history still honors them.

But what will history think of us, of how we responded to our great challenge? Sept. 11 was a hideous evil, a grievous wound. Yet, truth told, it has not summoned our better angels as often as our worst.

We have betrayed the July 4 creed. We trample the vows we make, hand to heart.

Don't imagine that only the torturer's hand bears the guilt. The guilt reaches deep inside our Capitol, and beyond that - to us.

Our silence is complicit. In our name, innocents were jailed, humans tortured, our Constitution mangled. And we said so little.

We can't claim not to have known. The best among us raised the alarm. Heroes in uniform, judges in robes, they opposed the perverse logic of an administration drenched in fear, drunk on power.

But did we heed them? Hardly. Barely . . .

We were so busy. Soccer practice at 6. A credit card balance to fret. The final vote on Idol.

We left it to those in power to keep our precious selves from harm. Whatever it took.

We took the coward's way.

The world sees this, even if we are too dim to grasp it. We've lost respect. We've shamed the memory of Jefferson, Adams and Franklin.

And all for a scam. The waterboarding, the snarling dogs, the theft of sleep - all the diabolical tricks haven't made us safer. They may have averted this plot or that. But they've spawned new enemies by the thousands, made the jihadist rants ring true to so many ears.

So put out no flags.

Sing no patriotic hymns.

We deserve no Fourth this year.

Let us atone, in quiet and humility. Let us spend the day truly studying the example of our Founders. May we earn a new birth of courage before our nation's birthday next rolls around.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To comment, e-mail csatullo@phillynews.com.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: antiamericanism; bds; blameamerica; chrissatullo; dims; dumbocrats; grinchstolejuly4; hateamerica; hateamericafilth; idiot; liberalmeatheads; philadelphiainquirer; rats; satullo; surrendermonkey; unamerican
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And they wonder why newspaper circulation is decreasing every day...
1 posted on 07/02/2008 6:36:40 AM PDT by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

He probably celebrates May Day.


2 posted on 07/02/2008 6:38:17 AM PDT by AU72
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To: AU72

Wouldn’t be at all surprised. If this column doesn’t make your blood boil, nothing will.


3 posted on 07/02/2008 6:39:52 AM PDT by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

someone send a waaambulance to comfort Mr Satullo-

On 4th of July family will be out honoring the flag and blessing our freedom and remembering those who secured it for us- along with our Creator- the One who endowed us with those inalienable rights Mr Satullo thinks come from the ACLU


4 posted on 07/02/2008 6:43:05 AM PDT by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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To: seanmerc

Reason #345 why I will never live in that God forsaken city every again. The people there are just insane.


5 posted on 07/02/2008 6:44:59 AM PDT by SabianKinslow
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To: seanmerc

Sent him an email, don’t know why I bothered because he probably wears them as a badge of honor...


6 posted on 07/02/2008 6:48:17 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: SabianKinslow

Name ONE of these “Innocents”.


7 posted on 07/02/2008 6:49:52 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: seanmerc

Chris. Leave. Now. If I ever see you in person, I fully intend to give you some additional reasons to hate America. Take your poor excuse for an education, along with your complete inability to create anything, and go to a country which values these things. Iran might be a good choice.


8 posted on 07/02/2008 6:51:31 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: seanmerc

>>This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement.<<

This is all I need to know about this little guttersnipe.


9 posted on 07/02/2008 6:52:54 AM PDT by ishabibble (ALL-AMERICAN INFIDEL)
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To: AU72

And from Philadelphia yet. I don’t know why he doesn’t just move to Pakistan and be happy.


10 posted on 07/02/2008 7:00:30 AM PDT by Soliton (Investigate, study, learn, then express an opinion)
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To: seanmerc
”The waterboarding, the snarling dogs, the theft of sleep…”

When we start sawing people’s heads off-give me a call. Otherwise, shut yer yap!

11 posted on 07/02/2008 7:00:37 AM PDT by ArchAngel1983 (Arch Angel- on guard)
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To: seanmerc

12 posted on 07/02/2008 7:07:22 AM PDT by armymarinemom (My sons freed Iraqi and Afghan Honor Roll students.)
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To: seanmerc

Why are any of us in this forum surprized? From Will Bunch, Dick Polman, Tony Auth to this POS the Inquirer is the most insane lefty paper on the east coast even more than the NYT! And they are mild compared to the Philly Daily News and our NBC afilliate! Philly is a socialist state and this is it propaganda rag. Thats why I live OUTSIDE the city.


13 posted on 07/02/2008 7:08:19 AM PDT by Pharmer (How am I supposed to rule the world when I surrounded by freakin liberal idiots!)
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To: seanmerc
Another sufferer of ADS.

It's truly amazing how these idiots get up in the morning and start immediately worrying about illegal combatants and terrorists removed from the battlefield and being held in confinement. They worry about that we might be listening to their phone calls with the intent of seeing what they are up to. They wouldn't give our service members a second thought.

This is the same type of idiot who would pay for the defense lawyer for someone who killed a member of their family.

14 posted on 07/02/2008 7:22:24 AM PDT by headstamp 2 (Been here before)
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To: seanmerc

I’m wondering how anyone this stupid ever got a job at a newspaper. But considering the quality of the media today, it’s not much of a surprise.


15 posted on 07/02/2008 7:26:02 AM PDT by driftless2
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To: Abathar

Me too.

While you are atoning on July 4th to salve your prissy, effeminate feelings, I’ll be celebrating the fact that Americans have not suffered from another terrorist attack since 9/11.

I’m proud of the efforts performed on our behalf to protect American citizens. I’m hopeful my kids will not have to live under the threat of terrorism.

Your lack of gratitude is disgusting.


16 posted on 07/02/2008 7:26:26 AM PDT by y6162 (u)
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To: seanmerc

Funny, he doesn’t mention how abortion denies the inalienable right to life. Okay, we waterboarded half a dozen terrorists. Perhaps this reporter should as Major Andre what George Washington would have done to those who violate the rules of war.


17 posted on 07/02/2008 7:33:19 AM PDT by ALPAPilot
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To: seanmerc

Is this obama’s Independence Day speech?


18 posted on 07/02/2008 7:47:24 AM PDT by Eagles6 ( Typical White Guy: Christian, Constitutionalist, Heterosexual, Redneck)
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To: seanmerc
Someone send Chris Satullo a Whambulance.

[I think the leftist cry-baby weenie needs his mother.]

19 posted on 07/02/2008 7:53:43 AM PDT by Condor51 (I have guns in my nightstand because a Cop won't fit)
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To: y6162

Excellent responce, mine was on the lines of “Thanks for the story. You wonder why your readership is dwindling and you’re dusting off your resume, this is a perfect example”. Yada, yada, yada...


20 posted on 07/02/2008 8:04:03 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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