No, not far-fetched at all.

If all of this were only restricted to the Yanks, it would be bothersome (and shameful for those of us who still carry US passports), I suppose, but we could chalk it all up to just another instance of the insularity of the United States. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all. Giroux also references a recently released report by the Open Society Foundations which details the systematic and global use of torture by the CIA (which comes as no real surprise) as a policy and practice that is supported by over 50 other countries, most of whom like to claim theyare , too, democratic nations living under the rule of law. At best, these are merely hollow, self-praising accolades as well. If you know another is doing wrong and you aid, abet, support, or even remain silent to that wrong, you are complicit in the wrongdoing and hence guilty of the same thing yourself. For those who still believe in "sin", these are sins of ommission: sometimes it's what you do that is wrong; but sometimes it's what you don't do.

What I am missing in all of this is the widespread (it should be global) outrage over such evil conduct. Torture is wrong. The indiscriminate killing of civilians not involved in warfare is wrong. (Well, war is wrong, but I'll leave that out for the moment so as not to lose the fence-sitters at this point.) The execution of anyone never indicted, tried, and convicted of a capital offense is wrong, but I hear not outcry; I hear no anger, and I hear no clamoring for justice. But what I do hear is silence. And what little else I hear are timid, half-hearted attempts at justification (an ends-justify-the-means thing?), and that borders on active complicity in my book.

Saying something is justfied does not justify it. Saying something is legal does not make it legal. Following proscribed procedures and making something legal does not make it morally right. Knowing something is wrong and not opposing it is a wrong in and of itself.

It is long past time to decide where you stand, what you believe in, and what you believe to be right. It's not an easy decision, and I would caution about making it too lightly. Still, decide you must, and much sooner than later. Well?