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convicting someone who can afford a good lawyer of conspiracy is in fact quite difficult, yes.
but the administration's argument concerning the "success" of this ludicrous war on ghosts in concrete terms is the convictions under the patriot act.
without that, what can they say to sell their "reponse"? that they round up "suspects" in "terrorist activities" largely on the basis of--well waht, really?--and avoid the problems of conspiracy charges by keeping them indefinitely without trial in places like guantanomo, or better yet sending folk for a litel vacation in a syrian resort or something on that order?
the entire logic of this "war" is a joke--it benefits only teh present administration, which has used it and doubtless will continue to use it as a justification for any and every ideologically motivated action they have taken. the logical problem with this kind of "war" is well-posed at the beginning of the thread--there is no war, thereis no enemy, there is no space of conflict--instead the "enemy" is everywhere and nowhere, constantly threatening yet always invisible---it is about generating and maintaining an anxious population and using that anxiety to push for more repressive, more absurd responses like star wars, like increasing military spending, like the creation of private armies in the states that operate as mercenary contractors whose actions fall outside the provisions of international law defining war, and on and on.
the war on terror is probably the most troubling parallel between bushwrold and fascism in its traditional mode of operation.
then, as now, i suspect your general attitude toward it is in part a function of whether you understand yourself to be among the "us" being "protected" from "them"--or if, as a function of associations with the features of the boogeyman of the moment, you find yourself being position amongs the them--i dont know why--not for anything active, but by association, you know. the drivers behind this discourse are racism and/or a "logic" of religious war (christians vs. infidels, very song of roland, really)...the "war" itself is but an orgnazing point, helping to crystallize and direct these lovely traits of racism and so forth.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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