Comments on: The Right to Remain Silent http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/ A Candid Blog Fri, 25 May 2012 06:05:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Robert http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-40269 Robert Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:10:08 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-40269 The question that remains is: Are we who want the killing to stop as committed to peace as those who are committed to war? The question that remains is: Are we who want the killing to stop as committed to peace as those who are committed to war?

]]> By: Jamali Kadwani http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-40268 Jamali Kadwani Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:08:27 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-40268 The subtle creep of self-interest poses a more insidious threat, in a way, than the obvious evils of the demigod or tyrant. The only sure way to contain that threat is for each of us to come to terms with the necessity and meaning of political silence. The subtle creep of self-interest poses a more insidious threat, in a way, than the obvious evils of the demigod or tyrant. The only sure way to contain that threat is for each of us to come to terms with the necessity and meaning of political silence.

]]> By: Barbara H. http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-40265 Barbara H. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:00:11 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-40265 There was likely no system in place to vet who was taken into American custody. As usual, the Bush administration makes incompetence into a surreal art form. Whatever moral authority we had after 9/11 was lost long ago. All these policies stem from a president who himself seems to have no moral center. He will do or say anything to further his agenda and use anyone in the process. The nation has let him get his way too long. There was likely no system in place to vet who was taken into American custody. As usual, the Bush administration makes incompetence into a surreal art form. Whatever moral authority we had after 9/11 was lost long ago. All these policies stem from a president who himself seems to have no moral center. He will do or say anything to further his agenda and use anyone in the process. The nation has let him get his way too long.

]]> By: Ghalib Shah http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-40264 Ghalib Shah Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:58:59 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-40264 Yes, this article makes a good point, I commend you for that. It is disgusting to watch McCain condemn the Supreme Court and call Barack Obama "naive" for calling for the rule of law. What is truly naive is thinking these tactics would ever help the war on terror. Yes, this article makes a good point, I commend you for that. It is disgusting to watch McCain condemn the Supreme Court and call Barack Obama “naive” for calling for the rule of law. What is truly naive is thinking these tactics would ever help the war on terror.

]]> By: Dan Tow http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39884 Dan Tow Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:47:31 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39884 By the way, in regards to the comment of James Sutherland: His question about whether I am a "genuine American" appears to be an attempt to portray my point of view is extremely rare in America, the sort of viewpoint more likely to be held by someone just pretending to be American. Well, I would point out that *both* the major-party candidates for president, Barack Obama *and* John McCain, have clearly come out against legalized torture, and a majority of the US Supreme Court, including justices appointed by Republican presidents, has demanded that the Guantanamo prisoners be granted due process of law, and proper judicial review. I find it highly misleading that ideas shared by the US Supreme Court and by *both* major-party candidates should be portrayed as so extreme that they are unlikely to be held by a "genuine American." By the way, in regards to the comment of James Sutherland: His question about whether I am a “genuine American” appears to be an attempt to portray my point of view is extremely rare in America, the sort of viewpoint more likely to be held by someone just pretending to be American. Well, I would point out that *both* the major-party candidates for president, Barack Obama *and* John McCain, have clearly come out against legalized torture, and a majority of the US Supreme Court, including justices appointed by Republican presidents, has demanded that the Guantanamo prisoners be granted due process of law, and proper judicial review. I find it highly misleading that ideas shared by the US Supreme Court and by *both* major-party candidates should be portrayed as so extreme that they are unlikely to be held by a “genuine American.”

]]> By: Dan Tow http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39875 Dan Tow Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:56:44 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39875 James Sutherland: Yes, I am a real American. Do you really consider the thousands of American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan (far more than we lost in 9/11!) (to say nothing of the much larger numbers of innocent Iraqis and Afghans killed!) and the hundreds of billions of dollars sent down a black hole (to say nothing of the hundreds of billions more we will have to spend coping with the after-effects) to be a *success*??? It is true that within American borders we have been free of attack post-9/11, and I am as pleased as anyone for that fact, but it is lunacy to conclude that the credit for this is necessarily every policy of the Bush administration, and that we could not have accomplished the same thing, with *vastly* less cost in blood, international regard, and money, with an approach that much more specifically targetted Al Qaida and other confirmed terrorists, without torture. Do we really love our domestic peace so highly that we don't give a damn about following our own most vital principles of freedom and justice outside our borders, if it buys us just a bit more security at home? (And, in the long run, I don't think betraying our principles *does* buy us more security, though I admit that it *might* in the short run!) Bilal Khan: As I said in my article, I am no absolutist: Under such an extreme case, whatever the city, I would support whatever means were necessary to stop the nuke, even torture (and why should I *care* about the nationality of someone so immoral as to try to nuke a whole city?) but I truly don't ever expect this hypothetical case to be real *anywhere* in the world. James Sutherland: Yes, I am a real American. Do you really consider the thousands of American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan (far more than we lost in 9/11!) (to say nothing of the much larger numbers of innocent Iraqis and Afghans killed!) and the hundreds of billions of dollars sent down a black hole (to say nothing of the hundreds of billions more we will have to spend coping with the after-effects) to be a *success*??? It is true that within American borders we have been free of attack post-9/11, and I am as pleased as anyone for that fact, but it is lunacy to conclude that the credit for this is necessarily every policy of the Bush administration, and that we could not have accomplished the same thing, with *vastly* less cost in blood, international regard, and money, with an approach that much more specifically targetted Al Qaida and other confirmed terrorists, without torture. Do we really love our domestic peace so highly that we don’t give a damn about following our own most vital principles of freedom and justice outside our borders, if it buys us just a bit more security at home? (And, in the long run, I don’t think betraying our principles *does* buy us more security, though I admit that it *might* in the short run!)

Bilal Khan: As I said in my article, I am no absolutist: Under such an extreme case, whatever the city, I would support whatever means were necessary to stop the nuke, even torture (and why should I *care* about the nationality of someone so immoral as to try to nuke a whole city?) but I truly don’t ever expect this hypothetical case to be real *anywhere* in the world.

]]> By: Aftab S. Alam http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39865 Aftab S. Alam Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:22:47 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39865 # 16 Of course, you are entitled to this right like all the rest. How about your responsibilities? # 16

Of course, you are entitled to this right like all the rest. How about your responsibilities?

]]> By: Dan Tow http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39864 Dan Tow Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:21:57 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39864 Dawood: My best guess is that Obama will win, but it could very easily go either way. I expect the terrorists would much rather McCain win, to continue, more or less, Bush's failed policies (see my second political blog, http://www.pakspectator.com/lessons-from-children%e2%80%99s-literature-%e2%80%93-too-tricky-for-world-political-figures/), and I only hope they don't take action to make that more likely. (To be fair, though, I do expect that *either* candidate will end US-sponsored torture, at least.) Dr. Iftikhar Bajwa: The march sounds like it was a beautiful event, and well-engineered to push change. Dr Ayesha: Ah, yes, well the right to remain silent is a very different matter from the question of whether *choosing* silence is a *good idea*, just as freedom of speech as a right does not imply that we should not exercise our freedom of speech for constructive purposes! In the face of injustice, or government wrongdoing, silence is rarely a virtue, and your own outspoken speech makes it clear that you understand that speaking out is a much better idea! I salute the courage of your non-silence! Kashif: For those fighting injustice, the best, most-effective road is a very hard one - see http://www.pakspectator.com/nonviolence-as-a-tactic-for-change/ for my views on this matter. Dawood: My best guess is that Obama will win, but it could very easily go either way. I expect the terrorists would much rather McCain win, to continue, more or less, Bush’s failed policies (see my second political blog, http://www.pakspectator.com/lessons-from-children%e2%80%99s-literature-%e2%80%93-too-tricky-for-world-political-figures/), and I only hope they don’t take action to make that more likely. (To be fair, though, I do expect that *either* candidate will end US-sponsored torture, at least.)

Dr. Iftikhar Bajwa: The march sounds like it was a beautiful event, and well-engineered to push change.

Dr Ayesha: Ah, yes, well the right to remain silent is a very different matter from the question of whether *choosing* silence is a *good idea*, just as freedom of speech as a right does not imply that we should not exercise our freedom of speech for constructive purposes! In the face of injustice, or government wrongdoing, silence is rarely a virtue, and your own outspoken speech makes it clear that you understand that speaking out is a much better idea! I salute the courage of your non-silence!

Kashif: For those fighting injustice, the best, most-effective road is a very hard one - see http://www.pakspectator.com/nonviolence-as-a-tactic-for-change/ for my views on this matter.

]]> By: Aftab S. Alam http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39861 Aftab S. Alam Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:12:31 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39861 Prof. Khan, you know what, the vast majority of Pakistanis thinks that what they are witnessing is nothing but gang wars. One gang of thugs trying to overcome the other and usurp power to plunder our resources like they have done in the past. The ordinary people like myself have been so thoroughly screwed up by these thugs over the years that all I care is wish that hopefully they destroy eachother so completely that finally there is some hope for new and fresh and, hopefully, honest and sincerely leadership to emerge in our country. Do you really think that the ordinary people have forgotten the role of Nawaz Sharif and his cohorts played in planning, orchestrating and attacking the Supreme Court of Pakistan on November 28, 1997 or do you think that the then Honorabale Chief Justice of Pakistan Syed Sajjad Ali Shah was a man of less honour that he and his court was contempted in such a gross manner by the sitting governments of these thugs name Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif (one Prime Minister and the other Chief Minister of Punjab). You consider slilence of the majourity a betrayal; I consider this silence a loud condemnation of all these gangsters and let this be a message for those who can hear that the majourity gives a damn; all they care is that may them all rot in the streets of Pakistan and may we the majourity live to rejoice that day. Prof. Khan, you know what, the vast majority of Pakistanis thinks that what they are witnessing is nothing but gang wars. One gang of thugs trying to overcome the other and usurp power to plunder our resources like they have done in the past. The ordinary people like myself have been so thoroughly screwed up by these thugs over the years that all I care is wish that hopefully they destroy eachother so completely that finally there is some hope for new and fresh and, hopefully, honest and sincerely leadership to emerge in our country. Do you really think that the ordinary people have forgotten the role of Nawaz Sharif and his cohorts played in planning, orchestrating and attacking the Supreme Court of Pakistan on November 28, 1997 or do you think that the then Honorabale Chief Justice of Pakistan Syed Sajjad Ali Shah was a man of less honour that he and his court was contempted in such a gross manner by the sitting governments of these thugs name Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif (one Prime Minister and the other Chief Minister of Punjab). You consider slilence of the majourity a betrayal; I consider this silence a loud condemnation of all these gangsters and let this be a message for those who can hear that the majourity gives a damn; all they care is that may them all rot in the streets of Pakistan and may we the majourity live to rejoice that day.

]]> By: Dr. Ayesha http://www.pkhope.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/comment-page-1/#comment-39852 Dr. Ayesha Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:02:42 +0000 http://www.pakspectator.com/the-right-to-remain-silent/#comment-39852 Aftab, in response to your comment, I would exercise my right of silence. Aftab, in response to your comment, I would exercise my right of silence.

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