American Irony

American Irony

Hello again ATS!

As I sit to write this it is about five in the morning and there are still some cobwebs in my head that the caffeine in my morning tea have yet to clear. Given the absolute ironic nature of what you are about to read - these cobwebs may well be a blessing in disguise as, even in my still-sleepy state, the words below have caused the acid in my stomach to churn and my mind to race. My jaw is agape as I read the words currently open in my web browser...

From the White House site

Proclamation -- Captive Nations Week, 2013

CAPTIVE NATIONS WEEK, 2013
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

As citizens of the oldest democracy on earth, we believe that all people are created equal with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Together, we have kept that most basic promise shining bright for more than two centuries -- upholding civil rights and expanding their reach, advancing freedom's march and widening the circle of opportunity for all.

Our commitment to universal rights is also a foundation for American leadership abroad. In the course of our Nation's history, countries worldwide have pledged themselves to a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Corrupt dictatorships have given way to new democracies, forcing out the stale air of authoritarian rule with a fresh breath of freedom.

We know that work is not yet complete. Even as the light of liberty and justice has spread across the globe, too many people still labor in the darkness of tyranny and oppression. In too many parts of the world, fundamental freedoms remain unrealized, and the protections of law extend only to a privileged few.

Captive Nations Week is an opportunity to reaffirm America's role in advancing human rights worldwide. It is a task that can begin here, with the example we set and the understanding that we are stronger when all our people are granted opportunity -- no matter what they look like, where they worship, or who they love. And it can continue by extending a hand to those who reach for freedom abroad. Different peoples will determine their own paths. But we must reject the notion that those who live in distant places do not yearn for freedom, self-determination, dignity, and the rule of law, just as we do.

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower first marked this day, he noted that it should recur "until such time as freedom and independence shall have been achieved for all the captive nations of the world." We have come a long way since then -- but despite our progress, that time has not yet come. So let us keep striving to bring it about -- supporting those who seek the same freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and extending the blessings of peace and prosperity here at home and around the world.

The Congress, by joint resolution approved July 17, 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of July of each year as "Captive Nations Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 21 through July 27, 2013, as Captive Nations Week. I call upon the people of the United States to reaffirm our deep ties to all governments and people committed to freedom, dignity, and opportunity for all.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

White House Source

While I like to fancy myself somewhat of an intellectually gifted person ( rightly or not ) - reading the above, the only thing that comes to my mind is Really??? REALLY??? Over the past decade we in the United States have watched our nation devolve into a police state where human rights are abused more and more with each passing day... where our most cherished freedoms are under attack and are eroding at an alarming rate. The speed of this erosion and loss is so obvious and profound that nobody in their right mind remains unaware of it... And the very people who are attacking these freedoms have the unmitigated gall to issue a Presidential Proclamation like this???

I, for one, am absolutely outraged.

Mr President, We, the People, are not fools. The fact that you, Sir, managed to fool many of us only implies that we were desperate for hope... NOT that we are stupid. Your Orwellian double-speak is plain for us to see. What is happening in Washington has nothing at all to do with "advancing freedom's march and widening the circle of opportunity for all." - Everything done in that black hole of sanity you currently call home serves only to consolidate power for the few at the expense of the many.

The raping of America is one thing Sir. But to refer to that act, before the world, in a love letter such as this? That is simply morally reprehensible and in the poorest of taste.

Tell the world the truth Mr President. America is no longer exporting freedom for oppressed peoples. We no longer overthrow dictators because it is just. We overthrow them so that your corporate overlords can come along and exploit the peoples of these nations.

We are not exporting Freedom Mr President. We are exporting McDonalds and Wal Mart. You, Sir, are not trying to ensure worldwide human rights. You are seeking to secure global slave labor for these corporations and profits for those who own them. The only human right you are interested in fostering or ensuring is the right to work for wages so low that nobody can survive upon them.

You Sir, said "In too many parts of the world, fundamental freedoms remain unrealized, and the protections of law extend only to a privileged few." Do you include your own Nation and the people that you took an oath to protect on that list? People who you currently illegally spy upon, detain without due process, and lie to openly? Do you include yourself, your friends and your cohorts as being listed among the "privileged few" where laws are concerned? How can you make such statements when the entire world is aware of the crimes that you, your administration and your Wall Street friends have committed against the people of America and the world?

Such thick hypocrisy. Such vanity and ego Sir. Shame on you.

Mr President there is much to fix here, at home, before we, as a nation, can begin lecturing other peoples on things such as "freedom", "human rights", or "opportunity". How absurd that you'd be telling the rest of the world to check the batteries in their smoke detectors even as your own house burns to the ground.

If you were a man of character and honor Sir - then the thing you should have done is refused to make this Proclamation until such a time as our own house was in order. What applied in 1959 speaks more to our own situation, today, than it does to most other nations. Nations who sit back and watch the US change into something it was never meant to be... A totalitarian oligarchy.

Thanks ATS. Please feel free to comment however you wish. All points of view and opinions are valid. We are still the people! Make your voices heard!

Well, I'm just amazed. I mean I knew Congress was insightful and bright, but psychic? I'm speechless.

How could they have known in 1959 that come 2013 I'd feel captive in my own nation? They even declared a week for us to sit and contemplate just how captive we feel to our system.

Oh...that wasn't the purpose you say? err.. If the shoe fits, I'll call Obama a shoemaker this week.

Err, I don't mean to sound like a de-railer... but since we're talking Freedom, Liberty, Self Determination ect

Maybe it would be a good idea (because I've noticed several threads about rights lately) that people actually go check their STATE LAWS and even CITY Ordanances. You know, go take a look. Are you free? Oh you don't say!, what did you find exactly?

How many truths can we ALL find to be self evident today?

Oh by the way folks. Don't forget about what they're currently looking at passing.

Man the days have long passed were a president or politicians can get away with pontification with the masses beholding and drooling all over themselves.

I know I really shouldn't find this amusing, but I got a good laugh out of it.
You got the title perfect Heff. American Irony, you can cut it with a knife.

Maybe I'm just jaded and cynical, but I have no hope for this country. It is a failed experiment. And everyone just seems to be letting it roll. Our govt. spews nothing but lies, our "news" media broadcast lies 24 hours a day, our children are taught lies in school. And everyone just goes along with the flow. I think deep down they recognize the lies, but they have become so invested in the program that to actually attempt to change anything is so scary it cannot be fathomed.

But I guess I'm no better. I don't care anymore, I just point and laugh and cry and enjoy the show.

prime example of the hypocracy of the u.s government ... looks like obama finally lost it and delusions of granduer have taken hold .. think he needs a nice long holiday in a padded room along with electroshock therapy and meds to bring him back to reality ...

biggest captive nation on earth today is the u.s ... rest of world better off without u.s freedumb and dumbocracy .. erm.. freedom and democrappy .. whatever the hell they're calling it this week ...

reply to post by Hefficide

S+F, Hefficide.
Thanks for posting this. I will foward it.

The best parts (seen from a foreign POV) btw:

As citizens of the oldest democracy on earth [...]

Lol.

Our commitment to universal rights is also a foundation for American leadership abroad.

Rofl.

In too many parts of the world, fundamental freedoms remain unrealized, and the protections of law extend only to a privileged few.

You don't say...

Captive Nations Week is an opportunity to reaffirm America's role in advancing human rights worldwide. It is a task that can begin here, with the example we set [...]

Yeah, the GREAT example you set!

[...] we must reject the notion that those who live in distant places do not yearn for freedom, self-determination, dignity, and the rule of law, just as we do.

Unbelievable...

reply to post by Hefficide



Delusions are nice. There are delusions of grandeur, delusions of self righteousness, delusions of power and wealth untold. I wonder for how long those delusions will stay at the forefront and keep us believing the dream?

One by one people wake up.

reply to post by Hefficide


Good morning Heff and all,

Heff, I agree with your sentiment and opinion pertaining to this proclamation. I to was shocked and angered by the hypocrisy, however soon realized that this order from the President must be an first draft that probably required some editing. I think this is more in line:

we believe that all people are created equal with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. unless you are apart of the 99%, a minority or adherent to the constitution.

upholding civil rights and expanding their reach, advancing freedom's march and widening the circle of opportunity for all, except for the implementation of the Patriot Act, PRISM and foreign policy.

Corrupt dictatorships have given way to new corrupt democracies, forcing out the stale air of authoritarian rule with a fresh breath of freedom and war/conflict

.

We know that work is not yet complete because there are many other countries we want to attack to bring about "peace" and "democracy" . Even as the light of liberty and justice has spread across the globe, too many people still labor in the darkness of tyranny and oppression. In too many parts of the world, fundamental freedoms remain unrealized, and the protections of law extend only to a privileged few (Insert your own obvious remark lol)

.

Just a few of many possible revisions that the current administration probably were intending to be include in the proclamation at some point

Some of the statements are downright lunacy:

But we must reject the notion that those who live in distant places do not yearn for freedom, self-determination, dignity, and the rule of law, just as we do.

The implications of the above is quite astounding to me. In other the words, the above reads; We must not believe other countries that say they do not want our help and we must believe they all want to be like America. The problem is does America currently have any one of these; freedom, self-determination, dignity and the rule of law.....?

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower first marked this day, he noted that it should recur "until such time as freedom and independence shall have been achieved for all the captive nations of the world."

Dwight D. Eisenhower also said this:

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

It lost me at "oldest Democracy in the world"

If you are going to spew BS at least make sure its true BS

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower first marked this day, he noted that it should recur "until such time as freedom and independence shall have been achieved for all the captive nations of the world."

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower uttered these words, they were true. Unfortunately now it is the US that is in dire need of rescue. The beacon of hope and the light of freedom has gone out. Who will go to the aid of the US and relight the torch? Sadly, no one. The US has brought its freedom, democracy and laws to the world via the barrel of a gun and no one will help a thief and murderer once he's down. It seems that the only freedom the US brings is freedom from life.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned, JFK tried to stop it and was killed and now the rest is history.

Nice post.

Yeah Irony is one word for it...tragedy is another.

The beacon is extinguished...the shining light on the hill has gone dark...the great experiment has been sabotaged and has failed...all because of greed, selfishness and gluttony...

We were told this was a good thing...and we believed them.

reply to post by Hefficide

If you were a man of character and honor Sir - then the thing you should have done is refused to make this Proclamation until such a time as our own house was in order.

If he was a man of character and honor his name would not have appeared on any ballot.

Besides, putting our own house in order has never been on any administrative agenda. Expansion is what it has always been about.

Meanwhile we have people protesting and his approval rating drops like a sack of potatoes

www.presstv.ir...

reply to post by Hefficide


Irony overload for sure, and two words come to mind immediately ... Cognitive Dissonance.

He's standing there, bare butt naked at the cool aid stand, telling everyone he's got President Dwight D. Eisenhower fancy dress costume to sell the homemade lemonade.
He loves the sound of his own voice... don't he !!!

I expect this from the guy who said 57 state states, and now America is the oldest Democracy on Earth.



Civil Liberties,life,liberty,and all the other empty words used get violated everyday it is simply astounding of the arrogance of putting that on the White House site.

countries worldwide have pledged themselves to a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Corrupt dictatorships have given way to new democracies, forcing out the stale air of authoritarian rule with a fresh breath of freedom.

He really hasn't been paying attention to what he has done.

Man.

This dribble is just that.

221 dead children, drone strikes, etc................

And a speech.

Nuff said.

Originally posted by sonnny1
Man.

This dribble is just that.

221 dead children, drone strikes, etc................

And a speech.

Nuff said.

This is border line propaganda no?

I thought i read a thread a little while ago that the US was looking to repeal some propaganda laws...Perhaps the secret courts have approved this

reply to post by MDDoxs


Dont know Doxs.

What I do know it will get worse before it gets better.

As long as this man is at the helm, the "Irony" and lies will continue, and be passed on to the next liar.

There are no more Honest Presidents.

Maybe someone should have told him about the Magna Carta.

Just sayin'.

A beautiful essay, Heff. I just wanted to reply with this small post so I can bookmark it easier.