At the New York Times one can read the story of Hu Lui NG who was held in custody by the U.S. Immigration Service and although he had a fractured spine and cancer was bodily dragged about by guards and denied use of a wheelchair among other atrocities. And yes the facility where Mr. Ng was essentially tortured to death was a subcontracted private prison, one of the many McJails favored by the U.S. government in these pestilential days of industrial incarceration.
Human rights abuses start from the top. Fish stinks from the head. I hope that as the Obama administration calls for transparency in government that we steady our public nerve and cry out for liberty and justice for all.
In the meantime I had to laugh rather darkly to myself when I heard yesterday on NPR that a group of citizens couldn’t get into the inaugural ceremonies. For a moment I thought that perhaps NPR would cover the fact that people with disabilities couldn’t get in. But no. It was a story about people with fancy invitations on expensive card stock who were locked out of the events because the police were overtaxed by crowds and were unwilling to serve as ushers. The NPR story featured audio of hundreds of locked out people crying “Let Us In!” and I thought: “Well isn’t that just like the able bodied, complaining all the time.”
Oh how they piss and moan those able bodied people. I mean isn’t it enough we give them everything? Now they want equal access? I’m sick of them! Next they’ll be wanting handicapped parking spaces. Oh? Really? Well then they should just shut up.
Meantime I’m thinking that maybe Dick Cheney can roll on over to his nearest VA hospital in his wheelchair and ask them for a repair just for the full glory of the experience. Its never too late to learn how the other half lives.
Oops. I forgot. Cheney avoided the military during the Viet Nam war. The VA quite properly wouldn’t let him in.
SK
Planet of the Blind 