Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Doha Diaries: What the Hell is Happening Back Home?

I have been in Doha since October 31st of this year.  For various reasons, I have effectively stopped watching TV.  My time is focused on work, exercise, and play.  What news I do get comes from the Qatar Tribune.

The other night, I was eating at Bander Aden with some friends.  As we sat down to dinner, we saw footage of Egyptian military/police beating the crap out of a guy for apparently being near them (we saw no weapons, no threatening actions).  We (Americans and Canadians) collectively thought/said something to the effect of, "What the hell?"

Ignorance is bliss.  I then see this:


What the hell?

I think Michael Chorost, PhD, does a good job of conveying my feelings in his article, especially the part about wanting to tear those officers apart.  You can blame the idiot administration all you want, but those police are a disgrace to the uniform and their country.  I guess we only get the concept of following only lawful orders in the military.  The idiot with the spray is just flat out a power mad sadist, the exact wrong person to have a uniform.

Seeing this in 2011 makes me both furious and sad.

Serve and protect?  My ass.

1 comment:

  1. Oh oh oh, you haven't been following? Sadly, this is not an isolated incident.
    2-tour Iraq vet marine suffered skull fracture:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHKYUJZghYo&feature=related

    84 year old protester:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/dorli-rainey-84-the-new-face-of-the-occupy-protests/2011/11/17/gIQAeEXKUN_blog.html

    Professor and his wife:
    http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/culturefeed/berkeley-professor-and-former-laureate/

    Pregnant teen asks for help, is injured instead:
    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/22/pregnant-seattle-protester-miscarries-after-being-kicked-pepper-sprayed/#.TsxX-t85Vz3.facebook

    Another vet:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/05/kayvan-sabeghi-injured_n_1077806.html

    Retired police captain:
    http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lutibk9BQi1qff03no1_500.png

    http://www.lawofficer.com/video/news/retired-police-capt-arrested-o

    You probably saw this one -- it was several weeks ago now:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moD2JnGTToA&feature=player_embedded

    Oh and this is nice:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lBxPzhXFT6c

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/occupy-wall-street-nypd-police-brutality-video_n_997414.html

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvq89NGCMYo&feature=related

    You get the idea. It's surreal and awful and seems to be systemic.

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