(Disclaimer: This is my first Diary. I hope it's OK!)
I have a website hosted by discount web service provicer http://www.godaddy.com . I went to their homepage today to discover this link at the top:
The main blog's url is simply http://www.bobparsons.com (in case they move that link or something).
I was quite shocked that a large web host such as this one would get involved in politics, especially the politics of lies and torture. He then goes on to appeal mostly on an irrational emotional basis, reminding people of the horrors of 9/11 and implying they justify our presence in the Middle East and tortures at Gitmo.
How many more companies are openly promoting torture? This is kinda scary.
At one point he rages:
I believe we owe it to those who died on 9-11 and to ourselves to destroy all the bastards and their supporters that were behind those attacks -- regardless of what it takes to do so.
(thanks wazdog)
More of my story, and the full text of his post is in the "extended entry" section.
The link goes to the blog of Bob Parsons, the company's founder. The blog's tagline states that it is for the purpose of discussing "Hot political and Internet Issues plus the latest developments at GoDaddy.com!"
The color scheme, graphics, etc. are EXACTLY the same as GoDaddy's main site. The only inclination would would have to believe this is someone's personal blog is the URL, which has the foudner's name in it. I have every reason to believe, then, that some of my money may be used for supporting the political views of the company's owner through PACs, donations, whatnot.
Here's the comment I posted on their blog:
"The argument of "Whatever we do, they're worse!" doesn't hold water with me. You say, "We've taken the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places."
There were no terrorists that had anything to do with 9/11 in Iraq. To imply otherwise is deceitful at best and asinine at worst.
I feel that the money I pay this company could be going to finance political means, without my permission, that I do not agree with.
Keep Business out of politics. I'm cancelling my account, and posting this on dailykos.com"*
If anyone else here has an account with GoDaddy.com, I think it's time to look elsewhere. GoDAddy may be cheap, but their actual services are pretty poor. You can find much better hosting at places like http://www.dreamhost.com .
Here's excerpts of Bob's Dairy entry:
"May we never forget the day!
I still remember the day like it was yesterday. Planes, filled with innocent people, brutally hijacked and exploded into buildings. Countless people (some holding hands) decided to jump hundreds of feet to their death, rather than being burned alive by the scorching flames. And when they landed, they unfortunately killed other people who were on the ground trying to help.
On that day 2,819 people died. The vast majority of them were Americans, but the death toll included citizens from 115 other nations.
Of all those brutally and senselessly murdered, only 289 of them had their bodies recovered intact. Those who had the grisly task of digging through the carnage, found a total of 19,858 body parts.
It was indeed, a dark day for this country. As you might guess, I'm talking about the tragedy that struck America on September 11, 2001.
America did not deserve 9-11.
There are those that have since said we "deserved" this attack. They've said we "had it coming". I could not disagree more. To me, saying that we "had it coming" is the same as saying that someone deserved to be raped - i.e., that they were "asking for it". No individual, of course, ever deserved to be raped, and our country did not deserve to be attacked on 9-11.
Since 9-11, we have been fortunate in that there's not been another terrorist attack on United States soil. I think there are a number of reasons for this. They are:
- We've taken the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places.
- The terrorists, as a result of our country's outrage and overwhelming military response to the 9/11 attacks, are disorganized and off balance.
- Our military and intelligence services are now proactive in hunting down terrorist cells wherever they are and are destroying them.
...
Gitmo serves an important purpose in our fight against terror.
...
The prisoners at Gitmo are America's sworn enemies.
Presently there are over 500 prisoners there; once there were a few hundred more, but over 200 of them have been returned to their country of origin. Most of the prisoners there are "terrorists" and are, beyond any shadow of a doubt, enemies of the United States.
One of the Gitmo detainees is the so called "20th hijacker."
One of the detainees is Mohammed al-Qahtani, who is widely reputed to be the 20th hijacker.
...
Time Magazine's recent article.
Time Magazine recently ran a large article where it talks in detail about the interrogation techniques our military is using to get Mohammed al-Qahtani to talk. Some who read the article, like Dick Durbin, the Senator from Illinois, were horrified that our military would use such interrogation techniques.
Senator Durbin likened the actions of our military at Gitmo to those of Nazis, Soviet gulags and the "mad regime" of dictator Pol Pot. I find this to be a ridiculous exaggeration and an inappropriate comparison, as many millions perished under the crutely of each of the regimes Senator Durbin compares us with.
...
The interrogation techniques at Gitmo are very mild.
It's important to note that to date, there have been no fatalities among the prisoners at Gitmo. Some of the "terrible" techniques we are being decried for using in Gitmo are sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, exposure to cold and heat (as in a cold room), mental games, constant questioning, etc. All of it, when compared to what has been done in the Middle East to extract information from prisoners is mild, indeed.
...
Interrogation techniques in the Middle East are incredibly brutal.
In the Middle East, it's not uncommon to use murder, rape, extreme physical torture (like running a drill through a prisoner's head), electrical shocks to the genitalia, pulling out fingernails, dripping acid on victims, or burning victims with a hot iron or blow torch. Yes, it's a brutal crowd that we're at war with over there.
Among the most infamous torture devices in the Middle East is a Syrian invention--they call it Al-Abd Al-Aswad--The Black Slave. The victim is strapped to a chair with a hole in the center. A red hot poker then rises from the hole and goes into the victim's rectum. It goes in and out and can go as deep as the intestines. I suspect that Syrian interrogators find out rather quickly whatever it is they want to learn.
Senator Durbin strikes again!
In response to a hailstorm of criticism, Senator Durbin returned to the Senate floor and re-read his earlier "Nazi" and "Soviet gulag" comments verbatim.
...
Key prisoners at Gitmo still have not talked -- because our interrogation methods are so weak -- perhaps too weak.
Given the type of individuals we have incarcerated at Gitmo (all of them would love to gouge out your eyes --- and most certainly my eyes), the interrogation techniques we are using there are incredibly mild.
...
Nevertheless, vital information has been obtained from some of the Gitmo detainees.
So even though our interrogation techniques are weak, and even laughable by Middle Eastern standards, our military has nevertheless been able to obtain vital information from the detainees at Gitmo. This information has been used to save American lives both at home and abroad with information.
Now there's a call to close Gitmo.
So it has come to light that our military has been unkind, and on occasion, even mean to our sworn enemies being held at Gitmo. And of course, as a result, there's now a call to shut the prison down.
...
Once again, this man needs to remember that the people in those cells are our sworn enemies. They are lucky to be alive.
...
Closing Gitmo would be a huge mistake.
It doesn't take a lot of thought to realize that it would be a huge mistake if we closed Gitmo - most certainly if we did it just to be politically correct with our sworn enemies.
...
What happened on 9-11 will always make me angry.
If I get enough requests, I'll post the video.
After writing this article, I've once again watched a video showing people jumping to their deaths, one after another, from the World Trade Center. I've thought about making this video available for those reading this blog to see. The video can be found by searching on line, but finding it takes a little effort. If I get enough requests, I'll make it available. I find that watching it every now and then helps me keep things in perspective."