Levity on Torture

Pardon the levity. True torture is, in fact, a serious issue. In the few instances where torture was committed — Abu Ghraib, for instance — the United States was correct in punishing the culprits. But that was an exercise of individual juvenility and cruelty, not official, state-sanctioned intelligence gathering of high-value targets.

This paragraph leads me to believe that you have not familiarized yourself with the nature of the activities carried out under Bush. The documents that are publicly available clearly show that torture was an exercise of official, state-sanctioned power, in direct violation and contravention of the law. Torture was used with official approval from the highest levels of the government, despite valid objections that it was illegal. True torture is a serious issue, and torture with direct approval from government agents demands punishment for the culprits.

We will never have a mature national discourse regarding proper interrogation and what does and does not constitute torture until we can differentiate between the two, embrace the “slippery slope” dilemmas as necessary points of contention, and move past the slanderous pastime of political posturing.

There is not a debate about what constitutes proper interrogation, and what constitutes torture. These are well established categories, which the Bush administration knowingly and wantonly violated. Claiming that the techniques are not torture is simply ex post facto justification for illegal activity. There may be some debate about the details, but there is clear evidence that torture was used under direct authorization from the Executive, and the government must be held accountable for this activity.

Tea Parties - Back to the Dark Ages?

The consequences are predictable and could be catastrophic: a collapse of faith in the leadership classes, a massive anti-intellectual uprising, the beginnings of which we may be already witnessing.

Now I understand the Tea Party movement. It is simply the advocacy movement for a return to the Dark Ages. Thanks for making that crystal clear!

Bureaucrats from here to eternity...

In the near future, a nameless bureaucrat may determine what kind of medical treatment you receive.

I hate to be the one to tell you this: they already do. They work at the HMO.

Why should I prefer a bureaucrat with a profit motive, rather than one with a public health motive?

That's the question I want a clear answer to.

Dramatic Licenses for Drivers

Driving for efficiency is really not difficult, but where are the “cars that people want to buy?” All I see is Jazz giving a trip report on his tour of Manhattan.

Hyper-milers have been refining the techniques of fuel efficiency for some time, starting with the very basic things you have noted, and rising to fairings and tailpipe modifications, along with computer tweaks and other more involved modifications.

Still, I don’t see much evidence here that this was an “Eco-Friendly Auto Show”…

Debating the Bottom Line in Health Care

The bottom line in the health care debate is that America collectively spends too much money on health care, and does not get the best care possible. A large portion of the public has not been served by the current market in health insurance, and one would expect this problem to continue under any plan that does not mandate universal coverage. Depending on employers (and hence employment) to secure health coverage is a poor model for health coverage, and it is past time that cradle to grave coverage be part of every American’s birthright. Our health system is broken, and the market is not going to fix it.

Tea Party Fever

I still don’t see any clear description of what the Tea Parties represent aside from a protest against government taxation. Meeting on tax day and using the tea party metaphor make that connection pretty clear.

Obama & Co. can’t really be faulted for spending - it is exactly what they promised to do. What the Tea Parties seem to me to represent is a frustrated fringe of the GOP that is politically disenfranchised and unable to contemplate cooperation with Obama.

Tea Parties apparently have been all about tax cuts for the rich and cutting government spending on social programs. These are not popular policies with voters. I encourage the Tea Party movement as a way to expose the shallow, naive and incomplete policy program that the GOP has been flogging since 1980.

A Tempest in a Teacup

I’m not sure where Jennifer learned the definition of “massive”. This outpouring was anything but. Take Columbus, OH for example. 7,000 show for the Tea Party - but 60,000 showed up for an Obama rally in November. The Tea Party attendees were even outnumbered by McCain turnout (10,000), which was never termed “massive”.

This was a modest protest, over-hyped and overplayed in the media, and truly nothing to get excited about unless you are part of the 24-hour news cycle.

How Dangerous is the Truth?

I’m sure you would love to have history and culture white-washed for your consumption, with no critical perspective on any aspect of our nation. What you call “revisionist” culture is really just a diversity of views being represented. Picking on the perspectives you don’t like is fine, but calling them “revisionist” and “poison” is just hyperbole.

There is an equally troubling trend to pretend that America can do no wrong, and should not be subject to criticism. This is much more troubling to me than the idea of a play or movie that calls into question American actions.

As Socrates might say, the unexamined life is not worth living. Culture is a big part of how we examine the life of our nation. “Revisionist” or not, examining our history with a critical eye is an important part of helping America fulfill her promise.

Tea Party Pooper

Have fun at the “Forth of July” event. I’m glad to see people being politically active, but not expecting these events to make any significant impact. Idaho is a very reliable state for Republicans that is moving slowly toward supporting Democrats as demographics change.

What strikes me as rather silly is pretending that there is some similarity to the original Tea Party in Boston. There is no taxation without representation to object to here, and the tax rates for most Americans have just been cut. The lack of a focus for these events is very clear - there are many different agendas represented, and the only common theme is that the GOP is out of power.

Unless the GOP can articulate a common theme, a central message, or at least a general idea of where they want to take America, there will be no impact on electoral politics from these Tea Parties.

Scalia the Homophobe

Scalia is a homophobe. How is it cowardly to call out a Supreme Court justice for doing harm to our Republic?

Scalia has demonstrated that he is not an impartial arbiter of the law:

In a dissent in the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas, in which the Court struck down an anti-sodomy law as unconstitutional, Scalia said the Court’s majority “signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda, by which I mean the agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual conduct.”

Clearly Scalia believes that the government should restrict the rights of homosexuals. This is not the position of a person who understands the proper role of government in a Constitutional Republic.

Attacking Frank may be all the rage these days, but in this instance, Barney has the formula right. Scalia needs to be constantly shown for the hateful and idiotic jurist that he is. His decisions are typically poorly reasoned, with tortured justifications being the norm. Since impeachment is a political quagmire, shaming the justice is the most practical way to show distaste for the contempt in which he holds his fellow citizens.

True Christians?

It’s nice to see a Christian who understands that followers of Jesus have strayed from the path, and wants to correct the error.

Penny Pinching at the Pentagon

Ditching the F-22 to get moving on the F-35 is a prudent move. Reducing the explosion in Pentagon spending is necessary and Obama’s plan appears to do a very good job of setting priorities.

Wingnut Ghetto

I’ve seen many different means and methods for organizing a bookstore. Why continue to shop at a bookstore that you believe is racist?

I’m amused that you are blaming the left for the labels applied to books. It wasn’t so long ago that similar labels were being applied to people by law, with the full support of the GOP.

And isn’t the right of the bookstore owner to use whatever categories they choose?

Individualism and the GOP

What many on the right fail to recognize, is that Obama is correct in his criticism of the USA, and that blindly attacking him for admitting the obvious only makes it clear that you don’t understand how America can overcome our faults.

This is not about Obama’s “ego” - it is about America’s ego.

I also disagree with the assertion that Conservatives shy away from mass movements. Conservatives are by and large members of organized religious groups, which provide a built-in social peer group. The true individualists are on the fringes of the left and right, fighting for libertarian and anarchist values. Conservatives are economic individualists, but far too many have become collectivist on social issues, in hopes of legislating their religious beliefs.

Conservatives simply ignore the massive amount of work required to maintain a grassroots movement, and therefore will continue to go without. Obama did the work, and is reaping the fruit of his labor. Best community organizer ever?

Spain Prosecuting the USA

It’s sad that the Spanish are calling out the USA for failing to keep our own house clean. I really think the best way to preclude such action is to prosecute these persons domestically. Ensure a fair trial, and the internationals can be turned away - “Double Jeopardy” and all that. Hiding under the bed only can take you so far.

Elizabeth Scalia miffed at Notre Dame

Powers and principalities have always held human life cheap, and throughout history the Catholic Church has passionately, correctly, and consistently preached on the sanctity of life, at every stage.

If only this statement were true. The Catholic Church has passionately, ignorantly and consistently preached the sanctity of Catholic lives - and has repeatedly shown contempt for any other belief system. Throughout the centuries the Catholic Church has been the friend of the powers and principalities that have held human life cheap, and has asked only for the privilege of claiming the souls they have dispatched.

Obama should briefly and clearly state his position on the fundamental right to privacy, and the fundamental right to control of one’s own body. Catholics are entitled to their position on abortion - but our government was instituted in part to prevent them from making their position mandatory. Our nation was founded on freedom from such coercive government action.

Abortion is part of a fundamental right of all persons to control their own bodies. The Catholic Church has no right, and no moral standing, to change this.

Obama an "Evil Commie"?

I see a lot of paranoia here, but not much substance. What, precisely, has Obama done to indicate authoritarian tendencies? So far as I see, he is following well-established market principles in his efforts to prevent the collapse of capitalism.

All the over-the-top analogies only make Obama look more reasonable. Comparing Obama to Stalin is just more of the same absurd rhetoric that has become SOP on the right. So much for reasoned debate - let’s just demonize. It’s so much easier than actually crafting solutions. Right?

Bill Siegel on "Free Stuff"

Bill,

You yourself are contributing to the “free stuff” mentality. Next time, make me pay for your article….

Blowing (Coal) Smoke on Energy

Creating any incentive to further pollute the environment with fossil fuel consumption is a short sighted and inefficient use of human and material capital.

There is no advantage to this technology unless one ignores all of the externalized costs associated with consuming coal.

Promoting and advancing dead-end “solutions” is, unfortunately, what we have come to expect from the polluting industries.

Bill Whittle Please Fly Away

Please take Bill’s advice. If you are a rich person who thinks that paying 2% more in taxes is so burdensome that the advantages of living as an American cannot justify the cost - by all means, move. Your greed and selfishness are not in demand here.

Obama's European Debut

President Obama inherited a solo fight with the Taliban, massive federal deficits and debt, failed policies on Iran and North Korea, the neanderthal war, past terrible policies and unrestrained carbon emissions.

Obama’s ‘organizing of the world’ has not yet begun - this trip was simply laying the groundwork and feeling out his fellow leaders to see who is ready to tackle the problems facing the world.

Now Obama has more of the information he needs to formulate a unified strategy to conclude our row with the Taliban, rein in federal deficits, reduce the threat from rogue states, end the neanderthal war and move forward to address climate change and the rule of law. He will be able to lead the world by example and motivation, a nice change from the bravado and hypocrisy of the last administration. This is the change that we need.

The Truth Hurts

Singling out Islam seems a bit short-sighted. Why not address the lies and omissions in our history texts regarding all religious traditions? Certainly the ‘whitewashing’ of Islam can’t be any more misleading than the portrayal of Christian religions in most texts.

It is true that misinformation is harmful to our ability to properly address the world. But we should not allow ourselves to be persuaded that Islam is uniquely misrepresented. It is true that Islam has been spread by the sword - but it is hardly unique in this regard. Christianity has been promulgated using the very same strategies of conquest - and any historical treatment that portrays Islam as a violent, expansionist faith should not omit the same truths as they relate to the Christian tradition.

Iowa court okays gays

How is this an attack on traditional marriage? I haven’t seen anyone protesting the traditional marriage rights of mixed gender couples, or seen any indication that this ruling would impact these rights.

What is really happening is that equal protection is being properly understood to protect the rights of minority populations against the tyranny of the majority - exactly what our Constitution is supposed to do. Eventually this understanding will be adopted by the SCOTUS, and same-gender couples will no longer be denied the rights afforded their mixed-gender cohorts.

What really galls is the attempt to frame this issue as an attack on “traditional marriage”. It is no such thing. What really is going on is a pre-emptive war on the rights of a persecuted minority, and the judicial system is rightly rejecting such arguments as unconstitutional.

Marriage as a sacred union is not at issue here - marriage as a legal union is what has been denied to same-gender couples. The Iowa court is correct to recognize this distinction, and has ruled appropriately. Their unanimous decision speaks clearly to the unsupportable assertions of homophobic activists.

The bottom line if you don’t approve of gay marriage? Don’t have one.

Closing Gitmo

Unfortunately some detainees can’t be deported to their home country because of the threat of persecution. My personal thought is that any detainee that cannot be found guilty in a court of law should be granted political asylum in the US - the nature of their extended detention could make any deportation problematic.

Despite the prohibition on bringing trained fighters into the USA, without proving their guilt on criminal charges, there is no basis to assert that they should not be granted asylum. The failure in this case would be in arresting and detaining individuals without having sufficient evidence to justify their detention.

Social Security: GOP profiteers seek insolvency

Social Security can be made solvent forever with some simple adjustments. Remove the ceiling on payroll taxes and means test the benefits, and the program is self-funding. It’s not rocket science - just math. Unfortunately math has never been the strong suit of the GOP.

Klavan cracks me up...

Rush is an entertainer. His show is hilarious. As long as you don’t believe a word of it - his show is a laugh riot.

Thanks for a laugh. Next time please be more polite.

Klavan’s challenge was offered with insults and disrespect, proving his argument on the tone of discourse hollow.

I’ve listened to Rush with an open mind plenty of times, and the results are predictable. Limbaugh inevitably provides poorly reasoned arguments that are suitable as comedy, while offending the intelligence of anyone who would attempt to take him seriously.

Rush is no more than a popular entertainer. That he happens to promote hateful ideas is unfortunate - that he has an audience of millions that take his word as gospel is tragic. That Klavan considers him a good representative of Conservatism is just sad.

From Russia with Love

After Bush provided Russia a complete pass to wage war against their citizens and neighbors, Obama must be careful and deliberate while building the foundation for future criticism. Russia no longer takes us seriously, because for the past eight years, we have not been worthy of their respect, and barely worthy of their disdain.

Obama is a different kind of leader, who will not judge Russia so generously as Bush - and will take the time and effort to make sure we have leverage before acting.

NY-20: GOP on the mend?

Certainly the GOP will do better by focusing on Obama, rather than trying to run on the (dismal) GOP record of the past eight years. But to portray this dead-heat as representing an opening for Republicans is rather optimistic.

Statistically, NY-20 is about 2% more Republican than the average nationwide. Tedisco is also a well known and respected politician in the state, relatively speaking, while his opponent was a complete unknown. Tedisco should have blown Murphy out of the water - the fact that a completely unknown Democrat could pull even with a prominent and long-serving GOP representative, and possibly end up taking the seat, does not speak well to GOP prospects.

This may not have been a “safe” seat for the GOP - but if this thesis on GOP openings is true, it should not have been this easy for the Democrats to compete.