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.