| Torture isn't patriotic |
[May. 16th, 2009|01:03 pm] |
Today's Boston Globe ran an editorial with the above lead line. It was a reasonable statement to point out that Dick Cheney and his friends are putting out bad information about the utility of torture. Here is a link to that editorial.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/05/16/torture_isnt_patriotic/
I was deeply disturbed by the number of comments on the editorial that had been made by torture apologists who clearly knew nothing beyond the same talking points used by Cheney and Limbaugh. Below is my reply to them.
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I'm very sorry to see the number of comments from people who clearly know nothing about interrogation and torture. My information comes from both the study of history and talk with people who have been interrogation specialists for the US military.
Call it torture or "enhanced interrogation," the techniques are the same. The procedures that are such a topic of current talk have been in well-documented use since the early days of the Spanish Inquisition, were used against US prisoners by the Japanese during World War II, the Chinese and North Koreans in that action, and by the North Vietnamese. In every one of those last three places, these techniques were branded correctly as torture, and the practitioners faced prison or execution.
Beyond the issues of pain infliction, there is one serious problem with torture.
IT DOES NOT WORK DEPENDABLY.
That is not a "liberal" bias speaking, it is historical record. Apply these techniques, or worse ones, for long enough, and you can get Dick Cheney to admit to being the gunman on the grassy knoll, just to get the questioning to stop. It is true that torture can, very rarely, get useful information. The effort to verify information extracted through torture often takes so long, or is so costly of other resources, that it makes useful information valueless. Most of the product of torture is made up, slanted to appease the torturers, or slanted to reflect the bias of the person being tortured.
Torture is used only because someone wants to punish the subject, or produce fear in the community from which the subject came. The problem with this second factor is that, while it may produce fear, it also causes anger. In the past, news that US prisoners were being tortured led to surges in enlistment. The same applies to other countries whose people have been tortured by our operatives.
The US military has established procedures for interrogation based on many years of practical experience, and the observation of the best interrogators other countries have developed. More useful, readily verifiable information can be gotten by talking to a prisoner for an hour or two in a peaceful environment than by a month in which that prisoner is being waterboarded every four hours.
In the last few days the apologists for torture have suddenly declared open season on Nancy Pelosi for what she may have known and when she may have known it. If they feel so strongly about it, why are they simultaneously so defensive of all the people who encouraged the practice, ordered its use, and tried to cover it up?
I feel very strongly that this country requires a complete investigation of the situation, with legal action taken.
The United States is better than this. We are now in the unenviable position of having to prove to the rest of the world, and to ourselves, that we are better than this, and that it will never happen again. |
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| What the Union Leader wouldn't let me say |
[May. 8th, 2009|11:33 am] |
The New Hampshire legislature has sent a same-sex marriage bill to the governor's desk. I've phoned the governor's office to indicate my support for the bill. Before I phoned I checked the website for the biggest paper in the state, the extremely conservative Manchester Union-Leader, just to make sure that the governor hadn't already taken public action.
After reading through a lot of comments as response to an editorial declaring that Governor Lynch should veto the bill, I wrote my own reply. Then I realized that I could find no "Send" option anywhere on that page.
Just because I want to make my thoughts known somewhere, here is the argument I offered to the readership of that paper. Let me add that I was pleased to see a significant number of responses to that editorial from people who did not support the newspaper's stance.
====
I have felt that the "sanctity" of marriage has been damaged more in recent years by the actions of people like Newt Gingrich (serving his wife divorce papers as she recovered from cancer surgery so he could move on to a newer, younger woman), and Britney Spears (who needs marriage to last more than a weekend, right?), than in any of the marriages of gay and lesbian couples I have read about or observed.
Marriage is a two-fold rite. On the one hand, it is a state-regulated relationship between two adults, offering benefits to both, and with standard rights and responsibilities recognized by the government. These last have to do with issues like paying taxes, shared responsibility for debts, rights of inheritance, ability to be informed of and direct medical care, and so forth. These are things that we all take for granted, usually without thinking about them.
On the other hand, marriage is a religious observance. Please remember, this is a sacrament that is unique in that it is entered into between two people, with any minister or priest, and any congregation of family, friends, and well-wishers, acting only as witnesses. Not that many years ago the Archbishop of Chicago was slapped down by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church when he refused to sanction the marriage of a man and a woman because the man was a paraplegic who could not perform the requirement of procreation implicit in marriage. Marriage is not about the couple involved having children, or no couples beyond the age of menopause would be allowed to be married by any Judeo-Christian church, temple, or chapel. Marriage is about a commitment between two people, before God and the community, that they will love and care for each other in this life and looking forward to sharing eternity with each other.
As far as I know, no one has tried to use a same sex marriage law to require any priest or minister to act beyond the dictates of his or her conscience and beliefs. If the officiant does not wish to marry a couple of any description, that couple can look for another venue, as is now the case with heterosexual couples.
What such a law allows is for gay and lesbian couples to have exactly the same rights and obligations as a heterosexual couple, without requiring them or the people they deal with in daily life to have to look up the fine print in a legal office to see where their rights are different.
I hope that the governor will do the right thing, and sign this bill into law as soon as possible. Moreover, I hope that in doing so New Hampshire will once again be a union leader for all of the United States. |
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| Nasty push poll |
[May. 5th, 2009|10:57 am] |
Just got an automated phone survey. Since I live in New Hampshire, the legislature of which just passed a bill to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the nut-jobs are trying to get support. Still, this call was an even worse example of bad phrasing than usual.
"Do you believe marriage between only one man and one woman should be legal in New Hampshire?"
Gee, I don't know. Who is the one man? If it's Rush Limbaugh or Newt Gingrich, the answer is "NO!"
Or did they mean that I think it should be legal for a man and a woman to marry each other in this state? Or do they think that polyandry is a hazard that must be confronted now?
Or, gosh, maybe they meant to ask whether I think that it should only be legal for hetero couples to be married here. If so, they should shoot the polling company and hire American.
Just got the same poll on our other phone line. The polling company was "CPR Action." The survey was sponsored by the "National Organization for Marriage." The time wasted belongs to everyone with a listed phone in New Hampshire. |
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| To Whom it May Concern |
[Apr. 26th, 2009|12:51 pm] |
It is only about a week since we first had two consecutive days in which the temperature broke 60. Yesterday afternoon the thermometer read 91 here, and the weather people are saying today might be almost that warm, and tomorrow even warmer.
How did I miss the memo that spring was being shortened to only a week? |
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| From a recently discovered manuscript |
[Apr. 23rd, 2009|12:13 am] |
"But, lo! What light o'er yon harlot breaks?
'Tis the moon, face cleared of cloud,
That shows clear our course to the stews and jakes
In the city that of its state hast been so proud."
Act II, Scene 3
Romeo, the Pirate King
In honor of Talk Like Shakespeare Day (April 23 http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/ ) and in anticipation of Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19 http://www.talklikeapirate.com/ ).
(Hey, you think it's easy to find a single quote suitable for both days?) |
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| WTF? |
[Mar. 15th, 2009|12:35 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | cheney | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  aggravated | ] |
I just saw something presented as a news headline, at the top of the news.
FLASH! Dick Cheney thinks that, by saying no to torture, Obama is opening the doors for the terrorists to come in and kill us all.
WHY ON EARTH IS ANYONE LISTENING TO THAT EVIL CLOWN?
If I want his advice on anything, I'll ask about how to shoot someone in the face and get away with it. |
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| Writer's Block: So Long, Farewell |
[Jan. 20th, 2009|12:57 am] |
I'll remember him for starting a war in Iraq with a final explanation that it was to bring Democracy to the Middle East, killing over 100,000 innocent civilians in the process, and then saying that it is evil to "kill innocents in pursuit of political or religious agendas."
After that, I'll remember him as a president who did not have a majority of the vote, and who could not have done much more damage to America's standing in the world if he had been a sleeper agent planted by the old Soviet Union.
I will remember him as someone who did a few things that were good, and should have made him memorable in a positive way, if he hadn't done so many other things that outweighed them.
I would like to remember him for his appearance in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Condi, and their cronies also facing charges for crimes against humanity. |
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| A Modest Proposal Related to Mr. Cheney's Claims |
[Dec. 23rd, 2008|01:03 pm] |
Recently Mr. Richard (Dick) Cheney has been appearing in various locations talking about his legacy as Vice President, a period during which he has, according to him, made no mistakes and for which he need make no apologies. He has also renewed legal claims to state that he need not comply with legal requirements to turn over letters, e-mails, and communications logs relating to his activities over the last eight years.
His assertion seems to be that he is not part of the Executive Branch. Even more interestingly, he has said that if he was not working on a specific assignment from Mr. George W. Bush then his activities are exempt from any possible reporting requirements. Based on that latter claim, he seems to think that the greatest part of his activities over the last eight years are unrelated to the conduct of government and thus should not be reported, or are of no interest to historians and archivists.
I would like to make a suggestion in the event that Mr. Cheney does not disclose all his records by January 20, 2009.
If he is truly exempt in the manners he asserts, then he should also be exempt from the benefits associated with being part of the Executive Branch at the job level he has held for eight years. He should be served with a bill for his share of the cost of renting that nice house at the US Naval Observatory. Another bill for the value of his office space in that prestigious location in Washington, DC. Yet another bill for the value of the company provided to him by the US Secret Service. In addition, all Secret Service details should be removed from him for the remainder of his life.
Does he feel confident enough about the quality of his legacy to want to be a citizen of this great country who doesn't have taxpayer-provided security 24/7? |
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| Good news |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|11:42 am] |
We stayed up watching TV last night until after Obama's speech. We're very happy with the overall results of the elections, with some exceptions in Senate or House races.
I found it very telling that McCain's speech was to what appeared to be an all-white crowd, and that when he mentioned Obama's name, they booed. Loudly. Obama's rally was very diverse, and when he said McCain's name, there were cheers. Maybe not loud, but a far more positive response. The image of Jesse Jackson in Chicago, with tears running down his face, will stick with me for a long time.
It was a good night.
Obama has my very best wishes, because now the hard part begins. |
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| Unthreatened by love |
[Oct. 30th, 2008|12:07 am] |
Copy this sentence into your livejournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage/relationship (or if you think you might be someday), and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow.
(I've been married for twenty years. Neither of us feel as though the loving relationships of any of our friends has had a negative effect on us.) |
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| Morning humor |
[Oct. 13th, 2008|12:52 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  amused | ] |
In my early morning browsing I found this. If the link works, I hope it will amuse you also.
<a href="http://failblog.org/2008/10/13/license-plate-fail-2/> |
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| Must be Piss Off the Town Day |
[Oct. 12th, 2008|11:34 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | office at home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | aggravated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | propane being pumped | ] |
Every year, on an irregular and not previously announced schedule, our town's volunteer fire department piles into all their vehicles so that they can drive through every street in town with their sirens and horns going. Maybe it's so we'll remember they are here, but it doesn't make us glad in the knowledge.
And just to show that it's a really weird day, the oil company just sent a truck to fill the propane tank. Yes, on Sunday.
Sometimes I just don't understand this world. |
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| Page 56. Why did it have to be page 56? |
[Oct. 2nd, 2008|03:42 pm] |
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
Her body--well, it never stayed the same shape so it's hard to describe, but it was right for her.
Have Space Suit--Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein, new edition in production.
(I never could get the hang of page 56.) |
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| Just thinking |
[Sep. 24th, 2008|11:19 am] |
The Republican economic policy for the last 30 years has just been repudiated at the highest levels. "Let business forces clear out the dead wood, because business knows what it needs and how to do it, and the federal government should have no role in regulation or oversight" has been replaced by "the federal government will take over the engines of business, as part of the executive branch, with no outside supervision." So what's next? Does the Shrub declare Sun Myung Moon a false prophet, and himself the new divine incarnation, as he cancels all elections "for the duration of the emergency?"
The emergency bailout plan, which the White House said had not been written last weekend, has the same resonance as the "homeland security" legislation that got rammed through seven years ago. Right down to the part where a massive amount of text has to be approved as is within a week or cats will lie down with dogs, the climate will warm, and the apocalypse will be going on around our heads.
If anyone would like to contact their Representatives and Senators, maybe the current rumblings of discontent from Capitol Hill will actually become voices telling Bush, Cheney, et al, that this isn't the way to do it. And that we're all really looking forward to getting rid of them. |
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| The evil clown is dead |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|01:59 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | office at home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | mixed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | bird song outside | ] |
Got word this week that, within 24 hours, Larry Harmon and Jesse Helms both died. I must admit to a little schadenfreude in knowing that the evil clown is gone. But, I'll miss my friend Bozo, from when I was young. |
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| Nigerians in space! |
[Jun. 13th, 2008|02:10 pm] |
I just got one of those Nigerian e-mail spams. This one caught my eye because the person I'm to contact to claim my $1.5 million is a man in Benin named Valentine Smith.
Cool! The Man from Mars wants to give me money!
(If you've never read Stranger in a Strange Land this won't make sense. The rest of us are amused.) |
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| Response to a dubious product |
[Apr. 26th, 2008|12:26 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | humor | ] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home office | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | irritated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | chain saws in the distance | ] |
This morning we listened to Wait, Wait on NPR. If you don't listen, it's a comedy review of the week's news, and is very funny. It's also a good way to catch up on what's going on in the world, especially if you missed The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
This week they mentioned a product that the Florida state legislature is proposing banning. Described as "the ultimate truck accessory" (I'm not making this up, I checked the maker's Web site) it is called Trucknutz, and it is an object made to be hung below the rear bumper of an oversized truck or SUV. It resembles a dangling pair of testicles. They come in plastic (in several colors) or chrome-plated.
What astonished me is that none of the comedians on the show came up with the response that was my first thought. I may need to go out and make ready for the day when I see one of these items on a parked vehicle by buying a can of blue spray paint.
From having seen the Website of this company, I see that they are offered in blue plastic. I would be willing to bet that this is their worst-selling option.
Just my thought for the day. You may return to your previously scheduled weekend. |
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| After surgery |
[Apr. 16th, 2008|01:43 pm] |
I went in Monday to have a tear in the medial meniscus of my right knee fixed. It's a pretty minor, arthroscopic procedure, and it went just fine. There was a chance that there was a problem with the ACL, but that proved not to be the case.
Yesterday I felt so good that I seem to have overdone it a bit, and I got some swelling last night, accompanied by some unpleasant squishy sensations and sounds. I'm being really low-stress today. Outside it's looking like a lovely spring day, and there is a young groundhog exploring behind the office. It's quite pastoral.
One question I have, though there probably isn't a real answer. They worked on my knee, through two tiny incisions. I understand why they painted Betadyne six inches above the knee. But why did they paint my leg all the way down to my ankle? It just seems a little overzealous. Maybe they'd opened the economy-sized pint bottle and didn't want to waste any? |
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