Torture is a simple, clear-cut issue. It is not subject to serious debate.

There is no doubt that when the President says, "We're gonna take the gloves off," he means, "We will torture." There is no doubt that the Vice President has lobbied to make torture legal. Our Attorney General's written justification of torture is unambiguously evil, horrifying by any standard.

When W. Bush says, "We do not torture," it sounds like, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," and, "Read my lips, no new taxes," and, "Your President is not a crook." Flat-out false.

But W. Bush is talking about a monumental evil, for crying out loud, not just blow jobs and burglaries and such. He is at a much deeper level of lying than his lying predecessors. He has reached the level of profound horror.

John McCain has spoken and acted against torture. Every other presidential hopeful and prominent politician should speak out as well. Our mommas didn't raise no torturers. Speak out, and then you still can vote for Bush if you wish. But do not get get yourself and the rest of us tangled up in torture.

Poster Peter M. said that if he met Bush, he would shake Bush's hand and be cordial. I have given this issue some thought: I I were introduced to G.W. Bush, I would shake his hand, smile, and say, "Hail, Mighty Conquerer!"

I cannot come up with a greeting for Cheney, though. What would you say if you met Cheney?

And he tortures the English language. In the court of public opinion, he is ridiculed for his tortuous language. I hope, somehow, in the International Court of Justice, he will be arrested and punished for the tortured people.

NPR and the Detroit papers are good sources. Local TV news stinks everywhere. And Christian Radio news is terrible. It sounds like (or as Bill Clinton might say, IS) news from a different planet The Wall Street Journal's politics spoils the rest.

Salon is pretty good. You can click on the plain news stories on the left if you do not like all the posting smartie-pantses. And here is a suggestion: Try Canadian TV news if you live far north enough.

This is a lovely number, and Catullus is a lovely poet. The previous poster is absolutely correct about how it should be sung. Good call, Previous Poster! (I am sorry. I did not note your name before I went into this add-a-note screen.) This is an AD MCMLXXI release? Somebody probably already told the composer about that.

The defect does not wreck the recording, but it diminishes it. It would be easy to fix. Any plans for further Catullus jams? Talk to Previous Poster and me, and we will set you straight. Rock on!

Why did you pick Catullus's shortest poem? Any other Catullus on this album?

Vince et vale!

I understand they intend to name the new morgues after two famous Iraqi freedom fighters: The George W. Bush Morgue and the Richard B. Cheney Morgue.

In this forum, you only get one or two shots per topic. If you want to take over some web site, go to the Politics thread at Mork & Mindy Dot Com. Or cover your dorm room wall with deep thoughts. Or write your own commentary, and try to get Salon to run it. Just, please, SShhhhhh.

These Kesbehs are exactly the sort of people we want in the USA. The fact that they could not stay here is the problem. Kicking out the Kesbehs runs counter to the American myth. That is what stirs up all our emotional responses, on both sides of the issue.

We still believe in, "Give me your teeming masses yearning to breathe free," along with a whole lot of other idealistic American values. And our leaders in Washington try (rather successfully) to make use of our idealism, and to exploit the American myth. But they appeal to our American ideals so that they can torture, and build dungeons, and bomb weddings, and conquer other nations.

Nobody believes that these things constitute any valid part of our American heritage.

So... If realism demands that the Kesbehs suffer in Jordan, so be it. But if you are that sort of realist, do not try to pretend that America still can aspire to be the land of opportunity undimmed by human tears. It would have to be one or the other.

I prefer to believe that we still can have it all. God bless America, but let's keep Canada in mind.

Bill Maher, this is a profound article, and it is funny. I counted 21 sentences with jokes in them, and only 13 sentences without jokes. You are batting .618! Mostly home runs!

Now, please just make Richard Belzer be polite the next time he appears on your show, and we will stand a chance to win the world serious.

Break out the Desenex!

This is politically-charged soap opera. It is the last thing we need now. Many people at ABC have a pretty good idea of the truth. If they are so cynical that they will do this just for ratings, then they are worse than Fox, because Fox seems to do it out of stupidity and arrogance.