I wish I could take credit for the following letter to President Obama; however, I cannot! It was written by my daughter-in-law in San Carlos, CA! I think all of us need to write the President directly when he acts in such a codependent fashion (as he is doing when speaking about prosecuting the torturers), and threaten him with Michelle!

Here is the letter:

Dear President Obama:

HOW can it be your administration's policy NOT TO prosecute CIA agents who engaged in torture--even if they were told it was "legal."

If someone tells me it's legal to beat my child, and I do so, I will still be prosecuted. Belief in legality is not a defense for these obvious crimes.

If the President implies that some people can break the law, while others can't, it sets a terrible precedent.

I don't want a bunch of criminals in the CIA, on the bench, working in American law firms, or worse yet, in our Universities.

INVESTIGATE, INDICT, PROSECUTE. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND DO THIS, PLEASE.

Don't make me talk to Michelle about this....

There is NO GOD! At least not a sensible one, who reads SALON and keeps up with the nefarious deeds of Bill Kristol and the Republican Right!

What has always bothered me about the arguments (almost always by highly educated men) about atheism vs Christianity is that they are logical, and completely cerebral--cut off at the neck, as it were!

My argument is more common-sensical and (eeek) emotional. I just do not--and never have--believed in an omnipotent God! I think Jesus was a good man! Definitely worth listening to! But the "son of God"--give me a break. I find Buddhism also worthwhile, and am attracted to the Buddha, probably because he was a flawed human being, who was not "resurrected" and did not promise a fabulous afterlife to those who BELIEVE! Even so, I am not a practicing Buddhist!

I think it is possible to be a loving, decent, spiritual person without buying into a religious belief system--including atheism. Some of us are doubters who have no stake in proving the existence (or non-existence) of God, but instead are committed to living a secular, moral and meaningful life here on earth--the one life we know we have--and believing in a very concrete way (through our actions) that "we are our brothers' keeper!"

Mr. Friedman-

Your comment about not bringing those responsible for bringing torture to prisoners of war to justice:

",,,, Two reasons: the first is that because justice taken to its logical end here would likely require bringing George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and other senior officials to trial, which would rip our country apart..."

You speak as if you KNOW this to be a fact. In truth, this is your imagination speaking! And, truly, so what if it "rips our country apart?" What does that mean anyway? Perhaps, just to expose the corruption and sick thinking that has prevailed in our war policy and evasion of our Constitution and the Geneva Convention!

I think you need to state your absolute knowing about what would happen, Mr. Friedman, as your fear and not as fact! You, David Broder, Jon Meacham, and others in positions of power and influence--have taken the easy road out! Whatever has happened to your respect for our letter of law? And for the humanity of our prisoners, who after all ARE human beings?

You really do need to explain yourself more fully and cease parroting the MSM craziness, as if it is the ONLY truth!

In fact, what you have been saying is the REAL craziness! What is amazing to me is that the American people have gone along with this for so long! We are truly a "Nation of (Scared) Sheep!"

President Obama-

Please follow the Nike slogan re Stiglitz, Krugman, Reich, and Galbraith!!!! A hopeful country is waiting for you to see the light!!!!

Gee, whoever thought there would be such a quick and easy way to rid ourselves of the selfish, self-promoting psychopaths who have made torture such a "fun thing" and had a blast driving our banks into the ground!

I think our challenge is exactly the opposite! When the truly best and brightest see that there are consequences for breaking the law and screwing the people of our country, they will be much more likely to want to dedicate themselves to public service which, after all, is about serving the public and effectively making the world a better place.

In the last eight years, we have had a bunch of bureaucrats running around covering their asses, trying to get their lies straight, and generally living the miserable lives of liars and toadys! Those who did what they thought they were supposed to do were shunned or fired! Yes, truly down was up and up was down!

I will bet we have more people interested to work in the Obama Administration than any other to date! Imagine--being able to do work you are proud of, with no boss telling you to make up memos and meetings! What a relief!

Not the torture, but the insistence on investigations and accountability! Please keep on keeping on!!!!!

I feel compassion for Liz Cheney because she feels compelled to defend her crazy dad! (It is hard to have a mentally ill parent.)

And, let there be no doubt, this man is a full-blown delusional paranoid. I have thought so for years, but after reading about his fear of being (or having been) poisoned after 9/11, I am convinced. All of those disappearances into "undisclosed locations" turn out to be attempts to escape further poisoning!

I wish the MSM would address Cheney's paranoia and his "fear of fear," instead of treating his outbursts as sane policy utterances! They aren't!! He is not the first mentally ill person to hold high office. But he certainly is the most irksome!!!!