Letters to the Editor
Scientician
Published Letters: 534 Editor's Choice: 1
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It hasn't sunk in
[Read the article: Chris Dodd on FISA, habeas corpus and Democratic capitulation]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The Democrats, despite the idiocy of moves like this, are not consciously complicit in damaging the constitution. I see the problem is that they haven't clued in that the Republicans are, quite purposely trying to do so.
They don't all think of it in these terms of course, but nonetheless there is a malevolent will behind all these moves, and they are planned and orchestrated in a coherent strategy of constitutional erosion.
The Democrats lack a counter-strategy. They sometimes play the field in Defence, but when they get possession of the ball, they don't try and drive for the end zone, they just punt and go back to playing defence.
That Dodd has made an issue of this at all is a good sign, but it needs to be his central issue. As serious as the issues of Iraq, health care and economics are, the reason the Democrats will lose on all of them continuously is the failure to address the constitutional crisis in an organized fashion.
A few token efforts by a Dodd here and a Kucinich there are not sufficient to the task.
And for Dodd, who languishes in 0-1% support territory to be playing the sober minded cautious candidate approach is both bad strategy and frankly cowardly. He needs to make this issue #1, and take some risks to get noticed for this. I doubt more than a small minority of Dem voters have any idea Dodd is concerned with this, and if he were to hit 5% for talking loudly about this, you'd better believe Hillary/Obama and Edwards would move to take on this issue to. Which is the only point of Dodd's campaign barring some miracle that puts him into contention.
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Truth and Reconciliation is needed
[Read the article: The brutal, uncivilized Libyans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]America must come to grips and atone for what it is currently doing.
It is a good sign that a foreign policy advisor to Obama is speaking of this. The only other Presidential candidate I have heard speak of such things is Dodd, with whom I am increasingly impressed (I'm beginning to hope someone picks him for VP).
We need a "Star-Chamber" or caucus of political leaders with consciences to reinforce each other. This needs a dedicated, ongoing, coordinated political strategy. Leahy, Feingold, Dodd, and Kerry could get it started. The people waging war against the constitution and human rights have for too long only been battling systemic resistance and institutional factors. They have not faced a coherent opponent, seeking to roll back their ill gotten gains.
It's time to stop acting like "checks and balances" are some force of nature that just happen automatically. They are human creations and they need humans to function.
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Pathetic
[Read the article: The brutal, uncivilized Libyans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You sickening torture apologists should be hiding in shame.
The only argument you have is the same one as ever, "other countries are worse" - Darfur? So now you have to turn to actual genocide to find a regime that is clearly worse than Bush?
That's an indictment in itself.
The worst part is, Glenn's post here is explicitly a rejection of this apologetic for torture, and your only response is to come here and make the very argument Glenn has eviscerated.
Bush supporters, you really are at the bottom of the well, when the only argument you can offer is one which is itself an indictment of what Bush is doing. Damning him by faint praise. I can see your campaign slogans right now:
"George Bush: Still not as bad as Hitler!"
"George Bush: Somewhat more moral than Mao"
"George Bush: Looks good next to Stalin"
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Chrissy Hind
[Read the article: The brutal, uncivilized Libyans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"We are all of us in the gutter. Some of us are looking at the stars."
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Equivalency Arguments
[Read the article: The brutal, uncivilized Libyans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Are not a fallacy if two things actually are equivalent.
Let's spell this out clearly:
The United States government has purposely planned and runs a systematic torture operation with the explicit blessing of the very highest official
That is completely equivalent to what Libya does regarding treatment of prisoners. As someone else pointed out too, it bears stating explicitly: The US torture practices are actually worse than the willy-nilly torture used by other nations since the US practices were scientifically designed to effectively break a human being without leaving a physical mark.
Torture doesn't have to involve pincers or heated irons or whips or any particular mechanism. It is purposely inflicting pain and discomfort to compel cooperation.
America is now the world's most effective torturers. Congratulations, Right Wing Authoritarians, you've managed to make America #1 at something again.
But because Bush won't call it "torture" somehow it is not. I laugh because of that great find Andrew Sullivan made some time ago where even the Nazis considered water-boarding and sleep deprivation and exposure to extreme temperatures to be torture.
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Re: Update
[Read the article: The Islamists are coming]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hahaha! Fabulous. Glenn at his acerbic and no-nonsense best.
Is there a logical fallacy that the right wing loves more than the false dilemma? I'm pretty sure about 90% of all their political opinions are based on one sort of false dichotomy or another. If you don't support having 40million people unable to afford for-profit care you must want long waiting lists and government bureaucrats overruling your health care decisions, if you don't like 5 mega-corporations running all the media you must oppose freedom of the press and want to nationalize everything, if you don't like the death penalty you must want your children to be raped, if you don't like the government listening to your phone calls and reading your emails you must want more planes to fly into buildings.
The litany could easily go on. Republicans: Are they stupid, or just evil? It's one or the other with no other possibilities!