Letters to the Editor
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P.D. "Bo" Steele
Glenn has standing, does he not?
Since I haven't been waterboarded, I don't have standing.
More importantly, I made the decision a couple of years ago that one could have far more impact on political matters doing this rather than lawyering. There is no shortage of lawyers bringing lawsuits -- and I have nothing but respect for those who do that -- but lawsuits aren't going to save the republic.
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standing
Really?
Tell that to the plaintiff(s) in Brown v. Board of Education.
But surely waterboarding is not the only rights violation at issue in the Republic, is it?
I would think your obtaining an injunction against the violations of rights set out in this blog would be your highest calling. Indeed, given your profile and opinions on these matters, I would think that you are uniquely qualified to lead the charge in this area.
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Kovie -
Off-topic, but I'm just wondering why we don't see more of you in the establishment media, as opposed to here, Air America, etc., and very rarely CSPAN (where they invariably put you against some professional dissembler and neofascist like David Rivkin)? I realize how much you despise this portion of the media, but it still happens to be where most Americans get their news and opinions, and your presence on it would only help elevate the dialogue,
A few points about this --
(1) I've had offers -- not a huge amount but more than a couple -- to do panel-type 30-second-screaming appearances on MSNBC and CNN shows before. For a lot of reasons, I'm not interested in doing that and don't actually think it would achieve any good.
(2) It's important to remember that I've only been doing this for 1 1/2 years. I started blogging at the end of 2005. A lot of those opportunities are developed slowly, and I want to develop opportunities the smart way -- patiently -- not by leaping at any crumbs thrown my way.
(3) It's important not to underestimate the hostility that gets created from criticizing specific media people. I really believe in the need to single out media people for criticism rather than just writing generic anti-media posts. People who are criticized that way read what I write almost invariably now, and since I -- at one point or another -- have rather aggressively and personally criticized the "journalism" of key people in almost every major news organization -- and will continue to do that -- that obviously is going to impact how willing pepole are to give a platform.
(4) Part of it is just a lack of incentive. The last thing I want to do, as a commenter earlier pointed out, is think about how to attract their affection or cultivate friendly relations with any of them. And I'm not convinced it's necessary. I think far more energy and events of significance are now found in places outside of those mainstream areans -- including blogs. And one can influence what is discussed there and how it's discussed without directly entering it -- I hear from various TV journalists and producers and the like all the time who read what I write, and that has some impact.
I prefer to build my own platform and not have to rely upon those who are part of the diseased edifice. I can only do this from a place of passion and if I start having to plot about how to attact that kind of opportunity, it's going to become a burden.
You're right that the greatest impact can be achieved in those places, and if there is a way for me to do it on my own terms -- and I think there is -- that will happen. But it's not my goal and isn't going to be. Having it as your goal is the quickest way to have all the value drain out of what one does. There are countless examples proving that.
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How much torture is too much?
- 52 percent of all adults believe that the use of torture is justified either often (12%) or sometimes (40%).
UN Convention against Torture (http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm)
Article 2
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political in stability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.- 55 percent of all adults believe that rendition (as explained above) is justified either often (14%) or sometimes (41%), when interrogating suspected terrorists.
Article 3
1. No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.This is a ratified treaty and as such is the law of the land.
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I think life is Grrrrreat!!!
....If you prefer to piss and moan about how bad life is, be my guest. But don't you think CarolynC's story about hitting the credit cards for a contribution to Kerry was a bit scary? It smacks of desperation and despair, much like this entire thread. -- shooter242
I always run my contributions through credit cards. I like the rebate points. Cards are not inherently evil.... you've just got to be able to pay-in-full every month, otherwise you're getting screwed. And, shooter242, I simply must let you know that I'll be doing most of my Xmas shopping with card points this year. Thanks so much for your input on this discussion board. You have been.... motivational.
Statistically speaking I have ~40 years left to see the fruits of my current investments in America. I think there's even odds that I will see some of what I hope for, and if I get even 20% of it, I'll know that I and the nation were blessed lucky.
Still, I might die tonight... and so might you, eh? So now is no time to be chickenshit about anything.
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"It's important not to underestimate the hostility that gets created from criticizing specific media people. "
Indeed.
It'd be amusing to see how many pageviews of http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/ come from Joe Klein's IP address...
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P.D. "Bo" Steele
I'm guessing that what Glenn meant--although of course I can't speak for him--is that legal action ALONE cannot and will not save the republic. BvB clearly had a tremendous positive effect on our republic, but 50+ years later we're still debating and litigating the underlying issues and principles surrounding it, and as recent court decisions have shown, even reversing it. RvW similarly had a powerful effect, and yet there is still no national consensus on abortion, nor is there likely to be one for a very long time to come.
I think that Glenn's point was that, as important as legal action was, it's not enough to move our Republic back to where it needs to be, to restore and save it. That also requires a change in our laws--which except when overturned or interpreted, lies within the legislative, executive and occasionally electoral domain (e.g. initiatives), in our politics, in the media, in our citizenry, etc. To expect and wait for the courts to fix the messes that we find ourselves in right now is naive and, frankly, lazy, if not cowardly.
Judicial remedies are certainly necessary, but simply not sufficient to the massive task at hand. We also need a huge increase in public interest and participation in politics, a reinvigorated, adversarial and principled media, an infusion of progressive politics and politicians in the political process, odious laws reversed legislatively and progressive ones passed in their place, etc. The courts are important, but they can only do so much, because they are essentially a reactive, not proactive body, as opposed to the other two.