Comments Posted By bsjones
Displaying 81 To 90 Of 237 Comments
ON TORTURE
In the words of Peter Tosh:
Legalize it
Don't criticize it
Legalize it, yeah, yeah
And I will advertise itIN the words of George Orwell:
Comment Posted By bsjones On 17.04.2009 @ 20:36
1984: "'You asked me once,' said O'Brien, 'what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.' The door opened again. A guard came in, carrying something made of wire, a box or basket of some kind. He set it down on the further table. Because of the position in which O'Brien was standing. Winston could not see what the thing was. 'The worst thing in the world,' said O'Brien, 'varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it is some quite trivial thing, not even fatal.' He had moved a little to one side, so that Winston had a better view of the thing on the table. It was an oblong wire cage with a handle on top for carrying it by. Fixed to the front of it was something that looked like a fencing mask, with the concave side outwards. Although it was three or four metres away from him, he could see that the cage was divided lengthways into two compartments, and that there was some kind of creature in each. They were rats. 'In your case,' said O'Brien, 'the worst thing in the world happens to be rats...'"
ck,
If you are inclined to approve of these methods to get information you should be inclined to overturn the laws that prohibit them.
This is America. We live in the greatest democracy ever conceived. This means that if a majority of American citizens approve of "these methods", then they can have them enshrined as law.
In other words, American citizens have it in their power to legalize torture. If we did this we could consider ourselves a nation of laws once more.
It seems simple really.
Comment Posted By bsjones On 17.04.2009 @ 17:04
Time Magazine's Joe Klein admits that the CIA gets asked to break U.S. and after they do break the law the CIA agents get huffy if/when threatened with prosecution.
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/04/16/torture-memos-released/
You asked us to act "extra legally" and now you prosecute. No fair.
The not so popular around here liberal blogger "Glenzilla" also thinks this kerfufel is about transparency and accountability in government. Like me, he thinks these attributes are necessary for democracy to work. Read him here:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
Comment Posted By bsjones On 17.04.2009 @ 15:25
Smitty,
You want a government that "leans" on prisoners and detainees, then help change American laws that disallow the "leaning". Or do we treat American law as another abstraction.
This is America. We the People have the power to make torture legal if we so choose.
Comment Posted By bsjones On 17.04.2009 @ 14:42
I love America and I feel joy when our elected government officials provide Americans with with effective efficient governance.
There are two things behind the dismal governance we routinely get here in America: No transparency and no accountability from elected and appointed government officials.
Phase one. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. (He knows what's best.)
Phase two. Do not punish the man behind the curtain, he did what he thought was best for us. (Besides he thought it was legal at the time.)
Phase three. Move on. Stop the partisan witch hunt. It does not solve anything. We cannot punish politicians for their political views. (Move along. Nothing to see here.)
This is how government works. No transparency. No accountability. Most people accept it. Those who do not are either right or left wing kooks depending on the individual case. Any reporter will tell you that.
American presidents act as if they are beyond the laws that impact the rest of us. The experience of my entire adult life indicates that they are.
Comment Posted By bsjones On 17.04.2009 @ 14:38
BEGALA: APRIL 15TH SHOULD BE 'PATRIOT'S DAY'
TomT,
I believe government was instituted among men to secure unalienable Rights among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Without government these unalienable rights are UNSECURABLE.Therefore to talk about no government or government being "the problem" is silly. Government is the mechanism that allows men to secure their rights.
It makes perfect sense to talk about eliminating ineffective government or working towards making government more efficient. It even makes sense to discuss reducing the influence of government in a certain sphere. Of course, anyone who is not a demagogue will provide the specifics for their proposals to IMPROVE government and the governance it provides.
Those who talk about eliminating all government as a solution to our problems are story tellers spinning yarns for the man.
Comment Posted By bsjones On 19.04.2009 @ 21:55
Sota said
Sure, most Americans might like visiting those places, but very few would want to live in those places. I see no relation between a vacation destination and the tax rate imposed on its citizens.This sounds like unfounded conjecture to me. I have lived in and and paid taxes to Britain and Australia. Loved em both. People who live abroad form "expat" communities. I have never heard of an American "expat" say they would move away from either country because of the tax structure.
The point is that the taxes people pay in first world countries contribute to making them first world countries. Many of the things that make a country a great place to live, work, and vacation were paid for by tax dollars.
Good government creates the possibility for wonderful first world living conditions. Good government is expensive. Good government is paid for by taxes. Taxes come from the citizenry. Good citizens pay their taxes.
This you tube clip illustrates the principle nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7HmhrgTuQ
I agree it is easier for government to act incompetently for extended periods of time than business, but my point remains:
Enron screws things up. Government screws things up.
AIG screws things up. Government screws things up.
Bernie Madoff screws things up. Government screws things up.
General Motors screws things up. Government screws things up.
Care to add your own?The idea that government is bad for our country is silly. The idea that if government just got off the back of business is silly. These Republican principles do not improve anything about America.
Reagan said, "Government is the problem." (He said all this while increasing the size of government massively.) That idea is silly and wrong. Bad government truly IS a problem. We the People must hold bad government accountable.
WHAT HAVE THE ROMANS EVER DONE FOR US!!!
Comment Posted By bsjones On 16.04.2009 @ 14:14
The mysterious case of the disappearing comments.
There one minute, gone the next...
Comment Posted By bsjones On 15.04.2009 @ 20:29
aoibhneas,
I am against corrupt and incompetent governance; I am not against governance.I praise government for the things that I deem praiseworthy. I criticize government when they do things that are corrupt, illegal, or just plain stupid.
Is it possible to be against corruption, tax cheats, and tax payer corporate giveaways AND be in favor of paying a fair share for the government that works?
Remember, No government = Afghanistan or Somalia.
If you are against all government and all taxes move to a place that has neither. My suggestion is to try a remote Afghan village. Who knows, you could possibly start a community of Tea Partiers there. Maybe you could host a blog with lots of pictures that explains to the world about your no tax, no government paradise.
After a few months with no taxes and no government get back to me.
NO TAXATION!!! NO REPRESENTATION!!!
Comment Posted By bsjones On 15.04.2009 @ 16:45
OOPS
Comment Posted By bsjones On 15.04.2009 @ 15:22
