As an alternative to "Gitmo Justice", perhaps we can try "Daniel Pearl Justice". Perhaps we might "take no prisoners" so as not to have the issue to deal with. "Gitmo" is NOT swell. It is NOT however, the ultimate evil either.

There are still a number of living graduates of the Hanoi Hilton here in America. Perhaps getting information from them about how our POW's were treated might shed some perspective. Unfortuately not many of our people have survived being captured in the middle east, so getting perspective from them is tougher.

Posted at April 30, 2008 1:17 AM in response to Today's Must Read

In the 2004 presidential election in Washington (State), several precincts in King County had several hundred more votes cast than there were live registered voters. After two recounts of those precincts all votes were counted as no one could tell who the deceased voters had voted for. While NOT disenfranchising legitimate voters is very important, protection from diluting their votes so as to make them irrelevant is also important.

Certainly we can make laws that protect people's right to vote as well as protect the value of the votes they cast.

Posted at April 30, 2008 1:04 AM in response to Vote Suppression Guru: I Win I Win I Win!

To hoppycalif2: In the early years of the last century, my grandfather and my great uncle immigrated to the US from eastern Europe. They had 4 brothers who immigrated to France. In the early 30's they corresponded with my grandfather and greatuncle in New York about assassinating Hitler who the saw as a potential danger (I inherited the correspondence when my father passed in 2000). They, as a family decided against taking action because it was "wrong".

As it turned out, those four great uncles of mine and their wives, and their children, and their grandchildren all died in the death camps. Sometimes not taking action against someone you "know" wants to hurt you is "wrong".

Posted at April 29, 2008 7:37 PM in response to Dems to Push Again to Limit Interrogation Techniques

DonQ: Thanks for your polite response. From a philosophical standpoint I too would like my country to always have the moral high ground. In war, sometimes, philosophical positions need to take a back seat; at least in my opinion.

That said, It is my understanding also that pain is an ineffective interrogation tool. Fear of immenent death however seems to be VERY effective (the speed in which "victims" break under waterboarding is undeniable). However with religious zealots, sometimes death is not feared. It is these people who present the real challenge for the interrogator. For these types, sleep deprivation and other psychological "tortures" do seem to be effective.

Sometimes I hate the truth, but I never fear it.

Posted at April 29, 2008 5:24 PM in response to Dems to Push Again to Limit Interrogation Techniques

The entire world (at one time or another) has been at war with "radical Islam" for many centuries longer than your daddies have known your mommies. Declaring that there is no war, or declaring that the war is over just isn't sufficient to deal with a religious/political movement that requires either your subservience or your death, and really doesn't care which. When they feel strong they attack, when they don't feel strong they wait until they feel strong.

One doesn't need to read history which may be slanted by the writer, just look at historical maps. The truth of a movements intentions are known by their actions rather than their words.

We would all like to learn from the mistakes of history, but history doesn't start until a century after the event. Learning from history requires the clear light of unemotional reason. Life must age to become clear history. History tells me to beware, recent "politics" which by definition are argued and arguable, tells me only that radical Islam feels strong now.

In war, what matters is effectiveness. Nicities are nice, but I would like to win any fight I'm in. If torture is effective, I'm okay with it. If it's not, shelve it. It's one thing to have an agreement between combatents on behavior if all sides follow the agreement. Unilateral agreements by definition are NOT agreements. If it's okay to butcher and decapitate our POW's, requiring our government to provide religiously correct conditions and pleasant incarcerations for their POW's is absurd.

Posted at April 29, 2008 4:49 PM in response to Dems to Push Again to Limit Interrogation Techniques

Rather than "torture" or other controversial interogation "techniques", perhaps we should just use the "Daniel Pearl" method on those people who use that method.

Posted at April 29, 2008 4:19 PM in response to Dems to Push Again to Limit Interrogation Techniques

As a Vietnam vet, the educational benefits (a couple of hundred bucks a month) covered much less than 50% of tuition and books, and nothing for living. It was however a help, and with that help plus a little drive and effort I was able to make a life and raise a family. It was a "helping hand", not a "handout". Thank you fellow taxpayers for that "helping hand". I may not have made it without that help.

Posted at April 29, 2008 1:55 PM in response to The Daily Muck

I flash back to Daniel Pearl getting his head cut off. That's more or less "permanent damage".

Posted at April 29, 2008 1:44 PM in response to Sleep Deprivation, Noise Manipulation Still Part of "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques"?