Civil Liberties
mikethemadbiologist | January 25, 2009I'm becoming more enthusiatic about Eric Holder as Attorney General. It's nice to see some clarity about waterboarding--that is, partial drowning interrogation. From Steve Benen:
The exchange was helpful in learning about both the senator and the nominee. [Republican Senator] Cornyn wanted Holder to admit that he'd torture a terrorist in a "ticking-time-bomb scenario," in order to "save perhaps tens of thousands of lives." Holder responded sensibly, noting that we have interrogation methods that aren't torture, and that torture wouldn't produce reliable intelligence anyway.
Cornyn was…
mikethemadbiologist | January 21, 2009This is the kind of story that makes me sick to my stomach--soldiers stateside were expected by their base commander to applaud for Pastor of Evil Rick Warren:
The following is an email from one decorated combat officer, a man with the courage to repeatedly put his life on the line on the battlefield, being wounded twice, but who could not muster the courage to resist the pressure of his "serious and committed born again Christian" commanding officer to applaud Rick Warren. The author of this email is typical of the majority of servicemen and servicewomen who contact MRFF for assistance. Like…
revere | December 4, 2008Another one gone. First Miriam Makeba. Now Odetta. It's almost as if they waited for the election and then said, "It's OK, now." Odetta was 77 and her voice still powerful. It remains even more powerful in memory. This one has hit me hard.
Two contrasting clips. The first, a studio recording from 1957 of Midnight Special, the Leadbelly song she helped make famous. Vintage, classic Odetta. The second a lovely, bittersweet trio with Janis Ian and Phoebe Snow. Thanks to the posters on YouTube:
revere | December 2, 2008Cholera is a vicious disease. It can take a healthy person and kill him or her in a day by rapidly dehydrating them from a massive, watery diarrhea. The resulting electrolyte imbalance can lead to vascular collapse or cardiac arrest. Cholera is usually spread by fecally contaminated drinking water, and hence is completely preventable. It is also easily treatable by keeping the patient hydrated with the oral rehydration therapy, basically minimally fortified water. Yet this preventable and treatable disease is now epidemic in the country of Zimbabwe. Government sources admit to over 400 deaths…
mikethemadbiologist | December 1, 2008Apparently, humanism is selfish. That would have been news to Albert Camus, Nobel Laureate and resistance fighter. This is from a military chaplain's presentation about suicide prevention that apparently is cribbed directly from evangelical preacher Rick Warren:
In March 2008, this presentation, titled "A New Approach To Suicide Prevention: Developing Purpose-Driven Airmen," was shown at a commander's call that was mandatory for an estimated 1,000 of Lakenheath's Air Force personnel, and sent out by email to the entire base of over 5,000 the following day. As the use of the phrase "Purpose-…
revere | November 19, 2008The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is one of the most maligned and hated federal agencies. And for good reason. They are worse than useless, performing uncounted acts of "security theater" (in Bruce Schneier's apt coinage), like confiscating water bottles and making you take off your shoes. The TSA also has an active use of "behavior detection officers" whose job it is recognize the telltail signs of a terrorist intention -- like looking anxious before getting on an airplane. The TSA claims the program, which is now in operation at 150 major airports and employs almost 2500…
revere | November 3, 2008Proposition 8, a ballot initiative in California, would make marriage an institution confined to one man and one woman (as opposed to what? many men and one woman or one man and many women? Someone should tell the Mormon Church, the chief bankrollers of this vile initiative, about that!). It is appropriately called Proposition Hate. Polling indicates it is very close in California and this legislative bigotry may well pass, which would be a terrible tragedy. But let's face it. This war is over, even if some skirmishes are left to fight and we may lose some of them. The current younger…
mikethemadbiologist | October 29, 2008By way of Skepchick comes this excellent video which bluntly shows just how bigoted and hateful claims opposing gay marriage are:
I suppose this puts me in league with known domestic homosexualists....
mikethemadbiologist | October 25, 2008From the Oxdown Gazette comes this interview transcript with Sarah Palin:
Brian Williams: Back to the notion of terrorists and terrorism, this word has come up in relation to Mr. Ayers -- hanging out with terrorist - domestic terrorists. It is said that it gives it a vaguely post uh 9-11 hint, using that word, that we don't normally associate with domestic crimes. Are we changing the definition? Are the people who set fire to American cities during the '60's terrorists, under this definition? Is an abortion clinic bomber a terrorist under the definition?
Sarah Palin: There is no question that…
revere | October 11, 2008The US government response to the bogus war on terrorism is a mixture of the stupid, the super stupid and the evil. Taking off our shoes at the airport isn't evil but it is probably super stupid. So is the 3 oz. liquid ban. On reflection, maybe there are only two categories: super stupid and evil. In the evil category are the pseudoscientific "datamining" and "behavior detection" scams. Data mining is my favorite, since I use one of its techniques in my research work (Association Rule Mining) and I'm familiar with a number of other techniques. Familiar enough to not be surprised that when the…
mikethemadbiologist | September 24, 2008Ten million dollars buys you a lot of police misconduct:
An investigation is indeed necessary, but I am already pretty sure about what happened:
In August, protesters at the 2004 RNC successfully won police brutality lawsuits against the New York City police department.
So, a few days later, the Republican Party indemnified the St. Paul police for up to $10 million in the event that charges of police brutality would be brought against them.
Then, at the convention, the police went out and illegally beat up $10 million worth of progressives, including progressive media. It was a free…
revere | September 20, 2008Generals are often said to be fighting the last war and public health officials likewise are managing the last crisis. At the end of May 2007 we had the notorious flying lawyer with TB flap (see our multiple posts here), so in June 2007 CDC quietly instituted their public health version of the "No Fly" list. I guess because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) No Fly list has been so incompetently and dangerously implemented CDC didn't want to taint their version with the same name, so they are calling it the Do Not Board (ENB) list. The DHS list is pushing a million entries. Pretty soon…
mikethemadbiologist | September 19, 2008If you ever needed evidence for the idea that voters are not rational but rationalizing, this NY Times story about the role abortion might play in Pennsylvania is a clear example (italics mine):
One parishioner ruled out voting for Mr. Obama explicitly because he is black. "Are they going to make it the Black House?" Ray McCormick asked, to embarrassed hushing from a half dozen others gathered around the rectory kitchen. (Five of the six, all lifelong Democrats who supported Mrs. Clinton in the primary, said they now lean toward Mr. McCain.)
Mr. Madonna, the political scientist, said of the…
mikethemadbiologist | August 24, 2008The Sideshow comments on why a right to privacy isn't found in the Bill of Rights (boldface mine):
All of this reminds me that I've been meaning to mention that one of the "killer" arguments that the wingers have used against Roe v. Wade is that the word "privacy" appears nowhere in the Constitution/Bill of Rights. There's a really good reason for that: the very word "privacy" did not mean then what it means today. What it means today is pretty much what the Bill of Rights is all about. What it meant then was what you did in the privy, something I don't think the Founders even imagined they'd…
revere | July 27, 2008The toughest time when losing something dear to you is the period after all the mourners go home and you feel really alone. But if you mourn the death of the Fourth Amendment, whether you are on the Right, the Left or are Unpolarized, you aren't alone -- yet:
mikethemadbiologist | July 8, 2008By way of a link from Pam's House Blend to this post, I came across a really good question about funding faith-based initiatives (bold original):
Senator Obama, if a religious institution proselytizes with one hand, and receives federal money with the other hand, how can you seriously posit that institution is not "using taxpayer funds to proselytize" ?
Money is money, and taxpayer funds are funds that religious institutions would not have otherwise. Whether they rob Peter to pay Paul and use funds they would not otherwise have to do proselytizing they would not have had the money to do…
mikethemadbiologist | June 29, 2008Outsourced to The Sideshow:
I think I have to disagree with Digby here when she assures me that Obama is lots better than McCain. I mean, yes, I think Obama is lots better than McCain, if only because it's hard to imagine he'd be worse, but: I'm tired of having to make that assumption. I'm tired of just hearing it from his supporters or other Dems who want me to vote for him. Most of all, I'm tired of having to keep saying it to my readers when he keeps doing things that tell me I can't rely on his judgment. He had to be told that voting for Roberts was a bad idea? He actually says out…
revere | June 28, 2008I'm still trying to get my blood pressure under control over last week's House FISA vote that gives telecom companies immunity for illegal acts. The focus of my anger is not on Republicans. Republicans have shown themselves reliable enemies of civil liberties and everyone expects them to protect the fat cats. Their votes were asured. What sends me round the bend here are the members of the Democratic Party who caved on this issue. The measure is yet to be voted on in the Senate, but Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he will vote for it. The entire FISA act is not needed…
mikethemadbiologist | June 25, 2008Too bad he's one of the few senators actually worth a damn, because he wouldn't be a bad VP. Dodd on telecom immunity during his announcement that he would filibuster FISA:
But, we are deceiving ourselves when we talk about the U.S. attorneys issue, the habeas issue, the torture issue, the rendition issue, or the secrecy issue as if each were an isolated case! As if each one were an accident! When we speak of them as isolated, we are keeping our politics cripplingly small; and as long as we keep this small, the rule of men is winning.
There is only one issue here. Only one: the law issue.…