NPR Is Calling

And would like you to take a quick survey about election 08.

Hop over and tell them how you feel.

Polling South Carolina Style

Compare and contrast.

In our house all we have gotten are push polls, republican vs republican. A classic example of one I got was very similar to this one.

Most are automated, the one I got today was with a real live person. The the breakdown, as far as I can tell at my house has been.

Huckabee bashing McCain, McCain slamming Huckabee (live), Unknown attacking Huckabee, Romney(maybe) denouncing McCain.

nasty, very nasty polling going on in the Republican primary.

My mother has noticed the same thing, but yesterday a new camp was heard from. A live democratic pollster called. She was asked if she was going to vote and what primary. When she said she was a likely Democratic primary voter, she was asked who she favored. She responded that she was undecided and very happy with all three leading candidates. The pollster then asked to who she would lean to if she HAD to vote today.

She replied Edwards, and the caller thank her for her time, advised they were calling from Obama for President and encouraged her to keep considering Obama, and be sure to vote next week, even if ti was for Edwards.

The Democrats have a week to get nasty and it is possible that if she had replied Clinton the script may have called for a push poll attack. That said, she was so surprised by the call she had to call me to relay the details.

Lets hope the Democratic contenders can avoid the blood bath that is going on among the Republicans.

Over at Daily Kos, do we have another creative attack on McCain?

Tags
Push Polls, South Carolina

Clueless and Heartless

how can anyone be this detatched from reality

I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We're the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs.

She thinks a person having to work two job is a positive sign. This is a perfect example of what is wrong with DC, they are unaware of the harsher realities of our economy. Here is a hint, most people working two jobs are doing this out of desperation.




Tags
Employment, Economy

Republicans Want A Theocracy

This is a oft repeated claim by many on the left. I myself have pointed this out many times. But when you look at the details we were presenting it was clear that most of the time those who are pushing for a God based government were only the wacko's on the fringe of the Republican party. The Dominionism and Christian Reconstructionist that want God to rule the US traditionally have been kept at arms length from the forefront of the republican party, much like a crazy uncle who lives upstairs but is kept away from visitors.

That was until this week the the crazy uncle came downstairs while the media was in the living room. Huckabee opens his mouth and made it instantly clear that there are many Republicans who do want a theocracy and not just the lunatic fringe, but some who have to be considered main stream within the party clearly want this too.

“I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that’s what we need to do — is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.”

This does raise a few very interesting questions about which of 'God's standards' we need to incorporate into the the constitution. Do we start with the ten commandments, if so which version? To move things along lets use these. It is not exactly like any one version, but gets the point across and is the one of the few areas with the laws in the Bible that is fairly clear.

I am the Lord your God you shall have no other gods before me
You shall not make for yourself an idol
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor your Father and Mother
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or house

We already have civil laws that address murder perjury and theft. We have in some backwaters of the US bluelaws in the effort to 'keep the Sabbath holy' (but I am not sure how preventing people from going shopping is going to force someone to keep something holy, but this is another issue). As to the rest, while you could pass amendments to mandate that there is no other God, there shall be no Idols, honoring your parents, no coveting etc, but how do you enforce them. Do we create an American version of the Mutaween to enforce these new laws.

Most of the 10 commandments are focused of how an individual thinks (honor your parents, do not covet etc) and are basically undeterminable to everyone else. How do you know what is in someones heart. How can you tell if your neighbor holds other Gods before our nations God, unless he tells you? No, working the 10 commandments into the constitution is not his goal.

Huckabee was pushing this for the big three issues of the religious right: abortion, homosexuality and state support of religion. He wants to use his interpretation of the bible to make law on these issues. Unfortunately for him, there is nothing like the 10 commandments that he can rely on to base his opinion on. No where in the bible does it plainly denounce abortion. Homosexuality is denounce in the Old Testament, unfortunate for Huckabee and his followers so are shrimp, oysters and poly cotton blend cloth. Leviticus has a lot more to do with than just homosexuality. outside of this book, just as with abortion, the rest of the bible is far from clear on the issue and subject to varied interpretation.

This takes us to what is wrong with Huckabee and his right wing religious foolishness. He has looked at the issue, turned to his faith and made the decision that abortion is wrong, and homosexuality is a sin. That is fine. I have done the same and have come to slightly different answers. The difference is in how we respond to the result. I live my life based on how I answer these questions, and let others live these lives. Huckabee and his followers insist that everyone live their lives based on how he (and his minions) answered these questions.

But I would like to know why are his answers better than mine? Maybe we both could live our lives without imposing our religiously based ideas on others who don't share them.

That would seem to be the American way, a reliance on both reason and liberty. But this view is one that both the republican party and the religious right refuse to accept. They believe that their religiously based world view is the only acceptable view and that it is proper that they have the right to force all Americans to live in a theocracy based on their religious dogma.

And, a person who openly expressed this overtly authoritarian view is a leading candidate to be the Republican parties presidential candidate.

All I can say is, wow.

Who would have thought that a one time fringe element in the Republican party would feel comfortable enough in their position to utter something that is so fundamentally anti-American.





Tags
Huckabee, Religious Right

The Middle East, Iraq, Honesty And Progress

I have not written much about Iraq lately, simply because there has not been any real change for the last few months. In areas where the US forces can impose their will, they are. In those areas life is better, but only as long as the US can keep that force in place. Some Sunni groups are now being armed and paid by the US to fight against other Sunni groups in an effort to reduce the civil strife. This works but like Afghanistan of the 1980s the law of unintended consequences may apply. Many have pointed out that the end result of arming the Sunni may eventually lead to giving them the resources they need to take on the government currently headed by Shiite groups and result in expanding the conflict, not reducing it.

What has happened recently is a few events that clearly display that the US is not getting the whole story.

First we start with the Iranian Navy's 'attack' on 3 US warships. When the story first came out the US military gave us a video showing the activity, including the communication between the US and Iranian crews. It later is reported that the video feed presented to the media was not as pure as it could have been. It was edited by the military with the audio from one source added to the video from another to produce the media ready product. After a few more days of saber rattling by the Bush administration more news comes out. The voice presented by the US Navy as Iranian crew members may have been a well know nuisance and the behavior of the Iranian Navy and their little speed boats is nothing new.

So why did the US military rush out this damning tape and push it on the press?

The we learn about Arab Jabour. This is an area that recently the US military had claimed was a success of the surge. It was an shining example of who locals working with the US could push the evil doers out. If it was such a success, why did we have to drop over 40,000 pounds of bombs on a number of targets? For those who are interested Badtux has a primer on the effects and side effects of aerial bombardment.

Why did the US military rush out to claim success in an area that obviously was not yet a success?

Now we are hearing claims of political progress in Iraq. This is the crucial point. With political progress the surge in Iraq will be a success, as long as there is no political progress, it is a failure. It appears that the Iraqi government has finally developed a plan to reverse debaathication, a vital step in political reunification. John McCain is claiming his plan has worked and that this is a sure sign of progress. A nice story but if this is true, why are the forces who opposed debaathication the ones who approved this measure and why are those who favored debaathication unhappy with the result.

Could John McCain be lying (again), or does he honestly not understand they dynamics and players involved in this. Since he has shown a reasonable level of understanding of the situation in the past, I am left assuming that he has decided that, in light of the pending elections in Michigan in South Carolina, it is best to claim success, and ignore the truth.

So we the people are left wondering who we can trust to provide us real information. The military clearly is more interested in promoting fantasy that supports the narrative put forward by the administration; Iraq is a success and Iran is evil. And our politicians do what they always do, spin the truth to the point that provides them the greatest amount to leverage, no matter what the real truth may actually indicate.





Tags
McCain, Iran, Surge, Iraq

My oh My, How The Frontrunners Have Fallen

Two of the early republican favorites (of the media at least) are starting what could be their death spirals.

In South Carolina, Mitt Romney has canceled his advertising.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is pulling his advertising campaign in South Carolina in favor of pouring more resources into Michigan, his campaign confirmed Wednesday.

...

The move might highlight the difficulty Romney faces in winning the Republican Party primary here Jan. 19 after two lackluster finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Romney finished second to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa and second to Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain in New Hampshire.

Romney has advertised heavily in South Carolina, but spent comparatively little time here so far.

and Rudy Giuliani has asked his senior staff to work without pay.

As Rudy Giuliani makes a do-or-die push to win this state's Republican presidential primary, the former mayor's top campaign aides are foregoing paychecks this month.

Usually, such penny-pinching is a sign of desperation in a campaign, and Giuliani has plenty of reason to worry – he finished at the back of the GOP primary pack in Iowa and New Hampshire and has little to look forward to outside of Florida, polls show.

Both camps have tried to put happy spin on this, but when two of the better funded champaigns start to take such drastic steps this early in the race, it is a sign that their death may be only one primary away.

So Stupid It Hurts

The State of South Carolina approves a science text book and WLTX News 19 does a story about the parents' reaction (Video Here).

And it was awful on many levels.

WLTX News 19 does a horrible job of presenting the story. They selected two creationist parents to interview about the selection of the textbook (one who opposed the teaching of evolution at all and one that was not totally opposed to teaching evolution) and allowed them to present their positions. The reporter made no effort to verify facts or correct the fallacies that the parents presented.

And that was the stupid that hurt.

The mother that is opposed to teaching evolution in public schools spoke with great confidence and absolutely no understanding of the topic. She is either totally ignorant on the subject or was telling so many lies that there is reason to suspect she may be on the Discovery Institute Payroll. I am sure she is a well intended but grossly undereducated adult (on scientific topics at least).

While I am relatively sure her actions where genuine and honest, I am not so sure about WLTX News 19. Why do this report without addressing the clearly incorrect information? Why present only the creationist point of view? Why not interview parents that approved of the adoption of a science textbook that teaches evolution? Was this an attempt to drive public opinion or just incredibly bad journalism?

I honestly wish that when media outlets come across a topic they don't understand that they would spend a little effort informing themselves before attempting to present it to the public. Maybe then my head would stop hurting from banging it against the wall.

In A Stunning Development

The State Board of Education did something positive.

Today, in a stunning reversal of votes, the State Board of Education approved the Miller/Levine Biology Textbook that was under scrutiny. The vote went from 9-7 (vote in December) in favor of dropping the Miller/Levine textbook to 10-6 in favor of keeping the textbook on the list.

Now it is time to remove S.C. PIE and Mike Fair's absurd 'teach the controversy' language from our science standards. Science must be taught correctly, without the stupidity that some self professed Christians want thrown in based on their faith.

In Florida a local district decide to take the other path and in the process has shown the world just how poorly educated and ignorant that they are. It is a rare and banner day in South Carolina, we can cheer ourselves for doing something wise and can then sit back watch the leaders in another state do something inane at the same time.

Clinton's Firewall Holds, Mitt's

Firewall fails.

The New Hampshire results are effectively reducing the democratic field to a 2 person contest. John Edwards's race is over unless he is able to produce fantastic results in both Nevada and South Carolina.

On the right the results have done just the reverse, opened up the race further. Mitt Romney has taken a second big hit in the second major primary event. McCain, a media favorite, is now officially back in the game, and no real player was ejected. The next few weeks have potential to be very bloody for the Republicans as the 4 big players try to come out of Super Tuesday as viable.

Working Hard To Keep South Carolina Stupid

That seems to be the goal of S.C. Parents Involved in Education and some of our local school boards. It appears that, despite clear and mounting evidence that abstinence focused sex education doesn't work, Lexington district 3 wants to add this to the foolishness to the class room.

The Batesburg-Leesville area schools could vote tonight to adopt the Worth the Wait program, a Texas-based initiative that is beginning to spread to parts of South Carolina. At least six districts, including Lexington-Richland 5, use the Worth the Wait curriculum, said Sheri Few, president of S.C. Parents Involved in Education.

It is a perfect storm of stupidity; A group co founded by our anti-science, home schooling state board of education president, promoting the potential selection of a failing education style from a company that whose circuilia is deeply flawed.

According to a report recently released by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), the Bush administration is funding three sex education programs that provide misinformation and foster fear and confusion. The three curriculums SIECUS reviewed are "Passion and Principles," "Worth the Wait," and "Navigator."

.....

All three of the programs promote abstinence until marriage and exclude any meaningful discussion of safer sex. As SIECUS notes in their report, the curriculums argue against the use of condoms, promote fear and guilt in adolescents, and contain blatant religious messages.

This type of decision making is what assures that the students of South Carolina schools can look to many more years, if not generations, of being ranked at the bottom of the national educational performance. Teaching bad information, promoting false information just assures continued failure, to steal an old computer term, garbage in, garbage out.

Adding To The Blog Roll

It is time to try to start a little cleaning up around here, so I have started by adding to the clutter.

3 Sites have been added to the roll.


Real Climate
Respectful Insolence
Snead: Live and Uncut

and a 4th

SC Politics

McCain Tells A Wopper Of A Lie

He claims that in his 24 years as a member of Congress, I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my state.

For McCain and his presidential aspirations it is a darn shame that the public record makes this lie so hard to hide.

Are our political leaders really this stupid and shameless?

Groin Shot For Mitt

To fall by about 10 points to a lightly funded, relatively unknown and honestly not very bright ex governor of a small rural state.


A true low blow, I hope he owns a cup.


And he has spent millions of his own dollars for this pleasure.

I Fear Many Of Our Elected Leaders Would Fail

Find a Sonography school near you

Another SC Republican Airs His Ignorance

This time its Sen. Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) who apperently needs to take another stab at his high school science classes.

I am a creationist according to the literal account in the book of Genesis, yet insist that the recent debate of critical analysis is not about teaching creationism or evolution but allowing an open debate of all theories in the classroom.

In his full post he makes it clear he doesn't understand how science works, or what a theory is. He argues, rather poorly, "why should we show any topic favorable treatment and bar examination?". What he fails to note is that among the overwhelming majority of scientist versed in this topic, there is no argument. It is only among those who are not students of the discipline that their is any debate.

Using his standard for how our children should be educated, I should be able to go into math classes and argue that 2+2=5, not because it is factual, but because we want to allow 'critical analysis' (the code word for Not-So Intelligent design) into the classrooms. There is no basis in facts for this foolishness. It is a resistance, based in faith, not facts or science, that drives this idiocy.

The Senator even breaks out this lie;

In other words you can question any other scientific fact, law, or theory

I would like to know what he is talking about here. Does he expect us to teach both germ theory (please note, this is also a scientific theory) and miasma (bad air)? Do we add the theory of intelligent falling to the curricula that covers the theory of Gravity?

Science has standards, and prior to teaching our children the very basic information on hyper complex issues, we need to make sure that they arguments they are hearing are viable and intelligent design has as much scientific validity as either miasma or intelligent falling. Sen. Bryant also implies that there is some effort to stop investigation into evolution and those involved in this sector of scientific study refuse to question it. He again clearly display he has no clue about what he is talking about.

If a scientist were ever to discover a more valid model for how life arose on this planet he or she would shout it from the highest mountain tops world wide. Their names would be elevated to the status of Einstein, Newton, and Darwin. Their work would be studied for centuries to come. The reality is, all the science done in this field continues to strengthen the theory of Evolution, and that is what the kids must be taught. It is only those whose faith is threatened by evolution lash out and latch onto to these silly anti-evolution stunts.

For Sen. Bryant, a quick guide to what a scientific theory is, and please note, in science, a theory has profound value.

Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's, but apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air, pending the outcome.

One would think that a Pharmacist would know better. It is clear that the students of the South Carolina High School System (like Sen. Bryant) need to spend a lot more time learning and understanding the scientific method.

How Did I Miss This

Our Governor publicly professes his scientific ignorance,

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he believes intelligent design should be taught in his state's public school classrooms.
...
College of Charleston physics professor Bob Dukes and biology associate professor Robert Dillon Jr. criticized the governor for his statements. They told the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier there aren't "chinks in the armor of evolution," and Sanford's citation of the second law of thermodynamics was also incorrect.

and I don't notice it for 11 months.

Well, at least I know fully understand why he appointed a home schooling, intelligent design promoting supporter to the South Carolina Board overseeing public education

Benazir Bhutto Brought Down

Another indicator that we are a very long way from any stability in any part of the Middle East or South Asia.

Just a guess; but I suspect that if we ever learn who was actually responsible we will learn it was a right wing religious extremist group that was aided by a few members of the Pakistan's state intelligence or security apparatus.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

It appears the Richard Dawkins is going to make a lecture tour of the south. I expect that some of proud supporters of America and free speech will supply us with some very humorous and utterly predictable reactions.

The Rev David Cox, of the First Southern Methodist Church, Charleston, South Carolina said: “I would certainly like to protest. [Dawkins] is a tool of Satan, of the AntiChrist it sounds to me. All God-fearing people will be opposed to an atheist touring.”

Leave it to a South Carolinian to lead the way.

Now it's Time

Merry Christmas

Ron Paul, Attracting Interesting Friends

It seams that the populist campaign of Ron Paul is attracting support from all over, including white supremacist. What may be surprising to some is Paul is refusing to distance himself from this group.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has received a $500 campaign donation from a white supremacist, and the Texas congressman doesn't plan to return it

Of course if you knew more about Ron Paul it would not have been that much of a shock.

On Saturday, Ron Paul held a campaign rally in Philadelphia. As Atrios noticed, it attracted a large crowd, most of them quite vocal about ending the Iraq war. But if you looked carefully, there was also an element (most them also antiwar) that's become something of a fixture at Ron Paul rallies: skinheads, neo-Nazis, militiamen, and various stripes of right-wing extremists.

I bet he will do real well with some the heritage and confederate flag crowd here in South Carolina.

Outside the Tent Notes That

Mike Huckabee's new national campaign chairman is off to a flying start. He is already making stuff up and lying his ass off.

Rollins repeats this little 'christian nation' lie:

You go back to the signing of the constitution I think 26 of the people that signed it were ministers.

I know that bending the truth (often long past the breaking point) is the primary job of political spinmeisters, but even with that considered I do have to wonder about this obsessive desire of so many of the christian right to lie about our nations history in the effort to defend their goals.

It seems to me to be awfully unchristian of them.

Just More Evidence - Bush Lies

I know, this is no surprise to any thinking individual. It has been clear since the Brooks Brothers Riot that far to many republicans are eager to lie, cheat and steal to get the power they want.

For those few who still think that the President is a man of such virtue that he is incapable of telling a lie, lets consider the Iran NIE and the last few months.

For over a year the Bush administration has been pounding on the war drums. Iran could have a nuclear weapon any day, they are working overtime, at this very moment, to build a nuclear weapon to destroy our nation. These cries were echoed at what appeared at hourly intervals by members of the Bush administration and elected Republican enablers in the House and Senate.

Now it has become clear the President has known for months that Iran has discontinued any weapons development programs it had. What is interesting is that this new has not stopped him, or other members of the administration, from repeating their claims (for months) about Iran, this despite knowing they were lies.

And when the truth comes out, what does our President do?

Of course, he lies.

On Tuesday, President Bush said he was never forewarned by the intelligence community that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003:

In August, I think it was John — Mike McConnell came in and said, We have some new information. He didn’t tell me what the information was.

Now the White House is revealing that wasn’t true. In fact, Bush did know what the information was. CNN reports:

President Bush was told in August that Iran’s nuclear weapons program ‘may be suspended,’ the White House said Wednesday, which seemingly contradicts the account of the meeting given by Bush Tuesday.”

On Advent

Fr. Jake has a wonderful post.

and mentions one of my faviorate songs of the season.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

What Are They Thinking?

I honestly do not understand the concept of ignoring science when it conflicts with faith.

There was a recent poll that shows that only 42% of Americans accepted evolutionary theory, but 79% believed in miracles.

That is just depressing. Science, that has been tested and tested and tested again is doubted and denied(mostly by people of faith), but magic is perfectly acceptable. The people of this land do not understand that harm they are doing to the nation by refusing to accept the natural sciences and what the learn about this world.

To many of us cling to our perception of the universe that was implanted into us as children and are afraid to allow reveled scientific facts in. The path we are heading down doesn't hold much promise. We deny global warming and evolution. We allow people who claim the earth is only 6000 years old to teach this in schools and colleges. We refuse to allow research not because it is bad research, but because of religiously driven concepts of when live begins, or ensoulment occurs.

Without a willingness to embrace scientific discovery, the path of our nation is on may be depressingly similar to the path that this devoutly religious young man took.

A 14-year-old boy who refused blood transfusions in his fight against leukemia -- based on religious beliefs -- died Wednesday night in Seattle, hours after a Skagit County judge affirmed his right to reject the treatment.

Dennis Lindberg, of Mount Vernon, died around 6 p.m. at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle, according to KING-5 television. As a Jehovah's Witness, Lindberg objected to receiving blood. Doctors had said he needed it to survive his cancer treatment.

In court Wednesday, Superior Court Judge John Meyer said that Lindberg, though in the eighth grade, was old enough to know that refusing blood transfusions might amount to a "death sentence," and that he had the right to make that decision

This type of thinking leads to situations like this.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters brandishing ceremonial swords and sticks gathered outside Khartoum's presidential palace Friday to vent their anger against a British teacher jailed for allowing children to name a teddy bear "Mohammed."

or this:

It is an ingrained ritual, and the villagers regard industrious labor to be a magical protection against being chosen, as indicated by the Old Man Warner, never selected during his 77 years. When Mrs. Adams tells Warner that some of the other villages have stopped holding the annual lotteries, he replies, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon."

I guess religious driven stupidity has no bounds.

Canadians Can Be Foolish Too

A school board in Canada has been forced into an action that sounds much more like something you would hear a South Carolina school board eagerly embracing. They have voted to remove a collection of children's books from the school library.

It appears that a, no doubt highly religious person, has filled a complaint about the books, and has forced the board to review them.

What is interesting is that the books in question are highly regarded award winners for young readers. In the past these books have not created great amount of highly notable controversy, but that has changed recently because: 1. The book is being released as a movie 2. The author is an atheist and 3. the Catholic church and the religious right is unhappy.

At least this is happening in Canada, where a review will take place. I fear that here in South Carolina we would move right on to the book burning.

Bush Has A Plan To Easy Holiday Air Traffic

If his plan for the airlines is as effective as the rest of his plans have been, I recommend limiting any travel you have to do to walking.

In The Climate Change Discussion

The B.B.C. has supplied some wonderful facts to counter the denialist.

Warming is unequivocal. Weather stations, ocean measurements, decreases in snow cover, reductions in Arctic sea ice, longer growing seasons, balloon measurements, boreholes and satellites all show results consistent with the surface record of warming.

They make 10 strong point to refute those who try to distort the truth on this issue.

You May NOT Wish Me A Merry Christmas

at least not yet.

We are still over a week away from Thanksgiving and the non-existent war on Christmas has again been declared to be on by America's biggest fool, Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the Faux news crew. I guess some stupidity is just to profitable to give up.

At least this year someone aside from Faux news is well placed to make some quick cash off of this foolishness. Just another confirmation that fools and their money can still be quite easily parted.

And, just a note about the Christmas and the liturgical calendar; This year Advent will start on December 1st, and Christmas will not arrive (as it does every year) until the 25th of December.

So, A Happy Holiday season to one and all (you know, Thanksgiving, Advent, Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years and anything else I missed), and happy thanksgiving and safe travels over the next week or so.



.

Why All The Rush To Embrace Inhumanity

The last couple of weeks has been quite fascinating. We have politicians of all types who appear eager to embrace inhumanity and what are quite likely highly illegal actions.

We have a flock Republican Presidential candidates who all want to be seen as the next Jack Bauer. One, Rudy Giuliani, going as far as to try to tie police questioning that he oversaw, with the torture our government is now employing. We have a confirmation mating dance in DC, where all parties are afraid to talk plainly about the subject, and instead chose to focus of what 'is' is. The President still foolishly parrots his false claim that the US doesn't torture. He apparently thinks that if he redefines torture to remove from the list all the acts of torture we want to use, we are not torturing.

Everyone is acting like the issue of the propriety and legality of waterboarding (and other unnamed forms of torture) is in question. Well, it is not. The US has viewed this act as illegal for over 100 years. In the past, the US has denounce other governments for using this, and other forms of torture. We have prosecuted war criminals who have used waterboarding to question captives.

And now we seem to be trying to claim that this act is no longer torture.

Another way to look at this is to consider the company you keep. Who else is known to have embraced the use of water boarding? Well, Japan during WWII, North Vietnam and the Vietcong , The Stalin's KGB, Pol Pot of Killing Fields fame, and now George Bush.

In the next day or two, more names can be added to the list of those who think torture is an acceptable way of doing business. Including a number of Democratic Senators and of couse both Senators from South Carolina. DeMint, who is a reliable vote for Bush, and Graham, who knows better, but lacks the courage to do the right thing. When Mukasey is approved as AG, those who vote to install him are also voting to approve the use of torture. In his confirmation it was made very clear the he is also willing to twist the law to allow us to try to redefine torture, and allow its continued use.

And, no matter what our politicians do, no matter how they justify it, how they redefine it, no matter how much makeup they apply, it is still torture. Keith Oberman again nails the truth, and the disgustingly viable reasons for Mukasey nomination, and acceptance.


Dispatches From The Culture Wars also touches upon this theme.

Americians May be Getting A Little Smarter

A new poll indicates that a solid majority of people now accept the distribution of birth control in school.

Sixty-seven percent support giving contraceptives to students, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. About as many — 62 percent — said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies.

"Kids are kids," said Danielle Kessenger, 39, a mother of three young children from Jacksonville, Fla., who supports providing contraceptives to those who request them. "I was a teenager once and parents don't know everything, though we think we do."

There is still a vivid split of opinion as to if access to birth control will encourage sexual activity, but at least some are now wise enough to understand that the protection it affords outweighs this concern.

In addition, 49 percent say providing teens with birth control would not encourage sexual intercourse and a virtually identical 46 percent said it would.

What was very interesting about this poll, is the view women hold as to the likelihood that access to contraception will lead to more sexual activity.

Though men and women have similar views about whether to provide contraceptives to students, women are likelier than men to think it will not encourage sexual intercourse, 55 percent to 43 percent.

I suspect that the numbers in South Caroline would look much worse that the national view, but it is nice to seem progress is being made in some places.