Time to Use the E-word: Evil

This is from the site Street Prophets, another site that I subscribe (and occasionally contribute to under the name BohemianDiamond). Regardless of your faith, or lack thereof, evil exist. It exists because humans tend to be a cruel bunch. And now, here comes our duly "elected" government wanting to quantify what evil they may use upon another human being. Torture doesn't work. Period. There's plenty of scientific evidence and broken bodies and minds to prove that. Keeping that in mind please read this.

What is happening on Capitol Hill today is plainly evil. As defined by Walt Lowe in the Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling, evil is

that which causes harm, depriving a being of some good which is proper to that being. Moral evil (in religious terms, sin) is the result of a deliberate choice.

Sen. McCain tells us "there are no losers in this deal," which is patently false. The losers are those who suffer from coercive techniques - whose definition is still left up to a cold and reckless White House - those who are charged with carrying out the policy, despite their objections, and anyone who gives a damn about life, liberty, and the rule of law. The administration has chosen its path, and the Republican Congress has wickedly chosen to follow its lead.

The new interrogation policy, if ratified, will cause harm. Obviously, it will harm prisoners lost in some black hole in the second or third world, subject to tactics that haven't quite been made public for what should again be obvious reasons. It will deprive them of goods which are proper to them, namely liberty, dignity, due process, and the fundamental right not to have to have the shit kicked out of them on the authority of an unaccountable regime.

Peace, love and torture? Sorry folks, let's get off our duffs and write to our elected officials. Torture is not an American value, man! It's not even a human one! It's time to tell the critters we elected that we want responsible behavior from them; we don't expect them to act like punks. Stand up and let your voice be heard!

Veterans Against Torture

Trib Talk Forum: Republican Veterans Agains Torture

Common Dreams article: GI's Agaist Torture

More on this later, along with some reviews of a couple new CDs of mine.

Modern Times, Bob Dylan

Oh, yeah, it's good. It's real good. Blues, roots, and rockabilly get masterfully used to create one heck of a CD. It's five-stars, all the way! Thunder on the Mountain, and The Levee's Gonna Break are my favorites.

Definitely a must have!

Do not torture in our names, Mr. Bush

It is hard to believe that in the 21st century, America is debating torture. Currently the administration is trying to weasel their way out of being held responsible for violating Article 3 of the Geneva Convention so our "professionals" can use "techniques" on prisoners to extract confessions.

I am disgusted with the Bush administration because of their action. I am disgusted as well with every single person that even thinks torture is OK. Kudos to Colin Powell for speaking up. I'd say the U.S.'s "moral superiorty" is dead at this point.

I'm not going to write much about this, just say that you need to check out the news yourself, especially the posturing by certain republicans "versus" the president. Posturing is what it is, because "torture lite" is still torture, and removing the writ of habeus corporus returns us our a medieval time when we can be arrested and accused, but don't have the right to know the charges and evidence against us. Specter's bill at least protects that much.

Got you curious? I will write more tomorrow, but in the meantime do some Googling and learn some stuff.

Arrrgh, mateys, I have returned

It be Talk Like a Pirate Day, so don't just sit there like a sea urchin, don ye pirate garb, talk like the pirate ye be, and drink hoist yer rum in celebration!

Whilst doin' that, give an ear to some great music. These be some of my favorites:

No Quarter Given
Stumpy & Scurvy's Pirate Shop
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Captain Bogg & Salty
The Blaggards (sweet Celtic tunes as well)
123 Pirates

And don't ye forgit our anthem, found here.

Still a novice, are ye? Git your learnin' to talk like a pirate here!

Regular programming resails tomorrow -

See you on the high seas!