Comments on: They Just Don’t Get It: Torture and the GOP’s Missing Moral Compass

By: Robt

Robt — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:20:54 +0000

And the rest of us are missing our Moral Marbles compass if there is no justice in this matter.

By: Swopa

Swopa — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:07:13 +0000

I don’t think I agree with that, Alex. Punishing individuals causes people to think the problem is gone when the individual leaves the scene.

When a party pays an ongoing price for the political actions of one or more individuals — for example, the GOP in California in the wake of Pete Wilson’s anti-immigrant policies in the 1990s — that’s when those political actions stop.

By: AlexS

AlexS — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:27:44 +0000

Plus:

That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with hanging the albatross of torture and totalitarianism around the necks of individuals, in government, politics, the media, etc., but making it a GOP/Democrats thing really doesn’t do anything to address the problem.

By: AlexS

AlexS — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:19:24 +0000

Why not throw the anvil at totalitarian-enablers like Pelosi, Reid, Feinstein, Rockefeller, etc. etc. etc.? It’s not much of a victory to shame Republicans who advocated torture loudly and clearly if Democrats who advocated it with a sly wink and a blind eye are still considered principled representatives of the American people.

Though the right is particularly noxious in their defense of torture, domestic spying and other actions that are characteristic of fascist states, the responsibility belongs to all in the ruling class that helped these programs along.

In short, selise @ 43 is right on the money, and Democrats crowing over their electees being slightly less tainted with the stink of tyranny are simply being childish. It makes me wonder even how much to trust principled progressives like Feingold and Kucinich who stay aligned with the Party of “Meh…?”

By: newtonusr

newtonusr — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:36:11 +0000

Thank you. While trying to say in 8 paragraphs what you just said in one, I gave up.

By: Swopa

Swopa — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:32:15 +0000

I would say that making the GOP pay a political price for condoning torture will also solidify the victory within the Democratic party of those who oppose torture over those in the past who condoned it.

By: Margot

Margot — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:09:38 +0000

Ask him if it was OK to torture Jesus Christ.
People who believe in him are supposed to emulate him, not his torturers.

By: Synoia

Synoia — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:04:17 +0000

Not on everybody. The recipients are carefully chosed from selected minority groups.

By: selise

selise — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:58:45 +0000

But you attached a partisan slant to Swopa’s point.

if a call to brand the GOP the party of torture isn’t partisan, then i don’t understand the meaning of the word “partisan”

i will add it to the list of words i don’t understand.

By: selise

selise — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:55:14 +0000

i’m not fox news… but i’ve been trying to spread the word about this campaign:

100 Days to Close Guantanamo and End Torture

today is day 87.

april 30 will be day 100.