Torture

POW trades have happened for almost all wars. Those who argue that we should not trade for our soldiers don't seem to understand that if we leave them and don't try to swap for them we will have trouble getting people to join the service.

They literally wrap themselves in flags (at least flag pins) but if you were to make a checklist of all of America's founding and ongoing principles, as a democracy and society, you'd find a substantial Republican checklist of things they despise.

This is a post I periodically re-post about once a year especially before elections.  It is the case against conservatism but if you hold a mirror to it, it's also a case for progressivism   I try to add to the...

Per request an open thread to discuss the GOP Tea Party Debate. I'll be in and out more than usual because to be honest I'd rather watch dumb jocks than dumb pols. Bito's Much more thorough update.     The debate tonight will be...

There can be no question about the historic importance of 9/11 and how it changed the course of America. There's an enormous amount to be learned and remembered but there can be a thin line between exploring those events and exploiting the horror of that day just for ratings or other less than altruistic agendas.

Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. - Auden St Francis of Assissi had, to be sure, an odd relationship with his body. As a strict ascetic, he...

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The media is failing Americans again by buying into the narrative that there is a real debate if using torture actually helped or did not help track down Osama Bin Laden.  It is simply logically invalid to let the...

Censorship? Surely there are few things more revealing of a reactionary mindset, some would hasten to assure me. Why, censorship can be identified with all the cruelest dictatorships, the most oppressive regimes, the most hardcore religious fundamentalists, etc. This is indeed true.

Why is politics so mind bogglingly complicated? You often hear conversation  about the host of complex problems we face today and that these issues cannot be reduced to bumper sticker slogans and addressed by simplistic solutions. I say simple clear,...