GOP Candidates Favor Torturing Electorate
Wed, November 16, 2011 Filed in: Domestic Politics | National Desk
Former Godfather’s Pizza business magnate Herman Cain and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann at last Saturday’s Republican presidential debate, both said they would reinstate the policy of waterboarding, which simulates drowning. Cain insisted during the debate, “I don’t see it as torture. I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.” Bachmann said it was “very effective,” adding, “It gained information for our country.” Both candidates received abundant applause for their statements. 
The sane public felt that they would rather be waterboarded than eat a Godfather’s pizza or listen to Bachmann’s whiny voice any longer.
The CIA has confirmed using waterboarding on at least three Al-Qaeda suspects under then-president George W. Bush, but President Obama banned its use in 2009.
President Obama, who has refrained from speaking about the Republican candidates and the debates, spoke against Bachmann and Cain at news conference at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week.
“They’re wrong,” he said. "Anybody who has actually reads about and understands the practice of waterboarding would say that that is torture. And that's not something we do — period."
Does the Dalai Lama Believe the Osama Killing Was Justified?
Fri, May 06, 2011 Filed in: National Desk
"Forgiveness doesn’t mean forget what happened."
By Josh Voorhees | Posted Wednesday, May. 4, 2011, at 5:45 PM EDT
UPDATED at 8:02 p.m.: The AFP reports that the office of the Dalai Lama is attempting to clarify the remarks that the Los Angeles Times interpreted as a potential endorsement of the Bin Laden killing.
The news service reported Wednesday evening that a statement posted to the Dalai Lama’s website says the Buddhist leader said that any counter-measure taken against Bin Laden, "no matter what form it takes, has to be compassionate action."
The statement, via AFP:
The Dalai Lama "emphasized the need to find a distinction between the action and the actor. He said in the case of Bin Laden, his action was of course destructive and the September 11 events killed thousands of people. … So his action must be brought to justice... But with the actor we must have compassion and a sense of concern... His Holiness said therefore the counter measure, no matter what form it takes, has to be compassionate action."
Original post at 5:45 p.m.:
We didn’t exactly see this one coming.
The Dalai Lama appears to have the U.S.'s back when it comes to questions concerning whether the killing of Osama Bin Laden was justified, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to the paper, the Buddhist leader was asked a question Tuesday about the topic during an event at the University of Southern California, and "appeared to suggest that the United States was justified in killing Osama Bin Laden."
The quote in question:
"Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures," the Dalai Lama said.
It should be noted that the comments came the same day that the White House amended its original account of the raid to say that Bin Laden was not armed, as officials had originally indicated that he was. So it is not clear if the Dalai Lama was aware of the latest details.
Still, the comments come from the same man who tries to avoid killing mosquitoes if he can, so they are more than a little surprising.
Meanwhile, as more questions crop up about the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting, the White House has looked to quell any suggestions that the killing was potentially illegal.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder stressed to lawmakers that the Navy SEAL team that shot and killed Bin Laden was legally justified in doing so, and would have been even if the al-Qaida leader had attempted to surrender.
“[Bin Laden] was the head of al-Qaida, an organization that had conducted the attacks of September 11th,” Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee (via NBC News). “He admitted his involvement and he indicated that he would not be taken alive. The operation against Bin Laden was justified as an act of national self defense.”
Holder told the senators that the mission was a “kill or capture” one, but added that even if Bin Laden had attempted to surrender, “there would be a good basis on the part of those very brave Navy SEAL team members to do what they did in order to protect themselves and the other people who were in that building."
*Clarification, May 4, 2011, 7:07 p.m.: The original post and headline have been updated to clarify that it was the Los Angeles Times that reported the Dalai Lama’s comments “appeared to suggest that the United States was justified in killing Osama Bin Laden.
By Josh Voorhees | Posted Wednesday, May. 4, 2011, at 5:45 PM EDT
UPDATED at 8:02 p.m.: The AFP reports that the office of the Dalai Lama is attempting to clarify the remarks that the Los Angeles Times interpreted as a potential endorsement of the Bin Laden killing.
The news service reported Wednesday evening that a statement posted to the Dalai Lama’s website says the Buddhist leader said that any counter-measure taken against Bin Laden, "no matter what form it takes, has to be compassionate action."
The statement, via AFP:
The Dalai Lama "emphasized the need to find a distinction between the action and the actor. He said in the case of Bin Laden, his action was of course destructive and the September 11 events killed thousands of people. … So his action must be brought to justice... But with the actor we must have compassion and a sense of concern... His Holiness said therefore the counter measure, no matter what form it takes, has to be compassionate action."
We didn’t exactly see this one coming.
The Dalai Lama appears to have the U.S.'s back when it comes to questions concerning whether the killing of Osama Bin Laden was justified, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to the paper, the Buddhist leader was asked a question Tuesday about the topic during an event at the University of Southern California, and "appeared to suggest that the United States was justified in killing Osama Bin Laden."
The quote in question:
"Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures," the Dalai Lama said.
It should be noted that the comments came the same day that the White House amended its original account of the raid to say that Bin Laden was not armed, as officials had originally indicated that he was. So it is not clear if the Dalai Lama was aware of the latest details.
Still, the comments come from the same man who tries to avoid killing mosquitoes if he can, so they are more than a little surprising.
Meanwhile, as more questions crop up about the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting, the White House has looked to quell any suggestions that the killing was potentially illegal.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder stressed to lawmakers that the Navy SEAL team that shot and killed Bin Laden was legally justified in doing so, and would have been even if the al-Qaida leader had attempted to surrender.
“[Bin Laden] was the head of al-Qaida, an organization that had conducted the attacks of September 11th,” Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee (via NBC News). “He admitted his involvement and he indicated that he would not be taken alive. The operation against Bin Laden was justified as an act of national self defense.”
Holder told the senators that the mission was a “kill or capture” one, but added that even if Bin Laden had attempted to surrender, “there would be a good basis on the part of those very brave Navy SEAL team members to do what they did in order to protect themselves and the other people who were in that building."
*Clarification, May 4, 2011, 7:07 p.m.: The original post and headline have been updated to clarify that it was the Los Angeles Times that reported the Dalai Lama’s comments “appeared to suggest that the United States was justified in killing Osama Bin Laden.
WTF is up with Republicans and Health Care Reform?
Sat, March 27, 2010 Filed in: National Desk
No one is denying that Health Care Reform is essential. I am embarrassed, as we all should be, by the US taking last place among the industrial nations in the world, in terms of per capita access to (affordable) health care insurance. Personally, I have always had employer provided health care insurance, though not necessarily a Cadillac Plan, I’ve had at least a Subaru Plan. The vitriolic dissent surrounding this bill is worse than the Willie Horton frenzy that Senior Bush whipped up. The sight of Republican Congressmen urging protesters to “KILL” from the second floor of the Capitol Building shocked and disgusted me.
Let me set the record straight and perhaps afford a new perspective on the whole issue.
Let me set the record straight and perhaps afford a new perspective on the whole issue.
- The bill signed by President Obama this week is A REPUBLICAN BILL. It is actually more conservative than the health bill brought forward by the Republicans in 1996. The bill as signed firmly entrenches the for-profit health insurance companies. My side wanted single-payer system, like every other industrialized nation.
- John McCain said, on the floor of the Senate, (I am paraphrasing) that single-payer was a step toward Socialism and a non-starter. Similar statements were made by his Republican colleagues in reference to the public option. Meanwhile, John McCain had his stage 2A melanoma, an invasive form of skin cancer, treated in 2000 using the Congressional Public Option. My own representative, Mike “Pocket Change” Castle had his prostate procedure using the same Public Option. Dick Cheney, 5 heart attacks, public option. And not to single out Republican (although it’s more fun) every member of congress has the same health benefits, that includes everyone in the photo above.
- The US has the finest health care system in the world! Ugh, that is, for 35% of the population, while another 51% have inadequate health insurance and 14% have no insurance at all. After this Health Care Initiative becomes fully effective, there will still be just under 10% of the population with no health care insurance.
Lindsey Vonn "gives the finger" to those who said she was faking.
Wed, February 17, 2010 Filed in: Sports
In one of the most stirring descents in Olympic downhill skiing history, Linsey Vonn ignored the pain in her injured shin, chased down Julia Mancuso and caught up to nearly a lifetime of expectations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic downhill gold medal. The American Olympics machine (NBC) has been pumping out stories of Lindsey Vonn’s courage to compete with a bruised shin which, if nothing else, will increase her marketability. We were also treated late last week to a story of Lindsey’s alternative therapy for her bruised shin, CHEESE. She wraps her shin in cheese. My questions are these; If you were an executive with Visa, Red Bull, Audi, Head, Haus, Spyder Thinsulate, Sprint, Reusch, Telus, Lieka, or Uvex, wouldn’t you want to protect your sponsorship investment and object to this therapy? How did her Wikipedia entry get updated within 3 minutes of her victory without the requisite 24 hours clearing time? How did she shoot the Sports Illustrated Vancouver Swimsuit video with a bruised shin? Just asking.
"Blizzaster" A blizzard of neologisms bury the U.S. East Coast
The storm proved a major disruption, with trolleys and buses in the Dover area shutting down and stores closing en masse in the face of a storm destined to go down as one of the major snowfalls in the area's history.
But perhaps the greatest damage has been done to the English language. Weathermen, with really nothing to report other than, “It’s snowing”, have turned to coining terms to describe the storm. Snowmageddon, snowpocalypse, snowtastrophe, snowclysm, snowlocaust, snowlamity, and snowzaster (which would be an excellent name for a religous cult) were just some of the neologistic offerings used to assault the mother tongue this weekend. Move over Bennifer, Bragelina, and Billary!