This post is not going to be on any specific topics, just what has been in the news lately, because I'm not really fuming on anything. Today's topics haven't been all that exciting, either.
So we have all this torture talk, with what seems like new information everyday. Am I alone in thinking this subject is getting very tired? We have two extremes on both sides of the political spectrum: the right is pretty much defending torture, or at least the Bush admin's use of it in some doomsday scenario "we've got a ticking time bomb". On the left we have calls for senior Bush officials to be prosecuted, including Bush and Cheney themselves, which seems like an act that would further divide this country with every taking sides on every issue, the others on each side calling one another morally suspect.
It seems we are at an impasse. I can understand the left's calls for prosecution of torture. It's bad. Really bad. And it has been said time and time again that it is ineffective on all counts. It's only logical that it would be ineffective, since humans will do anything to prevent themselves from feeling pain (physical or psychological). If you are being hurt, and you are being told what information the person hurting wants, the only way to make them stop is to tell them what they want to hear. Thus, the pain stops. You probably have no idea what you said, and it is most likely false information that will be used against you later. It still made the pain stop. Along with it being really bad, it is also globally illegal. The US wasn't a founding member of the UN for no reason. We had an obligation to decide what was right or wrong during times of war or otherwise.
I obviously don't agree with the right on any of their arguments regarding torture, because they lack any evidence or justification under jurisprudence. They may be rationalized nonstop until the wars end, but that's not going to justify them. However, one bit I do agree with is can we stop with the talk of it already. There are many people strongly arguing on both sides, but I think we've heard enough, and we need to stop running our mouths about it. There is only so much speaking we can do on a subject before it is dead and boring. Sure new information comes out daily, whether leaked or otherwise, but it doesn't mean we should spend 16 hours of the news cycle beating and flossing a dead horse. If there isn't going to be prosecution, can we let it go. I mean, I was unhappy about Bush being president, but was anything done about it? Obviously not. So if lawmakers and the people in charge are not going to do anything about it, then please stop talking about it. I beg of thee liberals, I beg of thee Dick Cheney, I beg of thee neo-cons.
Of course, by no means do I not want prisoners of war treated with any disrespect or without habeas corpus. If there are detainees that are not guilty of anything, release them. Just like we do here in the US. Sure, if they were guilty, and go out and commit another crime, then by all means take 'em down. However, the argument of "oh, but you'll be subjecting innocent lives to a person who wants to see them die" is not valid. You can't know what is uncertain. There is a principle in chemistry, created by Heisenberg, which basically says that subatomic particles are so energetic, that once you get a lock on one, it has already moved, so it is impossible to determine its position and momentum at the same time. So, to put it in the terms I'm talking about: You think crazy Muslim extremist will do harm when he is released, but he has done nothing wrong that can be ascertained by empirical means. Therefore, you have his position, but not his momentum. You think you have his momentum too, but its too tricky to tell. If you focus on momentum too much, you'll lose his position, and you will never know if he will do any harm. Uncertainty to the fullest. Yes, hindsight is 20-20, and foresight is blind. So why not afford due process?
So that went a little longer than I had anticipated, but no worries. I have a slightly different topic to cover now: Miss California Carrie Prejean. First off, shut up. Beauty pageant contestants should not be heard about anything (e.g. Mrs. Palin), because all they offer is their opinion. If you have no real solutions, then who gives a shit about your opinion? I can say that I believe everything should be free, but if I have no solution to make that happen, it is just words. It's not surprising that Trump didn't fire her because is fucking doesn't matter. It's not like she's doing anything noteworthy. IT'S IN THE FUCKING TITLE: BEAUTY pageant. It is also not shocking that she's guest-hosting Fox & Friends, joined the national marriage haters group that think a "storm" (gay storm, in case you weren't aware) is coming, and is an all-around idiot (Two things: she call it opposite marriage for fucksake, and she was saying that Satan asked her the question; I wouldn't give Perez that much credit). Can we end her 15 minutes already?
And lastly: Can we please get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? It doesn't make any sense. Period. First of all, not asking is irrelevant, because it shouldn't be any business of the military to know whether or not someone is gay. Secondly, shouldn't military personnel be upfront with everyone about their lifestyles. "Oh, I wear women's clothing and kill bunnies," is an ok lifestyle, but as soon as that guy says he has sex with other men, it's no good. Getting rid of Arabic translators is also fucking retarded. You know what, let's send it the guys who speak Spanish to Iraq and Afghanistan, I mean full-blooded Latinos, because their machismo will prevent them from being gay and they can speak Spanish to the natives. Yeah, that's sounds real fucking golden.
It's a stupid program and law and needs to die. If I wanted to live int he 12th century, I'd build a time machine and go there. I rest my case.
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