I have been a bit into deep tunneling into code language and how it relates to geology. The consequences of a single sentence or word associated with geologic risk.
So excuse the politics, but I did have a political era in my past that still comes out at times.
I do enjoy political drama and Cromnibus has provided some. The best part are the riders that are attached to get certain things done that would never get done unless done in this manner. Depending on one's perspective it is not all bad or alternatively it is horrible.
Sarah Kliff explains how Republicans and Democrats worked together to solve an Affordable Care Act taxing problem in a very wonk loving post cromnibus-obamacare-blues-mlr. So Cromnibus provided deep cover for getting something done that our political tribalism would otherwise never allow.
Financial wonky Senator Warren points out much of our political positioning is pure rhetoric. How many Tea Party backed politicians would support using tax dollars to bail out big banks?
Then there was the Torture Report. Yes, our leaders supported and encouraged torture, "I'd do it again in a minute." - Dick Cheney on EIT. Call it what it is; Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT) is torture. And our country did it. And the Senate report shows that it did not provide the results the supporters of torture claimed. But I am sure the torture supporters will continue to claim that it worked. Perhaps they have no choice as it would otherwise mean pushing humus up a victim's ass accomplished nothing but torture for torture sake. And keep in mind that some of the torture victims were completely innocent and had nothing to do with terrorism. Matt at Vox points out we should call it what it is eits-are-torture. Words do matter.
Back to my own policy word selections.
So excuse the politics, but I did have a political era in my past that still comes out at times.
I do enjoy political drama and Cromnibus has provided some. The best part are the riders that are attached to get certain things done that would never get done unless done in this manner. Depending on one's perspective it is not all bad or alternatively it is horrible.
Sarah Kliff explains how Republicans and Democrats worked together to solve an Affordable Care Act taxing problem in a very wonk loving post cromnibus-obamacare-blues-mlr. So Cromnibus provided deep cover for getting something done that our political tribalism would otherwise never allow.
Financial wonky Senator Warren points out much of our political positioning is pure rhetoric. How many Tea Party backed politicians would support using tax dollars to bail out big banks?
Then there was the Torture Report. Yes, our leaders supported and encouraged torture, "I'd do it again in a minute." - Dick Cheney on EIT. Call it what it is; Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT) is torture. And our country did it. And the Senate report shows that it did not provide the results the supporters of torture claimed. But I am sure the torture supporters will continue to claim that it worked. Perhaps they have no choice as it would otherwise mean pushing humus up a victim's ass accomplished nothing but torture for torture sake. And keep in mind that some of the torture victims were completely innocent and had nothing to do with terrorism. Matt at Vox points out we should call it what it is eits-are-torture. Words do matter.
Back to my own policy word selections.
Torture is never for anything but torture's sake. No matter who does it; no matter how they justify it. Science has proven over and over that "enhanced interrogation" produces no results whatsoever, and this was well-known decades before the Twin Towers attacks.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting point about our society and its media that professional interrogators are among the loudest, angriest critics of American embrace of torture -- on professional grounds, because it's ineffective -- but their objections play on Page 57, when they play at all, and are dismissed from further public scrutiny.
The only people who support torture are those who are weak; in the face of danger, they give into their base emotions. Kipling had it: "If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs..."
Thought-provoking post!
Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Dick Cheney is desperately trying to convince everyone about the effectiveness of torture without ever using the word. The grand crescendo of his performances was on this morning's Meet the Press. He was literally wild-eyed and fever-pitched.
ReplyDeleteDeleted two comments. They were not extreme but just crossed the line a bit on my sense of civility. Maybe I am just too sensitive. Apologies for being thus.
ReplyDeleteI will say that I got a little wild eyed myself listening to the Meet the Press interview of our former VP.