Comments for EcuProphets

Comment on The Religious Roots of Waterboarding by On torture, from around the blogosphere « To Africa, from New York…

On torture, from around the blogosphere « To Africa, from New York… — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:24:57 +0000

[...] EcuProphets, an ecumenical group in New York, has a great note about the religious roots of waterboarding, laid bare by William Schweiker of the University of [...]

Comment on Choice 2008: JFK or Curtis Le May? by slumlord

slumlord — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:10:23 +0000

Le May and the joint chiefs of staff actually recommended not going into Vietnam, read Iron Eagle, the Turbulent Life of Curties E LeMay and Dereliction of Duty by H.R Mc Master.
The Kennedy and Johnson administration effectively bypassed the joint chiefs of staff. McNamara and his “egg heads” were running the war. In fact Operation rolling thunder, the totally useless massive bombing campaign against the Viet Cong was instituted by McNamara. When Curtis LeMay retired in 1965 he wrote a book called America is in Danger where he specifically condemned the then current bombing campaign which he thought was both a waste of American and Vietnamese life and treasure. His strategy was to bomb the key assets in North Vietnam to force them to the negotiating table. This was overruled by McNamara as being too provocative. Nixon instituted the “Christmas bombings” as recommended by LeMay and the North Vietnamese came to the negotiating table. No the 58, 193 who died can blame their deaths on the “Best and Brightest”.

Comment on Would Someone Kindly Tell the Partisan Clergy to Shut Up? by GiGi

GiGi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:03:21 +0000

We need more Msgr. Jim Lisantes in this world. Good for him. He speaks TRUTH!

Comment on Sen. Whitehouse’s on Bush Dictatorship by Patti J. Grant

Patti J. Grant — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:25:26 +0000

Dear Senator Whitehouse: My husband and I first heard about your speech regarding the BUSH DICTATORSHIP tonight on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and we cheered! Those have been my exact words ever since I first read every line of the Patriot Act six years ago. I have been attempting to sound the alarm about Bush’s egregious crimes against our Constitution, but there have been many road blocks.

My local newspaper, The Press Enterprise (Riverside CA), refused to print my letters to the editor; the Los Angeles Times pretended I was invisible, and the Washington Post wouldn’t listen either. I have lost count of the times I have been called paranoid, unpatriotic, alarmist and a God-d— liberal whenever I dared share my political concerns.

I have also read The Military Commissions Act, The Protect America Act, and as many other acts and presidential signing statements I could find, and I find it absolutely infuriating that so few people want to listen.

PLEASE PLEASE do not stop trying to inform the people of this nation, no matter what happens. This is critically important to the survival of our democracy. I commend you for your efforts to investigate these inexcusable acts. Someone must hold Bush et al responsible for the terrible wreckage they have made of our beautiful democracy!

You are truly an honorable servant of the people, Senator Whitehouse. We support you in spirit now, and we will be proud to contribute financially to your next election, even though we live far from your district. Bless you for your courageous and crucial work.

Sincerely, Patti J. Grant

Comment on How Bush Helped Destroy the Economy by JFK

JFK — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:50:42 +0000

9″11 in Plane Sight”

Comment on Dr. Dobson’s Dilemma by chrissiann

chrissiann — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:00:26 +0000

Nature kills far more “babies,” even further along in development, than research. I would never harm a child, let alone my own, but i have no problem donating one of my blastocysts (the ball of cells aka “early embryo”) to science.

Comment on ‘Tain’t Prisons Large Enough to Hold ‘Em by KH

KH — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:55:07 +0000

Kim Kendrick at HUD should not be holding the office she does. Her solution and response to the above speaks volumes about her character. She continues her threats and resolution of these threats by “donation” (much like Gov. Blagojevich’s donation requests). Pay-to-Play is alive and well in DC, not just Chicago.

US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Alphonso Jackson resigned in April 2008. Orlando Cabrera resigned next. Why is Kim Kendrick still at HUD?

Comment on Star Chamber America by Sophia Marsden

Sophia Marsden — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:15:12 +0000

I get that you guys love your polemic, but do you have to use one sided history to do it? The Star Chamber, King Charles I stuff… was not as black and white as you make it out.

Comment on The Religious Roots of Waterboarding by jina

jina — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:01:18 +0000

And used from the start on foreigners, to show them they’re outsiders. Aristotle made that explicit when he distinguished between those against whom torture could not ethically be used–citizens (think the Greek of the term)–and those against whom it was okay, “slaves and foreigners.”

Actually, the history of the relationship between power, pain and truth is a long and complicated one, secular and religious, and has the silver lining, a la the Enlightenment, of a belief that science can help doctors prove torture and get their victims asylum in the US. That story is here, Reading the Wounds , and in the interest of full disclosure, I tell you that I wrote it.

The rending of torture from religion is in that way a blessing and a curse–it’s almost easier to appeal to state security as a justification than to God, at least in America. But the role of religion in the history of torture goes a long way, I think, toward explaining the difficulty we have discussing it in America today, where religious conversation is so often fraught.

Comment on Where Charlie Lives by Davis-Lewis

Davis-Lewis — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:00:07 +0000

Mr. Rangel has been on the wrong side of the moral and ethnical line for so long, he even became a staunch support of Hillary Rodham Clinton and her “Slick-Willy” husband.
His position as chairman of the Ways and Means is now to be questioned, if not, then we democrats will have a hard time distanting ourselves from the shady politics of the past as well as making a new path of CHANGE. ByeBye Rangel…I am not sorry to see yah go!