Our Constitution and our founding principles are inclusive, not exclusive, and that includes terrorists

i've been remiss in not posting very much from glenn greenwald lately... no surprise to anyone, he's been very vocal and articulate, in his customary fashion, on the torture debate... his salon column from tuesday is a brilliantly rational argument for accountability, the rule of law, and a return to the principles our founders...

here's the money graf...

The Right today argues that condemning torture is wrong because the people who were tortured were just Terrorists -- barely human -- and they deserve no defense, not even the force of law. Thomas Paine argued as a first principle that those devoted to liberty "must guard even his enemy from oppression." Could the contrast be any more stark?

glenn has consistently been one of the most passionate, well-grounded defenders of the founding principles and constitutional guarantees of anyone in the punditocracy... i've also noticed a gradual increase in his stridency over the past years, again no surprise given the gravity of the issues we're seeing out there...

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Hatch, 2nd Look [w/UPDATE]

While Sen. Orrin Hatch has somehow managed to rise above his cult leader personality a slight bit on stem cells, on other wedge issues he remains much like his fellow LDS faithful and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney: he still surely believes in Mormon magic underwear for all.

Glenn Greenwald, as he so consistently does, nailed what must be 99% of the content in Hatch's head and his every thought, (so eerily reminiscent of that schizophrenic obsession shared by former US Rep. Mark Foley):

Sen. Hatch: As he always does, Sen. Hatch makes clear that -- even as we battle the Global Epic War of Civilizations against Islamo-fascism -- his primary concern is that the Department of Justice is not doing enough to battle the evils of what even he calls "mainstream, adult pornography."

Hatch explains that "pornography and obscenity consumption harms individuals, families, communities." Unfortunately, Hatch said, the DOJ has a "terrible record enforcing adult obscenity law" -- such enforcement stopped during the Clinton administration and there is not much more to show for it during the Bush administration.

The problem, Hatch explained, is that the DOJ is only prosecuting "extreme" obscenity -- not what he calls "mainstream obscenity." Since most consumers only access "mainstream obscenity," not "extreme obscenity," this strategy is misguided -- it prosecutes "too narrow a range of obscenity." Also, warned Hatch, there are far too few FBI resources being devoted to "mainstream obscenity prosecutions."

Now this may or may not seem ok to a cult leader, but sheesh, how does he know? Hatch has a career dedicated in toto to dogma, not reason; to religious orthodoxy, not rationality. Remember how Friedrich Nietzsche DID instruct:

Morality is the best of all devices for leading mankind by the nose."

So then, why should we not peg Hatch as just one more wannabe despot, in a long line of control freaks?

At least Orrin Hatch provides us with a terrific modern day parallel by which to analyze the advent and working dynamics of the periodic historical Witch Trials.

I remember how Hatch once bragged on the floor of the Senate, how what he enjoys most about his office as senator is being able to use his power to get back at all of those that have, (in his mind), ever wronged him. That and I remember he had a penchant for reading raw FBI files.

Violate Blue at SFGate continues the points:

In a previous DoJ confirmation hearing, Hatch impressed on former Attorney General Gonzales that prosecuting "mainstream porn" was far more important than pursuing terrorism. Let's not forget how powerful a dude like Hatch really is. Gonzales later implemented this idea into policy, much to the protestation of his own departments, especially the FBI.

During and following the Reagan years, lawmakers advanced the notion that, the National Endowment for the Arts should not even exist, let alone continue making grants, for pornography.

Ha Ha. "You always have commercial pornography", they told us and then passed law after law, trampling the First Amendment, one law at-a-time. Judges, often colluded too. (.pdf)

I would even settle for a remake of Pretty Baby in just IMAX at this point.

[UPDATE]

from Reason, dated same day as this post:

[I]n substantial part to the rise of the Internet, where the United States alone has a staggering 244 million Web pages featuring erotic fare. One Nielsen survey found that one out of every four users say they visited adult sites in the last month.

So in the last two decades, we have conducted a vast experiment on the social consequences of such material. If the supporters of censorship were right, we should be seeing an unparalleled epidemic of sexual assault. But all the evidence indicates they were wrong. As raunch has waxed, rape has waned."

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The Chickenhawk-in-Chief Speaks!

Date: June 5, 2007 Location: Prague, Czech Republic

The most powerful weapon in the struggle against extremism is not bullets or bombs -- it is the universal appeal of freedom. Freedom is the design of our Maker, and the longing of every soul. Freedom is the best way to unleash the creativity and economic potential of a nation. Freedom is the only ordering of a society that leads to justice. And human freedom is the only way to achieve human rights.

Expanding freedom is more than a moral imperative -- it is the only realistic way to protect our people in the long run. Years ago, Andrei Sakharov warned that a country that does not respect the rights of its own people will not respond to the rights of its neighbors. History proves him right. Governments accountable to their people do not attack each other. Democracies address problems through the political process, instead of blaming outside scapegoats. Young people who can disagree openly with their leaders are less likely to adopt violent ideologies. And nations that commit to freedom for their people will not support extremists -- they will join in defeating them.

For all these reasons, the United States is committed to the advance of freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism. (Applause.) And we have a historic objective in view. In my second inaugural address, I pledged America to the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. Some have said that qualifies me as a "dissident president." If standing for liberty in the world makes me a dissident, I wear that title with pride.

From Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.

From the Yurica Report

What Did Mr. Bush’s 2nd Inaugural Address Really Mean?

Biblical Code Unraveled

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