The best argument I have read against torture in quite some time appears in a novel placed in 1327, written in 1983 - Umberto Eco’s The Name of The Rose. Our protagonist Brother William of Baskerville is arguing with Ubertino of Casale, a monk in a wealthy Italian abbey:

“There is only one thing that arouses animals more than pleasure, and that is pain. Under torture you are as if under the dominion of those grasses that produce visions. Everything you have heard told, everything you have read returns to your mind, as if you were being transported, not toward heaven, but toward hell. Under torture you say not only what your inquisitor wants, but also what you imagine might please him, because a bond (this truly, diabolical) is established between you and him…. These things I know, Ubertino; I also have belonged to those groups of men who believe they can produce the truth with white-hot iron. Well, let me tell you, the white heat of truth comes from another flame. Under torture Bentivenga may have told the most absurd lies, because it was no longer himself speaking, but his lust, the devils of his soul.”

“Lust?”

“Yes there is a lust for pain, as there is a lust for adoration, and even a lust for humility. If it took so little to make the rebellious angels direct their ardor away from worship and humility and toward pride and revolt, what can we expect of a human being? There, now you know: this was the thought that struck me in the course of my inquisitions. And this is why I gave up that activity. I lacked the courage to investigate the weaknesses of the wicked, because I discovered that they are the same as the weaknesses of the saintly.”

Via dear Ariana, an instructional video.  Replace Goldwater with McCain and a chill will run down your spine.  It’s rather well done:

You know that kid who sits at the front of the class chatting, and then the teacher finally calls on her, and she starts giving a bullshit answer, so he presses further for a real answer, and she keeps bullshitting? But bullshitting with such gusto that everyone in the class starts to wonder “does she really believe this garbage?” The kid who appears indignant that anyone would dare challenge her or call her out in front of her peers?

You totally know this kid:

Do we really want this person to be within a heartbeat of the Presidency?

Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska Legislature to pass a bill — signed into law by Knowles — that banned the practice statewide.

“There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla,” Knowles said

A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla’s newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.

“(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests,” the newspaper reported.

It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.

Atrios nails it:

Who knows, maybe we should have some sort of innovative libertarian a la carte police system, where you basically get billed for parts and labor whenever you call them. Access to the law based on your ability to pay, that kind of thing.

I don’t remember the exact date now, but a couple of years ago Adam and I and our dear friend Andrew Morgan released the record Zephyr Device on Tank Crash. The cover was a commentary on a Sept 11th memorial in Montclair, NJ where we were living at the time:

The only press we really got was a mention in the local area news blog Baraistanet, but the comments were somewhat gratifying.  It was nice to get that discussion out in front of people and see them question their environment and the sentiments around them. Even the ones where we got called “asshat.”

You can listen to a sample track here, and the album has a little site here.

So yeah, it’s interesting to look back.  Is it really 2008 already?  Are we still showing the lights for the towers every year?  I don’t really mind them… it’s just sad.  I see that McCain and Obama are making a joint appearance today here in New York at the World Trade Center.  And honestly I wish they’d just go away and leave us alone for today.

When people stop me on my bike from their pickup trick, wearing american flag and bald eagle t-shirts to ask me “Hey which way is it to Ground Zee Roh” I’m always tempted to give them directions back to the turnpike.

Yeah all’s been a bit quiet here.  I just read this and found it very inspiring and wish to reproduce:

Winning and losing is never fully in one’s control — not in politics or in life. What is always within our control is how we fight and bear up under pressure. It’s easy to get twisted up in your head about strategy and message and optics. But what is already apparent is that John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest and race-baiting campaign of our lifetimes. So let’s stopped being shocked and awed by every new example of it. It is undignified. What can we do? We’ve got a dangerously reckless contender for the presidency and a vice presidential candidate who distinguished her self by abuse of office even on the comparatively small political stage of Alaska. They’ve both embraced a level of dishonesty that disqualifies them for high office. Democrats owe it to the country to make clear who these people are. No apologies or excuses. If Democrats can say at the end of this campaign that they made clear exactly how and why these two are unfit for high office they can be satisfied they served their country.

And I’ll say that amongst many of us it’s a kinda-joke that “I’m moving out of the country if McBush wins,” but I think it’s important to consider that 1) we might lose this one and 2) what then? You stay and fight.

I’m not going anywhere.

This:

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

And this, too:

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop…

Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

Four more beers… :-/

7 YEARS
Previously known as “Richard”. I wanted to hear how this thing sounded slowed down (55bpm), kept that slow through the whole thing, with a little bass and piano. Someone had mentioned to Billy that we could slow things down every once in a while. This is my earnest attempt.

VIETNAM JESUS
Barack Obama can’t attack John McCain personally because he is running for President. I am not running for President. So I can say horrible things about him. I honestly think McCain is trying to style himself as a 21st Century Jesus figure. He can’t take two breaths without speaking about how he’s been tortured. I think people would pay $10 to watch a 2 hour movie of John McCain Being Tortured so they could look at him googly-eyed with approval. A man whose life is defined by violence can only know violence. The most violent music ever? The Birthday Party. So pardon me if this sounds a little like them having sex with Xiu Xiu and a chainsaw.

ALL I NEED
Also, this previously mentioned song got a bass line and a much needed slight remix.

John McCain is apparently planning to deliver his acceptance speech to the RNC via satellite later this week from New Orleans, presumably after the storm Gustav hits the city, where it may inflict massive damage.  While the city is being evacuated, and local officials are trying to keep things running smoothly, McCain is already down there with the secret service coterie (which puts a drain on local municipal officials), and actually has the nerve to be accusing Obama of opportunism for continuing to campaign today.

So I’d like to pass along the reminder of what John McCain was doing when Hurricane Katrina hit landfall in 2005:

John McCain is unfit for command.