Saturday, March 20, 2010

McCain and Lieberman Cosponsor Horrifying Anti-terrorism Bill

McCain and Lieberman are cosponsoring a piece of legislature that would essentially legalize everything we protested that Bush was doing illegally. So called "unpriviliged enemy belligerants" which encompasses anyone even suspected of terrorism, would be remanded into military custody, including US citizens arrested on American soil, and the belligerants would specifically have their Mirranda rights waived. Once incarcerated, an interrogation would be held to determine if the suspect was indeed an "unprivileged enemy belligerant," in which case he could be held indefinitely until the end of hostilities against the US - which to me sounds like it could easily be a life sentence. The president also has discretion to declare any suspect an "unprivileged enemy belligerant." The implications of this - essentially formally legitimizing all the crimes Bush and Obama have committed - are horrifying.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Minority Report in America - the rise of Pre-Crime Policing

A gun enthusiast in Oregon was arrested by SWAT teams, without arrest or search warrants, had his weapons confiscated, and was forced to undergo a mental evaluation. He had committed no crime, nor was he suspected of having committed one, and he had no criminal record. However, he had recently been placed on administrative leave and had used his tax refund check to purchase 5 guns. Authorities believed he might be unbalanced and could retaliate against his employer. Turns out, he was just a collector who was in perfect mental health and seems to have had no intentions of committing a shooting spree.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

How to best be charitable?

Here's a little parable to consider.