Tuesday, May 08, 2007
About, Face!
Madscribe:
Over the past few weeks, I’ve totally changed my mind about the whole use of torture. My sense of indignation about using (currently) extra-legal means to extract intel from the bad guys and deadly domestic creeps that want to harm innocent folk (American, Iraqi, or otherwise) does not come from my veteran status, or even the news this morning regarding Albanians trying to attack Fort Dix, as much as it comes from where I live and the reality that any one of us could be living among these creeps and thinking we are "safe." Never in a million years would I have guessed that cow-town pastures like Central Ohio would be a choice hangout for religious idiots that worship a moon god and accept a mentally deranged, cave-dwelling schizophrenic from 1400 years ago as a “prophet.” In the past few years, several Bin Laden wannabes have been rounded up by the Feds in the same city and suburbs that consider Ohio State Football to be their official municipal religion.
This past weekend I caught my favorite actor, Sean Connery, on one of the cable channels in the great 1980s film The Untouchables, which I hadn’t seen for some years. One particular scene served as a gentle reminder of how effective torture can be to bring down the bad guys, providing that it is conducted within proper constraints and oversight (the scene I’m referencing being at the rural cabin where Connery uses some good ol’ fashioned Psy-Ops to get a perp to ‘fess up regarding Al Capone’s ledgers).
I suppose, as a response, the candy-assed among us will reference one of Denzel Washington’s “we can’t become like the Bad Guys” civil libertarian speeches from the movie, The Siege, as an answer to my cinematic citation. However, until any of the current candidates, Republican or Democratic, can show me a plan that effectively deals with internal threats while keeping the ACLU’s definition of civil liberties intact, I’m now with the Neo-Cons on torture . And on that note, I will no longer refer to myself as a libertarian, but as a Goldwater Conservative. Libertarians, from Reason magazine to the anarcho-capitalists at Lew Rockwell’s site are very good at critiquing macroeconomic fiscal policy, or cultural nanny-state initiatives. Libertarians, however, are lousy at coming up with sensible, intelligent responses to 21st security threats, at home OR abroad, other than sticking one’s head in the sand and whining about “interventionism” and what the two national parties haven’t done (which is a great deal, admittedly). With all due respect, Rep. Ron Paul, you’re a nice guy but returning to the Gold Standard won’t do jack [expletive] about nuclear-seeking terrorists.
Also, for that reason, Giuliani has my support in 2008. Yes, I’ve never been to New York City (yet) and even our blog host, the resident Big Apple Black Republican Catholic, strains to find kind words for Hizzoner-in-drag. But I put one question to RAG and all other naysayers: what the hell would David Dinkins have done on September 11? Now, take that answer, and you can pretty much figure out what Obama would do if a mushroom cloud goes up over one of our cities. I rest my case.
I can’t see Romney, Dodd, Biden, McCain, Obama, Edwards, or the Welfare State’s answer to Mother Theresa, Hillary Clinton, having the balls to do anything on domestic turf to deal with internal terrorist threats. Until then, maybe President Bush should consider franchising Gitmo.
Note: I'm not at my regular computer, so I'll add the obligatory hyperlink references later today.
Update: For the benefit of both the anti-torture candy-asses, as well as those of use who know better, below is a link to the above referenced conversation from The Siege. In the immortal words of George Orwell, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
|
Over the past few weeks, I’ve totally changed my mind about the whole use of torture. My sense of indignation about using (currently) extra-legal means to extract intel from the bad guys and deadly domestic creeps that want to harm innocent folk (American, Iraqi, or otherwise) does not come from my veteran status, or even the news this morning regarding Albanians trying to attack Fort Dix, as much as it comes from where I live and the reality that any one of us could be living among these creeps and thinking we are "safe." Never in a million years would I have guessed that cow-town pastures like Central Ohio would be a choice hangout for religious idiots that worship a moon god and accept a mentally deranged, cave-dwelling schizophrenic from 1400 years ago as a “prophet.” In the past few years, several Bin Laden wannabes have been rounded up by the Feds in the same city and suburbs that consider Ohio State Football to be their official municipal religion.
This past weekend I caught my favorite actor, Sean Connery, on one of the cable channels in the great 1980s film The Untouchables, which I hadn’t seen for some years. One particular scene served as a gentle reminder of how effective torture can be to bring down the bad guys, providing that it is conducted within proper constraints and oversight (the scene I’m referencing being at the rural cabin where Connery uses some good ol’ fashioned Psy-Ops to get a perp to ‘fess up regarding Al Capone’s ledgers).
I suppose, as a response, the candy-assed among us will reference one of Denzel Washington’s “we can’t become like the Bad Guys” civil libertarian speeches from the movie, The Siege, as an answer to my cinematic citation. However, until any of the current candidates, Republican or Democratic, can show me a plan that effectively deals with internal threats while keeping the ACLU’s definition of civil liberties intact, I’m now with the Neo-Cons on torture . And on that note, I will no longer refer to myself as a libertarian, but as a Goldwater Conservative. Libertarians, from Reason magazine to the anarcho-capitalists at Lew Rockwell’s site are very good at critiquing macroeconomic fiscal policy, or cultural nanny-state initiatives. Libertarians, however, are lousy at coming up with sensible, intelligent responses to 21st security threats, at home OR abroad, other than sticking one’s head in the sand and whining about “interventionism” and what the two national parties haven’t done (which is a great deal, admittedly). With all due respect, Rep. Ron Paul, you’re a nice guy but returning to the Gold Standard won’t do jack [expletive] about nuclear-seeking terrorists.
Also, for that reason, Giuliani has my support in 2008. Yes, I’ve never been to New York City (yet) and even our blog host, the resident Big Apple Black Republican Catholic, strains to find kind words for Hizzoner-in-drag. But I put one question to RAG and all other naysayers: what the hell would David Dinkins have done on September 11? Now, take that answer, and you can pretty much figure out what Obama would do if a mushroom cloud goes up over one of our cities. I rest my case.
I can’t see Romney, Dodd, Biden, McCain, Obama, Edwards, or the Welfare State’s answer to Mother Theresa, Hillary Clinton, having the balls to do anything on domestic turf to deal with internal terrorist threats. Until then, maybe President Bush should consider franchising Gitmo.
Note: I'm not at my regular computer, so I'll add the obligatory hyperlink references later today.
Update: For the benefit of both the anti-torture candy-asses, as well as those of use who know better, below is a link to the above referenced conversation from The Siege. In the immortal words of George Orwell, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Labels: Global War on Terror, torture
