The United States is a federal government founded on a single basic principle: that there are natural laws and natural rights inherent and inalienable to all humanity. Those who would be citizens of this country (and most certainly those who would hold any office in it) must consent to this principle. And it goes without need of qualification that one of these natural rights is the right to be free from torture. Government, therefore, exists to uphold and protect such a natural right from perversion.
Those who would support the use of waterboarding against humanity know that such an agenda cannot find favor in this institution or by those who establish it so long as water-boarding is known as torture. And so instead of attempting to change the rule of law, supporters have attended to an absurd and impious scheme to change the name by which it is justly called.
Such tactic is not foreign to history or our experience of government. But we are too literate to be taken in by such moral relativism. We acknowledge not only natural right but the knowledge of that right. And so we know when natural right has been trespassed. Waterboarding is torture and by no re-definition of the name can it be accepted or supported by this government.
So do I, slaveofone, declare fraudulent and unlawful any purpose of government to support or accept waterboarding. May those who do be cut off from this land of respect for the nature and dignity of humanity.
In specifically New Testament terms, my top favorites are:
- Matthew
- John
- 1 Peter
- Hebrews
- 1 John
In terms of the Hebrew Bible, my top favorites are:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- Ezekiel
- Isaiah
- Psalms
Favorite associated extra-biblical texts are:
- 1 Enoch
- Odes of Solomon
- The War Scroll
So the Republicans in the House walked out in demonstration against Democrats willing to let the surveillance bill that protects communication companies from being sued for violation of our Constitutional rights to expire. Good. Go blow that hot fascist air out your asses, Republicans. And as for all this bullshit about putting America at risk… Who cares about terrorists destroying national security when our own rulers will freely do that for them?
My final post of 2007, Coming Soon, the Greatest Depression, was a doom and gloom prophecy about the economic state of our Union. The data which reveals the presence of a recession takes time to coalesce. When we can point at it, it has been around for awhile already. There is, however, something dubbed the Anxious Index… It was begun in 1968 to gather economic forecasts from the greatest economic minds of our time. They were asked to rate the probability of a recession in the next quarter. Only six times since 1968 has the Index predicted a recession. Only six recessions have occurred in that span of time. Every one of them occurred shortly after the prediction. This is the current Anxious Index chart. As you can see, there is a rather nasty spike occurring in January 2008 not unlike the six other spikes that predicted the six other recessions. It is quite thrilling to think that someone like me, a person who never studied economics, has no title, degree, or office, and who works a meager job in a meager land among meager people can call it as well as the smartest of the pack.
But, seriously, who does not see the signs presently? When in history have the biggest mortgage lenders in the world sold their mortgages to the second richest man in the world in order to stay afloat as is now happening? If that does not cry of desperation, then what about an economic stimulus
plan that was rushed through the biggest red tape machine in the world in a matter of weeks? And if not that, then what of two of the largest Federal Rate cuts in a row in the last quarter of a century? And if not that, then what of the U.S. economy coming to a virtual standstill in terms of growth with many large companies like GM getting ready to cut thousands of jobs? And then there is this hilarious bit of news about mortgages being frozen for a month… What is the point of that? It does nothing to deal with the problem which created the mortgage fallout. It only does two things: shortens the amount of pain immediately while prolonging the length of that pain in the long term and it gives stupid people with power who did stupid things with their power more time to try to find a way to save their asses.
Sometimes I get into one of those moods… And when I do, strange things happen. Like this quiz I created: What Rabbinic School Do You Belong To?. Check it out and see which side of the great Jewish debate you stand on.
I thought this was a pretty cool animation that could be representative of the pillar of cloud and fire that went before and after the Israelites in the wilderness…
I am no Republican. I have never voted Republican. But Ron Paul has my support. If you Republicans can get him on the next ballot, he will get my vote.
