U.S. Constitution
Should Americans torture?
Time for a civics lesson.
The reaction to finding out that Americans tortured prisoners of war at the Guantanamo prison and in Iraq, and seem to still be using torture now in the Middle East has been a debate over whether torture produces valuable information. That is, do the ends justify the means? Is it worth [...]
Country First–but first…
I see that Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain’s slogan is, as of late August 2008, “Country First.” This is clearly a slight reworking of the old ”My country right or wrong.” And that’s a problem.
“My country right or wrong” is a sentiment going back millennia, but it was first recorded for posterity as coming from [...]
Proving citizenship proves difficult
Some states are ratcheting up the requirements for getting a driver’s license–and I mean way up.
In Massachusetts right now, you must present four distinct pieces of ID to prove your identity. What are they? The web site for the Commonwealth Registry of Motor Vehicles actually does not say. You have to take your chances. Since [...]
The Judiciary saves us from the tyranny of the majority
The California Supreme Court’s decision that banning gay marriage is unconstitutional has been met with the by-now common complaint that the Court overstepped its bounds, trampled the wishes of the voters, and got into the legislation business without a permit.
A review of the constitutionally described role of the judiciary is in order.
The famous commentator on [...]
A Duty to your country
I was listening to retired Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez on the radio yesterday, talking about his new book in which he details the Bush administration’s “catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan” in Iraq. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“Some senior military leaders did not challenge civilian decision makers at the appropriate times, and the [...]
Truth v. Myth: Slavery in our democracy
Myth: Americans didn’t care about slavery, turning an indifferent eye to the sufferings of enslaved people.
Supporting myth: We enslaved people.
“Proof” of myth: How could slavery go on for so long if people didn’t accept it?
How in the world did slavery exist in our representative democracy?
The minority of whites in America who enslaved people [...]
The Constitution: harder than it looks
We kind of hate the Constitution today. We wish it wasn’t so elastic. It allows for so many interpretations; we wish it would just tell us what to do. But of course the only reason it’s a viable document is that it doesn’t tell us what to do. It gives us a framework of justice [...]
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