Wrongheaded Decision Point

Despite the United States having ratified the Convention against Torture, Bush defends his "decision point" in authorizing waterboarding

The defense of torture by President Bush during an interview about his new book, Decision Points is utterly appalling. This position of his is both immoral and illegal, under International Law, in so far as the United States ratified the international Convention Against Torture. And neither is the position even pragmatic, as it undermines the taboo against torture by other nations, and reduces our own protections against reprisals and victimization by torture.

Immoral, Illegal and, in the end, not very smart or wise, Bush’s policy eroded international law and human rights protections previously afforded to us all, tainted us as citizens and branded our nation as immoral, unjust, impervious to international law, and simply not very wise. Does that not mark decline of a different sort for our country?

"This is not a speech. Two weeks ago I set aside the speech I prepared. This is a cry from the heart, a lamentation for the loss of this country's goodness and therefore its greatness.", Ted Sorenson, from a "A Time to Weep", Commencement speech at the New School University in New York on May 21, 2004

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/10/31-8

My Advice to President Obama

Make the White House a school house!

Dear President Obama,

Use the Bully Pulpit to your advantage, Sir. What the American public doesn’t need, is the manipulation of the Republican Party nor the obfuscation of the Democratic Party, but what it does sorely need is education, boldly, courageously, honestly, and passionately delivered. Real facts, real analysis, real explanation. of consequences. You have all the potential to become our Nations’s Great Educator. Bring on the pie charts!

We are in great need for real knowledge to understand and solve our problems. You have all the power to become the Great Educator, for the lasting benefit of our nation..

Karita Hummer

Words of Wisdom from Rabbi Lerner, Credo and Professor Lessig

Rabbi Lerner has ten new commandments for Progressives, and if we are smart, we will take heed, because the same old way will not work for America, or any place for that matter.

Today, in despair, in response to a question from a friend about how I felt about the election debacle, I wrote these words :

"I feel horrible and really angry that the Supreme Court gave them such a free ride with their decision about corporate personhood political money influence=a person's right to speech. It helped them buy candidate. It is demoralizing, and the only saving grace is that I live in California, but we had losses, too. Senator Rand Paul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? What is especially disappointing is that the Supreme Court decision was never properly castigated either by Democrats who missed the boat or media, as usual. Now, our Democracy has been bought, and it feels almost too late to do anything about it!

Demoralized and angry and feeling pretty powerless,

Karita"

Then I got these words of wisdom from Rabbi Lerner, and somehow I began to feel better.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/10-commandments-to-revive_b_777961.html

And this great analysis from Credo:

http://credoaction.com/pages/ten_things.html

I posted the Credo analysis and call to action on Facebook, with this preface of my own:

"I share this, because I love my country and I want it to live up to the social contract, embodied in our Constitution.

Today, I was feeling mournful, because it seemed to me that the forces of greed, narrow-mindedness, and distortion had won in some, quite large, parts of the country, but then Credo sent me some very credible analysis with some antidotes and possible ameliorative actions, that go well beyond the palliative, which we sorely need, in my ever so humble opinion.

Weep no more, consider Credo's Action Plan, and take action.

Karita Hummer"

And, yet more words of wisdom from Professor Lawrence Lessig:

http://www.fixcongressfirst.org/blog/entry/has-the-tyranny-ended/

Take heart, fellow passionate progressive patriots, search for guidance, look deeply for wisdom and endurance to fight the good fight, continuously. i share the links as good antidotes to despair. do you remmber the despair of the 2004 election. This is a lot like that, but we didn't give up then, and we shouldn't do so now. Keep the faith.

Karita Hummer