Will put it back soon. Need to restore from backup.

Will put it back soon. 

The Obama administration recently released four controversial OLC memos (in largely unredacted form; available here ) that discuss in detail specific harsh interrogation techniques that, in the opinion of the memo authors, are permissible under certain circumstances. The Obama administration has withdrawn the memos but has also promised that those who carried out procedures authorized as legal will not face prosecution. Partially for my own convenience in organizing my thoughts and partially in response to some discussion I've seen elsewhere, I wanted to make a few simple points.

From CNN: 

AirTran Airways apologized Friday to members of a Muslim family for kicking them off a plane and refusing to rebook them despite requests from FBI agents who had cleared them of wrongdoing. [...]

I'm reading that the Obama administartion is planning to send 30,000 more US Troops to Afgahanstan in 2009 which will bring American  troop strength to 60,000.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081220/D956L7L80.html

hXWfCP Awesome article post.Much thanks again. Awesome.

jovoVw Say, you got a nice article.Much thanks again. Really Great.

Seven years ago today almost 3000 people died in brutal terrorist attacks. For those of us not directly affected, the passage of time brings a natural fading of the horror and shock we felt; 9/11 is receding into history. There is nothing wrong with this -- such is the inevitable progression of our reaction to any tragedy. We remember those who died, we try to learn what lessons we can to prevent such an event from recurring, and then we go on with our lives.

For some, however, the impact of 9/11 lingers.

Z42IYM Very neat article.Really thank you! Want more.

54rDz5 I think this is a real great blog.Really thank you! Fantastic.

"The series of events that torpedoed this novel are a window into how quickly fear stunts intelligent discourse about the Muslim world."

Well, the book publisher Random House has bought into the fear and loathing bit with respect to the relationship between Islam and the MSM.

Someone once described courage as not never being afraid, but going on in spite of the fear. As a nation and as elected officials we seem to be running dangerously low on courage. Oh we have the tough talk down, we have the posturing, but do we really have true courage? Since 9/11 when at least 2,985 people died from the terrorists attacks I think that what has been lost in all the hype is some perspective. While this was surely a tragedy, the population of the United States in the year 2001 was somewhere around 290 million people. Based on those numbers the terrorist attacks killed less than .02% of the population, yet since the attack we have responded by invading sovereign nations, torturing our fellow human beings, and gutting our Constitutional protections.

Hat tip to Publius Endures (PE) for this little expose' of the mind of a Modern Conservative.

The article he links to is from Michelle Malkin and written by "See-Dubya".

Says Mark at PE: (emphasis mine)

ecDd1B Hey, thanks for the blog.Much thanks again. Really Cool.

zACYTt I really liked your article post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.

"Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." I think I like that formulation of the Golden Rule a bit better than the one I have heard more often, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you." For one thing, it makes it that much more difficult to justify the kind of logic that we discussed ad nauseum recently.

X68DbI Thanks again for the blog article.Thanks Again. Much obliged.

YKBc0x Wow, great blog post. Awesome.

I happened to stop by and see my folks this weekend as is usually my custom and it is amazing how the conversation has changed in the last month. Originally we discussed the remote possibility of Senator Obama getting elected, then whether his agenda included black issues and would whites vote for him, and now as he is continuing to win a much more ominous question is being discussed. I wish I could say these conversations were only limited to my parents, but unfortunately they aren’t. The question and concern starting to arise among many blacks in America and maybe worldwide is the safety of Barack Obama.