Brightrock

I'm disturbed by how many people, including all of the Republican presidential candidates except for McCain and Huckabee, seem to agree with Mr. Smith regarding torture (quoted below).  If our standard for behavior devolves into "other people do worse things," then we can rationalize anything.  The United States is supposed to stand for a better way.  

From the letter's page of today's San Diego Union Tribune:

Another view of waterboarding

Seems like a lot to do over this waterboarding issue. When you take a long, good look at history, what the Nazis, Japanese, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese did to American servicemen and women, waterboarding is mild. Let's take another look at the Sept. 11, 2001, and what the terrorists accomplished at the World Trade Center. Waterboarding is an excellent technique to elict information from our enemies.

No question, it is rough treatment but bounce that up against terrorists who chop off heads and hands at will, we should continue to use this technique to obtain all possible intelligence from our enemies. If it saves just one life, it is worth it. Let's not be soft on terrorists and be as tough as possible to obtain results. Those who can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

RODGERS T. SMITH
El Cajon
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/op-ed/letters/20071216-9999-lz1e16letters.html

I do find hope in the fact that Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has joined Senator McCain in opposition to the use of torture (a positions that is, as far as I know, universal among the Democratic candidates).

At an Iowa press conference, Huckabee said, "Waterboarding is torture, and torture violates the moral code of Americans and jeopardizes the country's security. We should aggressively interrogate terrorism suspects and go after those who seek to do the country harm, but when we go to the point of violating our own moral code, then instead of advancing our country, its safety and our security, we in fact jeopardize it." 
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_7732107 

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I love these stories that come up with scientific explanations for things like "Crazy Cat Lady Syndrome"

New research into this common parasite — Toxoplasma gondii — may offer clues to the phenomenon known to the unscientifically-minded as “crazy cat lady” syndrome.