If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to restore electrical power after a big storm, this blog is worth a look:
Ike: Reports from the front.
My dad passed it along to me, and considering he and my mom only got their power back on Tuesday, its interesting to get a little insight into what was going on.
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
Okay, this is just kind of cool: Experts find evidence of Bosnia pyramid
Eric Schlosser was in the news again today. Not much new stuff if you're already familiar with his work, but the idea of a "kid-friendly" version of Fast Food Nation is kind of interesting.
I’ve seen the term “Fair Trade” on products before (mainly coffee), but this article is the first time I’ve ever seen a good description of exactly what that designation means. While I still think it’s a positive program, I’m saddened by how little of the premium price we pay for these products actually goes to the farmers who produce the goods. These programs could have a lot more impact if the Fair Trade products were marketed to a broader audience, and not just to consumers who are not “price-sensitive.”
Fair Prices for Farmers: Simple Idea, Complex Reality - New York Times