Yes, torture IS already a crime. A federal felony. We don’t need Congress to pass new laws about that. Just enforce the laws already on the books. And one big step toward such accountability would be to stop the Haspel nomination.
Time is short for action to stop Haspel’s ascent. A hearing on her nomination is slated for early May.
As George W Bush’s former speechwriter Michael Gerson notes in the Atlantic’s latest cover piece: “One of the most extraordinary things about current politics … is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump.” It’s so extraordinary, in fact, that it is hard to imagine Christian voters remaining loyal to Trump if faced with a better alternative.
Well, maybe. BUT finding “a better alternative” won’t be easy.
Still, there’s plenty of wisdom here. American evangelical Christianity COULD in theory find an alternative to the current regime, which mocks almost every aspect of its core. But I see four BIG hazards that will need to be overcome on the way there:
On April 4, many eyes will be on Memphis, Tennessee, remembering what happened there 50 years ago, I’ll be among those. But I’ll be doing it from Alabama, just down the street from the still blindingly all-white state capital in Montgomery. That’s where the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church still stands. There in 1955 Dr. King … Continue reading Selma, the Day before Memphis & MLK’s Murder; A Look at my last visit
Matthew was examining a sheet of paper in an open folder. His jacket was off, but his tie was a solid navy blue and his demeanor entirely businesslike. He let them stand there in uncomfortable silence for a long moment.
Then he dropped the paper, glanced up and said, “Teacher Ellen?”
“It’s just as you see there,” Ellen said. “I went into the drama building last night, to get a book I’d left in a classroom, and on the way out I heard noises from the auditorium. I went in quietly, and, um, found Kevin and Connie on the mattress behind the stage. They were, um, unclothed, and apparently having sex.”
Matthew shifted a stony gaze to the students. “You knew this was completely against the behavior code?” He said.
Connie stared at the floor and nodded. Kevin’s response was something between a nod and a shrug.
“And you also understand,” Matthew went on, “this infraction is eligible for immediate expulsion?”
More nods, but from the corner of her eye, Ellen caught the hint of a curl to Kevin’s lip, which she took to mean, “You wouldn’t dare.”
The Secret Service has to secure similar events every week, sometimes every day. So maybe this was a piece of cake for them. Compared to their skill, our mornings walks near Dr. King now seem utterly, almost comically amateurish.
But even so, somehow we came through it. Dr. King wasn’t called on to preach at our funerals. Instead, we lasted long enough to hear others preaching at his.