Shari, I don't know when you started reading here, but you are aware this board started on Salon.com, right? Liberal politics were pretty much built in from the get go.
I keep typing and deleting things. If you don't feel that waterboarding is torture... I certainly don't speak on behalf of all Buffistas, but... I just don't know how much common political ground we're going to find.
It does suck when you find out that people you care about disparage your political views. I have people like that on FB who are climate change deniers and such, and I just scroll on by.
There are Republicans who share (or come closer) to your view on those issues than the caricature so often held up.
Maybe it's just my filter, but my impression is that people rant about specific politicians (Cheney), subgroups (wingnuts, tea partiers), platform planks (anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage), or laws (Utah's current nuttiness) than saying ALL REPUBLICANS ARE EVOL.
This post may self-destruct if I think better of it.
One last vestige of maidenly virtue,or civic pride, or something...that's all I can say.
Oh, well, at least I'll see people I know in Special Hell.
was given Miranda rights, which are rights held by Americans
Miranda rights are are for humans, not solely for Americans. Speaking as a member of a select group which has been routinely denied rights that at least one other select group takes for granted, I'm a big fan of not taking human rights away from select groups just to make privileged groups feel secure. A person never knows when s/he is going to be summarily included in a select group chosen to have their rights denied them.
But, I still think the guy deserved Miranda Rights, waterboarding is torture and gays should both be able to serve in the military and get married, and I still can't understand why people wouldn't, but I am trying to understand.
Just one more thing about the "Christmas Bomber". He has given up actionable intelligence that is in fact being acted upon.
[link]
True, he did clam up for five weeks, but there's no way of knowing if he would have given up good information no matter what happened. They got him to cooperate with the help of his family.
Sophia, smonster, and WindSparrow all make points I'd want to make if I were more articulate.
A tip re: salad shooters and celery - peel the celery first by removing the ribs on the back. It slices easier and cleaner and also the celery tastes SO MUCH BETTER LIKE WHOA.
Re: politics: I am a lot more conservative (lower case "c") than most of my friends here and my husband. I lean more toward the middle and am more than a little Republican-friendly, mostly due to Emeline's godparents being Republican. But, like Shari pointed out, they are a lot more "on my side" on any number of issues than the Cheney's and Coulter's out there.
Oh, well, at least I'll see people I know in Special Hell.
::high-fives erika::
Miranda rights are are for humans, not solely for Americans. Speaking as a member of a select group which has been routinely denied rights that at least one other select group takes for granted, I'm a big fan of not taking human rights away from select groups just to make privileged groups feel secure. A person never knows when s/he is going to be summarily included in a select group chosen to have their rights denied them.
Because it's worth reposting.
The Miranda thing should be a non-issue. Not only for the legal reasons Sparky points out, but because Richard Reid (note: not actually a USian -- Reid's British) was also read them. In December 2001.
Reading them to Mr Crotch-on-fire was hardly a deviation from precendent.
