The Hall of Fire

Here's a brief interview with GdT, in which he reveals that they have four different actors in mind for Bilbo.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/01/17/su ... s-in-mind/

Look, I don't support support torture (I find it rather remarkable that I even need to say that). Not only do I think it is morally wrong and places the U.S. in a bad light, I also think that it is an ineffective means of gaining information. And it may well turn out that prosecutions would be possi...

River, it is very unclear to me that there are any U.S. laws that could be clearly applied to the actions of the Bush administration officials who authorized harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. Such prosecutions would be very tricky, and very political. The actions that were tak...

Voronwë, what deeds would have to be committed, and by whom, for you to think it would be a good idea to prosecute? I would say that when it comes to the actions of high administration officials taken with the asserted justification of protection of the country (as opposed to actions taken purely f...

River wrote:If the Obama Administration does something despicable that's also illegal then yes, they should be liable to face charges for it. This country prides itself on rule of law. When we allow certain people to be above the law, or outside the law, we undermine that.

I ask again - what law?

But Tolkien was too pronounced a believer in Christ as the Sovereign Ruler who was to come to leave the matter thus. There is evidence that, had his story continued to its full and concluding end the ubiquitous evil of such as Morgoth and Sauron would have ceased. He intended a final glorious event...

It is pretty terrifying to consider. But, perhaps, not as terrifying as considering the consequences if such action is NOT taken. That 10% reduction could be a drop in the bucket compared to the job losses that we might see if things are allowed to spiral out of control.

Anth, I don't think this inauguration is likely to cost any more than normal; they're always pretty fancy affairs. But I do think you raise a valid point about the almost impossible expectations that Obama faces, and the likelihood of a backlash of disappointment. But that is something that he will ...

2) Do you honestly believe that such prosecutions would do more good than harm, at a time when the U.S truly needs to pull together to combat the huge problems that we face? Yes, V. And this is not from a U.S. perspective.... there is a very strong perception in the East that the US does not answer...

Voronwë, what you seem to be saying here is that if the Bush administration people accused of complicity in torture had been nicer people, it would be OK to prosecute them; but because they have managed to anger people, we should not expect them to be prosecuted. Prim, I have absolutely no idea whe...

What specific U.S. laws do you believe was violated, Teremia? I'm not saying there wasn't any, I'm just asking what laws you think were violated.

Wow, Mahima!

People of high rank should not be allowed to think that they can get away with absolutely anything they want, no matter how despicable their behavior. Who decides what despicable behavior people of high rank should be prosecuted for? What if future administrations think that something Obama did was...

Some questions for those who seem to think that prosecutions of members of the current administration should be a top priority for the next administration, particularly over the torture issue: 1) If you look into your hearts, can you honestly say that the reason you are so interested in seeing such ...

Why would he do that, we he himself believes that waterboarding is torture? That doesn't make any sense. Clearly declaring that such techniques will not be used in the future is completely different then prosecuting the previous administration for using them.

Primula Baggins wrote:If Obama doesn't intend there to be any investigation, Holder was an odd choice for AG. But we'll see.

Why do you say that?

For exactly that reason, I don't expect it to happen.

Thanks so much for sharing that, swiz! Really fascinating.