Madison's Police Chief Couper (ret) on Newtown

A.J. Muste [1885-1967]

Strongly recommend reading David Couper's thoughts.

Intro:

"I have restrained myself from commenting on the Newtown tragedy until I have had some time to listen and think. And what has come into my mind in my life experiences as both police officer, sociologist and pastor is a number of thoughts and images(.)"

I think Couper's contributions to spreading love over his career, what I read as radical pacifism, into the world will live on, perhaps unparalleled from law enforcement. The relevancy to Newtown is obvious.

But peace seems alien to our political culture.

I do not see, virtually anywhere outside of the narrow sphere of progressive writers, the accusation that GOP politicians are engaging in a massive deception sustained by hate. Plenty of examples in Wisconsin. Lies and hate lead to tragedy.

Commitment to truth seems alien to our political culture.

Next April, we have a state Supreme Court race coming up, a race for the top appellate court that above all ought to decide what the law is, without regard to the station of any litigant.

Fidelity to the rule of law, and a candid job description of what a supreme court justice ought to be have been virtually absent from Wisconsin's supreme court races, with two recent exceptions.

We have an opening for peace, truth and the rule of law becoming part of our politics, perhaps given a push by the sickness.

Canadian Federal Court: U.S. Does Torture

Karl Rove, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are ideologues of different abilities and temperaments.

But one thing they all share in their rigid, authoritarian ideology is their enthusiasm to torture people, and then lie about it.

Human rights attorney and Harper's writer Scott Horton reports on a key decision announced last Thursday by Canada’s Federal Court.

Writes Horton: "Here’s the short version: '''We do not torture?' That claim has been formally reviewed by a court and found to be a lie."

Horton's longer version (and the work of Professor Jaya Ramji-Nogales) are worth reading, if you object to torture and our government lying about torturing, especially innocent people.
###