Torture is torture…

I recently read a post from the Lux Libertas site that rubbed me the wrong way. Click here to read.

First off…How Horrific! We are fortunate to have people like Bud who are willing to sacrifice so much for our country.

But…He is basically making the argument that the torture that he endured was much more horrific than what the US is being accused of, therefore what we did is not torture. He also points out that the torture he experienced was ineffective in that he either didn’t talk, or he gave false or conflicting information.

The US ideal is equality and justice. This ideal is compromised when we defer to our basic instincts of revenge, and we close our minds to the diversity inherent in the world, and in our own country. By referring to President Obama as “our pretend President,” Bud is showing that he does not have loyalty to the country, but only to his own ideology. This is not patriotism, it is narcissism.

Torture doesn’t work, and is wrong no matter the severity or who is doing it.

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Book Review – The Jew in the Lotus

The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Re-Discovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India by Rodger Kamenetz

I read this book in hopes of re-kindling an interest in learning and reading about Judaism. I turned to this book after I could no longer stomach reading God is a Verb, a book on Jewish mysticism. There are certain aspects of Buddhism that are appealing and I thought that reading a book about a conversation between Jewish and Buddhist scholars would be interesting.

I think that this book was well written. It is the story of a diverse group of Jewish scholars that journey to India to speak with the Dali Lama. The discussion was meant to further each traditions understanding, and for the Dali Lama to get advice on how to maintain a tradition while in exile.

It was an interesting read, but I did not feel particularly inspired by the story. If anything, I felt annoyed at the bickering amongst the Jewish group. I’m in a very rational and skeptical phase of my life, and this book did nothing to persuade me otherwise. After finishing the book, I was eager to move onto something more evidence/science based.

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Moonrise over Spaceship Earth