Charlie Stross hits where it hurts:
I’ve been suppressing the urge to explode angrily ever since Thursday, when Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was officially released from prison and flown home to Libya. His release — on compassionate grounds, as he is suffering from terminal cancer and has weeks to live. Mr Al Megrahi was serving a life sentence, handed down by a rather oddly constituted Scottish court for his part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 — the biggest aviation disaster ever in British airspace, and one of the biggest acts of terrorism of that decade.
What am I angry about?
Go read. He got it in one, I think.
10 comments
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Philip H.
August 26, 2009 at 7:38 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
He's so right in so many ways. I'd love to see his take on the CIA torture investigations.
John Moeller
August 26, 2009 at 12:09 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
He does get many things right, although I think it's not just about the poor, I think it's also about race. There's a nasty sentiment running through the conservative mindset about being cuckolded.While I understand the reaction of British who are disgusted at American systems, I'm a little annoyed by the post. He denounces the BNP, but at the same time, he lumps the entire US into one ideological entity. It's as though there aren't any of us actually trying to change things over here.
Kelly McCullough
August 26, 2009 at 3:14 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thanks for the link. Nice discussion over there and some of the data posts came in very handy earlier this afternoon.
Stephanie Zvan
August 26, 2009 at 8:46 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Phil, Charlie's a good guy and damned observant.John, I don't think he's lumping us into a single ideological entity. I do think he's noting a tendency even among liberals to say to our opponents, "May you rot at the first opportunity." I don't think it happens with anything like the same frequency among differing ideologies, but it does happen, and it bugs me too when I see it. There's got to be a better way to engage–or disengage. It won't necessarily make a difference to the people who dig their feet in and cover their ears, but I think it must to those of us doing the talking.Kelly, um, wow. Saw that "discussion" (i.e., fact followed by "I don't like your facts") and…wow.
Kelly McCullough
August 27, 2009 at 4:03 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Yeah, that was…special. That sort of "discussion" is one of the reasons I do less political blogging than I maybe ought. The amazing ability of people to allow ideology to trump data causes my blood pressure to soar.
tsisageya
August 27, 2009 at 6:11 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
One name. Paul Minor.
Stephanie Zvan
August 27, 2009 at 6:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
This Paul Minor?http://www.talkleft.com/story/2004/03/15/047/28497I don't see the connection.
Jason Thibeault
August 27, 2009 at 8:39 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Paul Minor? Really?Just another attempt at building a false equivalency. We point out a dozen egregious things that the other side is doing, they point out some minor corruption on our own side as though it was capable of balancing the scales. Or they make stuff up from whole cloth, inventing conspiracies and other bullshit about our political lions to make up for the fact that theirs are legitimately corrupt and shiftless bastards.
Stephanie Zvan
August 27, 2009 at 9:44 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Actually, looking further, this could be the missing mercy re: Paul Minor.http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/paul_minors_wife_dies_without_him_041409/Not allowed to post bond on his appeal by a judge who once hired Rove and who later recused herself for conflict of interest–after the damage was done.
Jason Thibeault
August 28, 2009 at 7:39 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
!!!Outrage meter PEGGED.