Politics, I guess

[pameladean]

In an attempt to escape from the horrors of my beloved country's alleged foreign policy, I've been rereading Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books. Partway into The Red Box I realized that there really is no escape, but at least Archie Goodwin has delivered the last word on the use of torture. Here it is:

"They say it works sometimes, but even if it does, how could you depend on anything you got that way? Not to mention that after you had done it a few times any decent garbage can would be ashamed to have you found in it."

Further commentary cut-tagged, since it's really redundant.



According to the ACLU, people who ought to be in search of a garbage can with no shame include that shining star of smart war management and sunny optimism, Donald Rumsfeld, and the indescribable George Bush himself.

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=17216&c=206

I hope the sky falls down on them, the creepy bastards.

P.

Comments

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

You know what's creepier? To have someone tell you, in all sincerity, that they're very disappointed in George Bush since the election...because he's become too liberal.

It terrifies me what people like that will try to elect next time.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Bush has four more years to utterly betray these people. (Unless, of course, they are filthy-rich business owners who favor the neocons. We can be sure Bush will keep alllll his promises to them.)

[telynor.livejournal.com]

Me, I voted with my feet. :-)

Harper, happy expatriate.

[pameladean]

He's betrayed them all along, but somehow they don't notice.

P.

[pameladean]

As for going to Canada, we can't. We'd have to move at least six people. Canada doesn't even have a form for retired people on fixed incomes, and its standards for who is worthy don't fit several of us.

P.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that. I know Canada as a nation is probably kind of nervous about the current dissatisfaction anybody with half a brain feels with the US government and the potential influx of illegal Americans. The fact is, I got really lucky and managed to fall in love with someone wonderful and move to London. One of the short list of things I grumble about, living here, is that it's not always easy to find copies of books by authors whose work I love, like you, to give away to people who need to read them, like my new stepdaughters.

[pameladean]

Whoops, sorry that I just assumed you had gone to Canada.

The U.K. would be a little friendlier, though my mother would have to promise to never, ever, ever use the NHS. But it would still be very difficult.

I love London, though; when I spent ten weeks there as a college student I fell in love with it and told my mother that I was going back to live there when I graduated. (Economic considerations prevented me.)

P.

[lcohen]

god, i love the nero wolfe books. even when i remember who did it--they are almost like fantasy books to me where i visit a world i love with familiar sights and faces.

as for the rest of it--i wish with all my heart that i were surprised. they are small small people with small minds and i wish and will always wish that the world did not look at us and see them.

[pameladean]

I love them too, though they can be very, very tiresome about women.
But I love the food even though I am sure that Fritz never cooked a vegan dish in his life, and I love Wolfe's language, and Archie's, and the quirkiness of many of the characters. And the predominance of talk over violence.

As for the rest of it, no, I wore out my surprise organ some time ago and mostly just feel sick.

The rest of the world sometimes sees the rest of us, but events are making that more and more difficult.

P.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

I have been reading and re-reading the Wolfe books since I was 10 years old. When I first began to read them I thought Archie was the coolest thing on earth and I could barely stand Wolfe. Now I really like Wolfe and can barely tolerate Archie -- mostly for his attitude towards women which I think is worse than Wolfe's. I have the Nero Wolfe Cookbook, but I've never cooked anything from it -- too intimidating.

MKK