Turn around and just walk away

That's the shameful - and hypocritical - advice of people like Peggy Noonan and Jonah Goldberg with respect to facing up to the odious history of torture during the Bush Administration. As I pointed out a few days ago, the media has decided that the idea to just keep walking by is legitimate, in its never-ending quest to appear "unbiased" by presenting the ridiculous and absurd to be of equivalent (or greater) legitimacy with the factual or honest. And so we continue to question whether the torture regime of Bush was actually torture, and whether even if it is torture, whether that is nonetheless alright so long as it worked to keep us safe, and all of that without any shred of evidence that it did so (and substantial evidence that it has made us less safe). Sometimes the recognition of what is right - and what is legal - is simply black letter. There are no ifs, ands or buts. It just is, regardless of what the meaning of "is" is. It was laughable when that former President said it, but his reasons for that were at least obvious; he was an advocate for his own cause. The media has no such excuse, except for its own decay. 

Without equating human life with that of an innocent animal (but recognizing that if you choose to find offense in that, it's not worth my trouble to debate you) it's worth noting that I didn't hear too many calls to ignore Michael Vick's abuse of dogs. It's remarkable the company that the media chooses to keep, and support.

I'm not a full time blogger. I have time, some days between work and bed, and mixed in with the many other parts of my life, to get some thoughts down on what is going on in the world and in my head. It's a record for me, to recall things that happened and explain my thoughts about those issues, an opportunity to flesh out my thinking and grow. On this issue, there is so much to say, yet so little time to say it. 

As a result, on this issue, I'm going to have to leave much of the commentary to those who can go at it full time. Nobody does a better job in long-form than Glenn Greenwald. And nobody has the passion and the sheer volume on the issue than Andrew Sullivan. Go read what those two are saying, and wonder why the mainstream media is so willing to give deference to the torture apologists, and to influence the thinking of the Average American so that our President thinks it's acceptable to turn the page. The so-called liberal media needs to take a long, serious look at itself, go back to school to learn some understanding rather than just "reporting," and think about what Andrew and Glenn and others who have a conscience are saying.

Despite my periodic frustrations with him, Sullivan is getting added to my blog roll, because his voice is too important on this issue to ignore.

UPDATE:  Here's Andrew Sullivan from later today.