Previous Leon, C-SPAN:

[beamjockey]

Peculiar thing showed up on C-SPAN this weekend: cast and producers of the TV series 24 on stage at the Heritage Foundation. Three producer-writers, three actors, two tank-thinkers, moderated (I hope he won't be offended if I use that word) by Rush Limbaugh. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, gave an introductory talk and answered audience questions.

I gather that Virginia Lamp Thomas, a Heritage Foundation official, had a hand in lining up the event; her husband, Justice Clarence Thomas, was in the front row of the audience sitting next to her, and several quips were directed to him.

Everybody reveled in love for the action-packed, terrorist-bashing, America-loving, down-counting show.

I found the event a bit creepy. I am trying to decide whether I would find it equally creepy to see, say, the NASA Administrator on stage with the cast of Star Trek, or whether I am simply a hypocrite.

Comments

[marsgov.livejournal.com]

There's no evidence that it's a myth. It's a common theory (among most liberals I know) that torture doesn't work, but given its long history — and the comments of pratical practitioners of torture; e.g., a French Algerian War agent — I have to wonder if torture doesn't indeed work when applied judiciously.

This is not to say that (a) the US uses or approves of torture or (b) that torture is morally correct. I merely note that if disapproval is based on the it-does-not-work theory, then if I can prove it does work, where does the arguement go?

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

It all depends on what you mean by "work".