“In a list of definitions included in the authentic translation of Plato, a list attributed to him, occurs this: ‘Natural Depravity: a depravity according to nature.’ A definition which tho’ savoring of Calvinism, by no means involves Calvin’s dogmas as to total mankind. Evidently its intent makes it applicable but to individuals. Not many are the examples of this depravity which the gallows and jail supply. At any rate for notable instances, since these have no vulgar alloy of the... Read more

RICHARD BROOKHISER interviewed in the Atlantic about Dubya. Read more

IF YOU PRAY, read this post. Read more

THE NEXT AMERICAN CITY: Very interesting magazine project by a bunch of Yalies. I am intrigued. Here’s a NYT piece on them. Read more

MORE on helping Bantu refugees. Read more

ALTERNATIVE TO WAR: Via Amy Welborn. I don’t have time to comment now, maybe will do so later. Read more

TORTURE MAIL: I promise I will blog about something else soon. In the meantime: Radley Balko, at this site, posts an important point in the comments section, and I apologize if I took his words out of context: “My argument [that only non-citizens should be tortured] was a legal one, not a moral one. The fact is, we could never torture U.S. citizens because they’re protected by the U.S. Constitution. “Foreign combatants captured outside the U.S. are not. “If you’re... Read more

IF YOU CAME HERE looking for my posts on torture, you should also read this post from Jim Henley; I think the torture/slavery comparison is right on. Ignore the first paragraph! Read more

FINAL NOTE ON TORTURE: For what it’s worth, I live and work very close to the White House. Two of my close friends live here too. My parents are also in D.C., and I have other friends within city limits. Add to that the friends I have in New York City. In other words, I’m pretty aware of being a target for the kinds of attacks that torture is supposed to prevent. Radley wondered whether Jim Henley considered 9/11 to... Read more

BETTER TO DIE LIKE A MAN THAN LIVE LIKE A BEAST: Like Jim Henley, I got pretty depressed reading the various defenses of torture that have been posted in the blogosphere recently. It took me several days to write about this because I needed to collect my thoughts and suppress the gut feeling of rottenness and horror. I know even admitting that will lose me credibility, but hey, I figured you all deserve an explanation for why I am so... Read more