Friday, January 13, 2012

Miscellany

For the tenth anniversary, gifts should include whips, chains, or a nice, tasteful cattle prod:

A few facts. There are 171 men still held at Gitmo; exactly one faces actual charges. 36 more are expected to face charges, but they will do so under a system of military tribunals that is so unjust that no fewer than five JAG prosecutors, all of them decorated military officers, have resigned in protest rather than take part in them. 46 of them will likely never face a trial of any kind because the government says they are too dangerous to be released but impossible to prosecute because much of the evidence against them was obtained through torture.

And 57 of them — one third — have already been deemed to be innocent by the government but continue to be held in prison. 537 prisoners were released by the Bush administration, but as soon as Obama took office Congress decided that releasing detainees should be far more difficult, no matter how innocent they may be.

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Belief in active God X Belief in active government = Constant.
A survey conducted by Gallup for Baylor University found very strong correlations between belief in an active God which has a plan for individuals and believing that the government shouldn't do too much. So if someone believes in an active, intervening god it's more likely that they will also believe that the size and power of human governments should be limited.

It's not hard to understand why such a correlation would exist but it is important to understand how and why ostensibly a-political theology can translate into real-world political policies — and why political debates over those polices can become intractable.

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