random commentary

Today's installment of "Weekly Words of Wisdom" from the Dzogchen Center:

Conscience is the soul of freedom, its eyes, its energy, its life. Without conscience, freedom never knows what to do with itself.

     ~ Thomas Merton

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Go read Terry's post. It's not pretty. (The topic, that is; apparently we'd like to be able to deport suspected terrorists to any country that will accept them, even if it means they'd be subject to torture (outsourcing, anyone?), and even if it's not their country of origin. And judicial review? We don't need no steenkin' judicial review!) And if you're feeling inspired afterwards, go donate some cash.

[Edit: wispfox posted a link to the PDF at the Speaker's site here; the sections in question begin on page 134 and go through 137.]


In happier news though:

NEW YORK - Saying that "democracy abhors undue secrecy," a federal court today struck down an entire Patriot Act provision that gives the government unchecked authority to issue "National Security Letters" to obtain sensitive customer records from Internet Service Providers and other businesses without judicial oversight. The court also found a broad gag provision in the law to be an "unconstitutional prior restraint" on free speech.

(link via nikkinewsnet)