July 11th, 2006

Ok, so let me get this straight. All U.S. military detainees now get the minimal protection afforded by article 3 of the Geneva conventions, but this is not a change in policy. What does that mean? Does business go forward as usual, or are we done with such despicable habits as waterboarding? As my husband says, “There was a time when waterboarding didn’t take up any space in my brain.” I resent that I know about this, and other methods of torture the U.S. military employs, in great detail. I want my government’s doublespeak to mean that we are done with torture, but it doesn’t say that, does it?

And of course, even if we were to do the just and civilized thing by those we have detained in military custody, what of those in CIA custody?

This should be good news. I hope it is good news.

In unrelated current news, when did Bombay become Mumbai? And why? Clearly, I’m not paying enough attention. And for some unexplainable reason, all the foreign reporters I heard today said Mumbai, but the Indians all said Bombay.

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