Somebody please explain this to me. The Senate this afternoon voted to ban torture. The votes fell largely along party lines. Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson sided with the Republicans in voting "no" on the measure.
So did John McCain. Torture victim John McCain. The same John McCain who has previously stood against the pro-torture mainstream of the GOP.
I'm hoping there's a good explanation for this vote. Surely he's not signing off on torture as the cost of being a good party soldier. Surely.
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I think not, Victor. It seems to me that arguing that if you refuse to torture, you're just a softie who is letting the terrorists win would be the fallacy of the excluded middle. Scott has stated that Christians must accept any action approved by the Old Testament God as being something Jesus would have done. The OT God--the Irate Jehovah--has approved the eradication of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the slaying of the first-born of Egypt. It would seem to follow quite logically that Scott thinks Jesus would approve of eradicating whole cities and slaying the children of the enemy. The Irate Jehovah also praised those who would dash the heads of children against rocks. So Susan is not making any huge leaps of extrapolation in pointing out to Scott that his position seems to approve of Christians doing those things, too. Scott: Irate Jehovah=Jesus. Susan: Christians are to follow the example of Jesus, therefore Christians=Jesus=Irate Jehovah, so Christians can commit child murder and genocide in the course of warfare against the enemy. Where's the excluded middle?
It seems to me that arguing that if you refuse to torture, you're just a softie who is letting the terrorists win would be the fallacy of the excluded middle.
Since I never said such a thing, there is no point in reading further.
Well, one excuse is as good as another, Victor. Your name was not attached to my example. However, you can be grateful for the misunderstanding, since it spares you from admitting that you were wrong. : )
Y'all should read McCain's statement before arriving at your final judgment on this.
Christians are to follow the example of Jesus, therefore Christians=Jesus=Irate Jehovah, so Christians can commit child murder and genocide in the course of warfare against the enemy
Go for it. I guess. (Don't read the New Testament too closely if you're on this path.)
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