What Courage means...

"Some country is about to have a Senate debate on a bill to legalize torture. How weird is that?" ...Molly Ivins

Very few people realize the absolutely monumental connection Texas has with Tennessee. Frankly, if we hadn't sent them a fair number of our foam at the mouth, ethically impaired, swaggering zealots, today we call then conservatives) back when Texas was actually Mexico, the best food in town would be called Mex-Tex instead of the other way around.

Sam Houston's swaggering cane is still here in Roane County. Our local politicians have carried on the fine tradition of swaggering, making loud noises like they're saying something, and making sure their friends are well fed. I don't know if Sam learned that here or not, but he did seem to think he was a privileged sort, deserving of admiration and being crowned King of Texas. Here in Roane County, our pathological types aim lower. They just want to be mayor or councilman.

Texas has some heros, though, but they seem to be disappearing. Anne Richards was one. Molly Ivins is another. Here's another snippet from a recent article on the stupidity of the republican torture bill:

The safe position is, "Torture doesn't work."

Well, actually, it works to this extent -- anybody can be tortured into telling anything that's true and anything that's not true...


Since only seven of the several hundred prisoners at Gitmo have ever been charged with anything, we face the unhappy prospect that the rest of them are innocent. And will sue. That's going to be quite an expensive settlement. The Canadian upon whom we practiced "rendition," sending him to Syria for 10 months of torture, will doubtlessly be first on the legal docket...

So here is the rest of that piece...



Molly Ivins is a treasure. Not only that, but she is an endangered treasure...



Hang in there, Molly.

Peace,

Steve