Shame

I was unprepared for the percentage of Americans who think torture is sometimes called for.  Experienced interrogators say that torture doesn't work, but that is not a question that interests me.

That our leaders ordered torture, and that so many of my countrymen are OK with it shames me deeply.  Torture should be considered un-American.  That so many Americans don't agree makes me ashamed to be an American.

Authority

I mentioned in a previous post that the Right likes authority.  Of course, it needs to be kept in mind that there are two types of authority.  The first type is that possessed by people who, through intensive study, know more about a certain subject than most people.  The other type is exerted by those who hold power over others--one's parents, the boss, despots, people with lots of money.

Unfortunately, these days, a lot of power in this country is held by the second kind of authority.  The folks in charge of science policy care nothing for science.  Indeed, they are against it.  The people who vote for these ignoramuses love the second type of authority and distrust the first.  The ignorant call the true authorities elitists.  The power elite encourage this attitude.

It's not a recipe for success.