April 2009 - Richard M. Langworth

Torture, Obama, Churchill

30 April 2009 Comments 18 Comments

Torture Topics: In his press conference of 29 April 2009, in response to a question on the disclosure of top secret memos on the use of “enhanced interrogation methods,” Mr. Obama said:

I was struck by an article that I was reading the other day talking about the fact that the British during World War II, when London was being bombed to smithereens, had 200 or so detainees. And Churchill said, ‘We don’t torture,’ when the entire British—all of the British people—were being subjected to unimaginable risk and threat….the reason was that Churchill understood — you start taking shortcuts, over time, that corrodes what’s best in a people.…

Long Island by Bicycle, January 2009

29 April 2009 Comments 1 Comment

Most people travel to and from my home island of Eleuthera via Nassau or Florida. Neighbouring islands on the Bahamas “outer banks”—Cat Island and Long Island—seem to fall under the old adage: “You can’t get there from here.” Actually you can—with an expensive charter flight or boat—but it’s simpler to go via Nassau.

Thus three members of the “Eleuthera Long Riders” bicycle club, John Birzten of Governor’s Harbour, Arrington McCardy from Hatchet Bay, and this writer from Rainbow Bay—arrived to cycle Long Island on January 21st-23rd.

Traveling “traditional,” we used mostly mailboats.…