Torture, Accountability and Name-Calling, Part II

R.J. Eskow and Larisa Alexandrovna seem to have difficulty understanding my usage of the word normative when I say that I am normatively opposed to torture. It simply means that I am opposed to it on grounds of principle or morality. But empirically I know it is being used and would be used by any president in any situation. My position is quite clear and consistent to anyone who wants to understand it rather than distort it. For those who claim you can't be against a practice and still favor accountability when it is done, recall the Vietnam War. I and many on the left opposed the war while at the same time demanding that, if there is to be a war, Congress must officially declare it. Or consider the death penalty. I oppose it, but since it is being carried out, I want accountability and legal procedures including an execution warrant.

I accept Alexandrovna's challenge to be interviewed by her, so long as there is agreement that every word of my answers will be published. I do not trust her to edit, censor, or distort my views.

The Huffington Post claims that the column they tried to censor contained defamatory material, but they deny that the column by Alexandrovna contained any defamation. Here is the link to the article that Huffington Post tried to censor, as it appeared verbatim on the Jerusalem Post blog, and here is the link to the Alexandrovna article as it appeared on The Huffington Post. I challenge readers to read the two side by side and decide whether the first is defamatory and the second is not, as The Huffington Post claims.