Sentential Links #206

Linkage for those who seek. Enlightenment for those who find. Or something like that.

:: But as difficult as a lot of these problems are generally, once the U.S. government starts targeting U.S. citizens without warrants or due process, we've crossed a bright line that's dangerously corrosive. That includes the warrantless wiretapping and non-appealable no-fly lists of the Bush administration, and it includes assassinating Americans and removing Miranda protections under the Obama administration. They're outrageous and dangerous transgressions no matter who's doing them, and Obama needs to take a long, deep breath and reconsider how he's handling these issues. In most things, Obama is famous for taking the long view and not letting day-to-day political considerations force his hand. He needs to start doing the same thing here. (This kind of thing is seriously the most WTF?! thing about the Obama administration, and it scares me to see the degree to which Americans just don't care about civil liberties, whether it's that odious racism that Arizona keeps codifying into law, the summary execution of American citizens without due process, the notion of stripping terror suspects of citizenship so we can make an end-run around those pesky things like 5th Amendment rights, you name it. It's all very depressing.)

:: Just about one hour ago, space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center for the final time. (This is depressing too -- not that the shuttle is being mothballed, because it really is odd that we're basically using 1970s technology as the cornerstone of what passes for our space exploration program these days, but that we're mothballing the shuttle with no real indication as to what ship will replace it, or if there will be a ship, or what the hell we'll be using that ship for once we develop it. And I'm also tired of space policy in this country changing completely every four or eight years, depending on the outcome of our Presidential elections. "Space station, whiskey, sexy!" "No, we're going back to the Moon and then to Mars!" "No, we're not going to either one of those places! Low Earth Orbits for all!" At this rate, when humans reach the stars, they'll be Chinese. Nothing wrong with that, but Ye Gods.)

:: With respect to all the love I have for the original 'Star Trek' series, I am a huge fan of 'Star Trek DS 9'. (Me too. DS9 is, after the Original Series, the highwater mark of Star Trek.)

:: As usual, I treated myself to some new CDs for my birthday. (I failed to observe Lynn's birthday, so Happy Belated Birthday to one of the elder readers of this blog!)

That's about it. More next week.