(This was rejected by the Slashdot editors when I submitted it. It's not a dupe is it?)

As you are aware, the Bush Administration's "Justice" Department wrote several memos defining torture in such a way as to permit its use, notably by saying that it's not torture unless the only reason it's being done is to inflict pain -- thus ruling that any use to extract information is, ipso facto, not torture.

As a patriotic citizen, I wish to do my bit to help the Bush Administration, so herewith I present

The Bush Administration Dictionary:

That venerable historian of Common Law, Blackstone, cites the first recorded usage of habeas corpus in 1305, during the reign of King Edward I of England.

Habeas corpus, of course is that foundation of liberty that requires the King -- or later, the state -- to produce a person imprisoned and justify the legality of his imprisonment. Note that it has nothing to do with guilt or innocence -- it's a check on the State's power to imprison without due process of law.

(I submitted this to Slashdot -- and of course, the editors rejected it.)

This essay developed out of a trip with a friend to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History; but I only completed it as an answer to a comment on Slashdot yesterday.

It got pretty good feedback:

I just heard some sad news on talk radio - American liberty was found dead at the Supreme Court this morning. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss it - even if you believe you don't need civil liberties because you're not a criminal, there's no denying its importance to the Founding Fathers. Truly an American icon.

In order to gauge who Slashdotters' opinions in the upcoming United States Presidential election, I've added a series of five user journal entries, immediate "below" this one.

Please indicate which candidate you support for President of The United States by adding a comment to the journal recording tallies for the single candidate you support.

In order, the journals are for supporters of

Please comment here if you support the election of Republican Party candidate George W. Bush to the Presidency of the United States.

Please note: For purposes of the straw poll, George W. Bush is considered the presumptive candidate of the Republican Party.

Please comment here if you support the election of Democratic Party candidate John Kerry to the Presidency of the United States.

Please note: For purposes of the straw poll, John Kerry is considered the presumptive candidate of the Democratic Party.

Please comment here if you support the election of candidate Ralph Nader to the Presidency of the United States.

Please comment here if you support the election of Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik to the Presidency of the United States.

Please comment here if you support a candidate or party for President of the United States other than the ones listed in the journal entries above.

If you're listing your "vote" here, please prefix your comment's subject with the name of the Party and Candidate you support. Anonymous entries, or entries not indicating a Candidate or Party will not be included in the final tally.

I need election results for US House of Representative in the early 1800s (1800-1840, let's say). Please let me know where I can find this on the web.

(No, it's not for a homework project -- I wish I was that young. But it probably will turn up as a journal entry here.)

Thanks.

Nevermind, found what I needed

A Moscow court has banned Jehovah's Witnesses from operating within that city.

As an atheist, I'm appalled and fearful for Russian democracy. But I'm also not wholly unconcerned about my own country, the United States of America. The Russian ruling is more obviously religious persecution, but less obvious persecution goes on here too.