02Ram54

There are officials that say that it didn't as well. We'll just have to agree to disagree on who is more believable, but I have a problem believing that as leak-prone as the Bush administration was that they have evidence that torture saved lives and it never came out. For the record, Cheney himself walked his claim back that the abusive interrogation techniques themselves produced intelligence that saved lives, retreating to the claim that intelligence came from the program. To me, that's an implicit admission that the intelligence that saved lives came from other interrogation methods.

Which is why I'm OK with the public safety exception (to a point) but there are some on here who believe that Tsarnaev deserves no rights and shouldn't be tried as an American. That's what I disagree with.

I bet the Lousiville players get two rings, just like when Michelle Obama called Kevin Ware but not Noel.

Let me repeat this question: Richard Jewell was innocent. Should he have lost his rights as an American for being a suspected terrorist? Steven Hatfill (the original suspect in the anthrax letters case) was innocent. Should he have lost his rights as an American for being a suspected terrorist? If the DOJ accuses your neighbor of being a terrorist, should they lose their rights as an American? What about if they accuse you?

Awesome!

Can we have an ignore button?

First of all, torture didn't save lives. Second, while the public safety exception to his rights under questioning is controversial, it WAS invoked and he WAS questioned under it for 16 hours. At some point, you have to decide that the period is over. If you left it up to the FBI it would never end, which is why I have no problem with judicial oversight in this case. It shouldn't be the FBI's call. I mean, most of the justifications for the erosion of domestic civil liberties since 2001 have included the reminder that Federal judges had oversight of what was going on, like the sealed warrants for wiretapping. If you remove judicial oversight from the equation, it becomes almost impossible to defend the actions to that have taken place.

I'm sorry, but how in the world do justify stripping an AMERICAN CITIZEN of his rights before his trial? Tsarnaev is an American. He committed his crimes in America, was arrested in America, and he will be tried--and almost certainly executed--in America. Would you feel differently if the DOJ had a press conference this afternoon, announcing that they'd discovered a terrorist plot by the NRA to blow up the White House and that the entire leadership of the organization had been detained and sent to Guantanamo Bay? Would you still feel like a charged but not convicted terrorist deserved no rights as an American citizen? We don't get to pick and choose. That's not how it works. If they can violate Tsarnaev's rights, they can violate anyone's rights. I mean, he could call the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to testify on his behalf right now, the Son of God could take the stand and swear Tsarnaev was with Him all of the 15th of April, and a jury would still convict him. It is 100% impossible to give him a trial by an impartial jury, so why not give Tsarnaev every bit of due process he has coming to him. They questioned him un-Mirandized without worrying it would taint a confession because they don't even need it.

Wow. Take that, Geno Smith.

How many two guards make it in the league with: A negative A/TO No defensive game Under 2/3rds on free throw percentage Hitting 25% from the COLLEGE 3 Honestly, if Goodwin hadn't played for the draft machine at Kentucky, I don't think that he'd even be a credible NBA prospect. Can you name ONE player who signed a second contract with this game?

Louisville made a strategic decision not to press Michigan and Burke wasn't Smith's primary defensive responsibility so that's not a great example. Also, since when is Rose French? Again, comparing Russ Smith to starting point guards is a fruitless endeavor. Russ Smith is never going to be a starting point guard. He can, however, be a backup and change of pace player. Athleticism yes, size no. Goodwin is at best 6'4" and that is not 'prototypical size' for a shooting guard in the NBA. He's not a midget, but it is a few inches below average for starters at the position. And while Goodwin is athletic, athletic players are a dime a dozen on the wing. Is he more physically gifted than Terrence Williams, who is hanging onto an NBA career by his fingernails? I don't think so. And T-Will is a better shooter, a much better defender and a not-in-the-same-ballpark better passer than Goodwin.

I watch plenty of NBA basketball. I said what role I saw for Smith, but you haven't really given me one for Goodwin.

So now Russ Smith has to be on the level of Westbrook to be a success? I think Russ will have a career as a back up player with a defined role: energy, change-up scoring off the bench, and a pesky, committed defender. I don't think anyone is ever going to build a roster around Russ Smith. Again, Russ Smith is selling something that you can't get everywhere else. Goodwin is selling the most overstocked product in the NBA. Both would be projects for whoever took them today. I don't see how you can say that Goodwin has the physical tools to be a good defender, but you don't think Smith has the physical tools to be a point guard. Mindset is the only thing that you can knock on Smith as a point. He has the skills you need in passing and ball-handling, he just approaches the game as a scorer. Smith could have added three assists a game to his average last year if he just decided "I'm never going to score on the fast break, I'm going to pass every time." That wouldn't have been what was best for the team. Not only did he frequently start the fast break as the closest man to the basket and with the ball already in his hands, he was the most likely to convert, most likely to draw the foul, and most likely to hit his free throws. So, Smith could have dropped the ball off more frequently and padded his assist numbers, but I don't have a problem with the fact that he didn't.

Teenagers never get into physical altercations that might escalate out of control without being drunk.

Two things: There was no adult supervision in that case, so it's not the same thing. Imagine if the laws were different and you could let 18 year-olds drink in your house as long as you are there. Then the doctor wouldn't have felt the need to go to the lake while his kid had parties and this wouldn't have happened. I'm not saying this is a good law, just for the sake of argument. The second thing is why aren't we also concerned about the gun at a party full of teenagers in this story? I am WAY more worried about my kid going to a house party that is going to have armed teenagers than going to a house party where people will be drinking. That's just me.

I give this response my Parent Seal of Approval. You are now cleared to have this opinion.

If another parent got my kid drunk while under their care I would beat wholesale tail... ...but my kid is just under 2, so it's a little different. If my kid were 13 or 14 came home buzzed at a house party, and the parent may or may not have been complicit? I'm not going to physically assault them. I'll probably just let that parent know that I don't think it's a good idea for the kids or for the parent, and not let my kid go back over there unless I thought it wasn't intentional; not from a moral judgement but because letting someone else's 13 year old get drunk at your place is a sign of very poor judgement and I wouldn't trust them to make responsible decisions in other areas.

Russ Smith is faster than Goodwin, so any argument that the NBA style of play is going to benefit Goodwin is doing the same for Smith, except that when Russ gets to the rack he's much more likely to nail his free throws. And why do we have to talk about his potential to play defense? Was he not effectively motivated to play any in college? Why can Goodwin's defensive mindset get better but Smith's point guard mindset can't?

OK, I have a kid. I'll do it for him.

Not a single thing I saw on there contradicts what I wrote. Did you read those? The very first case listed is one where the ACLU was fighting for the religious rights of prisoners, so that kind of doesn't help your case. If all you have is "the ACLU doesn't like 10 Commandment Monument" stories, then we're done here. They don't like them, and I even provided their explanation of why. What you asserted was false: that the ACLU doesn't protect students' free speech when that speech conflicts with liberal orthodoxy. I have demonstrated that is false, several times now. You then erroneously stated that the ACLU attacks public prayer. They don't. They defend public prayer.

Are you deliberately misquoting him? He was listing people and organizations that the ACLU has defended in recent years. His list could have just as easily have been a in a different order and said: Would you then accuse him of calling Christmas a Nazi?

What I meant was Goodwin being 4" taller than Smith doesn't really impress me, as Goodwin is still going to be on the low end of average for a shooting guard (if that). It's not like his size is a strength. Goodwin needs the ball in his hands, but a negative A/TO doesn't scream hand me the keys. The reason I think Russ has a better shot to make the league is that he brings a unique game to the table, and in my opinion Goodwin doesn't. I mean, what do you get from Goodwin? He's a poor perimeter shooter (Smith is no Ray Allen, but even last year when he really was out of control he shot 30%.) He's a subpar defender. He's athletic and 6'4" but that is pretty much it, and there are just too many guys that bring at least that much to the table in the NBA. I mean, DTA is the most crowded player type in the NBA, and Goodwin in my opinion is a DTA guy missing two of the letters.

Harrell developing his jumper has been part of the long term plan. During the Big East regular season, when Pitino likes to try things out, Harrell played some away from the basket and clearly not only had a green light but orders to shoot midrange. I'm excited to see what an offseason of polish can bring out in Harrell.

Archie Goodwin 2012-13 14.1 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 26% from deep, 64% from the stripe (on over 200 attempts no less!) 1.1 steals, 2.9 fouls, and 101 turnovers to 88 assists Russ Smith in 2012-13 18.7 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 33% from three, 80% from the stripe (also on volume attempts of course) 2.1 steals, 2.6 fouls, and 116 assists over 108 turnovers. Is this really a discussion? Goodwin doesn't do anything good enough to make it in the league. He's younger than Russ and he's taller, but it's not like Archie Goodwin is going to be posting up NBA guards any time soon. I personally think long term Russ is the better prospect (but then I would, right?)

Public prayer is protected speech, and the ACLU has fought in favor of allowing religious expression. The ACLU and Freedom of Religion and Belief | American Civil Liberties Union: On prayer in schools: Notice how they go out of their way to mention that evangelical atheism is just as off-limits? How does that grab you? Thanks, Obama. Now what are we supposed to do with our atheist/Islamic sleeper agents in the teaching profession? All that teacher student loan debt forgiven for nothing! But, for real, the ACLU is great. Here's a list of over 100 high profile cases since 2001 where the ACLU has defended religious civil liberties. Here's a list of actions of only defending the religious civil liberties of students. It has its own section!