Guantánamo Bay: Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Guantánamo Bay detainee cases. An account can be found here, some comments and relevant links from me can be found here, and audio of the oral argument here. My basic question is: do we want to live in a nation whose government can argue that they have no obligation to determine those they detain are legitimately held? The question seems obvious, but then, so does the question: Must President Bush Go? Sadly, it is not obvious to many people.

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Film: Ella Enchanted is based on a well loved children's book. I did not read the book, but the film adaptation did a good job providing fun family entertainment. Anne Hathaway stars as a young woman "enchanted" with a "gift" of always being obedient, surely a potent threat in the eyes of children. She falls in love with a callow if good hearted prince (he says she need to do what she does not wish to do), who is unaware that his ward is an evil ruler that is mistreating the kingdom (forcing elves to be musicians, making giants near slaves, and so forth -- pretty serious overtones there). It was a fun, good hearted movie, from the lilting opening narration by Eric Idle on. The movie is not just for kids -- adults will like it as well. ...

This sort of movie [Man On Fire] is violent porn -- a cute girl is kidnapped in some forsaken land, so we get a pass for not being sickened by the violence (no need to take into consideration these people have families, including cute little girls too, or the possibility of mistake or overkill ... cf. I Spit On Your Grave, which actually shows the wife and two children of one of the men who "got theirs."). ... [more]