Fair enough.

Which world would you rather live in, one where there's an open theoretical debate over horrible possibility that hasn't happened and that most people in power are trying to prevent, or one where horrible things ARE happening and the people approving them and carrying them out are doing everything in their power to pretend it's not happening?

I see your point.

Wow, I remember when Mr. Olbermann was just an extremely annoying sports broadcaster.

That clip should be shown on EVERY network, EVERY streaming media outlet in the country.

Not at all. It is simply stating that things are not simply black and white, or bad is bad and good is good. To use your example, dog fighting and spousal abuse are two very bad things, but they pale in comparison to murder. Take Michael Vick. He fought dogs and very much deserves to be punished, but as severely as a murderer? Hardly.

No one is arguing that one is good simply because the other is worse. It is simply the case that one bad is more extreme than the other and therefore of bigger concern, and if the main current point of concern is the lesser of the two then things are not as horribly bad as in the past.

Except that the sleepyjeff's post didn't do that:

We've gone from a point in time where waterboarding being torture is a settled issue and the use of neutron bombs is up for debate to one where waterboarding being torture is apparently an unsettled issue and the use of neutron bombs is up for debate.

The U.S. no longer has nuetron bombs not because it became the official policy of our country that their use is untenable but because they were viewed as no longer having any deterrent value following the end of the Cold War and therefore were low hanging fruit in the arms reduction treaties. It is still official policy that use of neutron bombs is still warranted.

Also, it is a non sequitur to the extent that it contributes absolutely nothing. Anything bitched about now you could say "isn't it amazing how in just 140 years we've gone from killing each other over slavery to discussing the minutiae of torture.

To point out that at some point in the past things have been worse has no relevancy to whether the present is bad. Also, it presupposes that the theoretical use of neutron bombs is a greater evil than the actual use of waterboarding, which is not necessarily the case.

What about neutron boarding?

If you can get them to pay rent, go ahead.

What about the neutron dance?

I was thinkin' it, but I refrained. :)