September 19, 2003
She's Hysterical
AG John Ashcroft speaking to police and prosecutors this Thursday in Memphis, Tenn (emphasis mine):
..."The charges of the hysterics," Ashcroft added, "are revealed for what they are: castles in the air built on misrepresentation, supported by unfounded fear, held aloft by hysteria."
Ashcroft's comments came after the release of a memo he wrote disclosing that the Justice Department has never used a controversial section of the Patriot Act that allows authorities in terrorism investigations to obtain records from libraries, bookstores and other businesses without notifying the subject of the inquiry.
That portion of the law, Section 215, had become a central focus of criticism from civil liberties groups, booksellers and librarians, and has been perhaps the most frequently cited example of potential government abuse by some lawmakers. ...
Herbert Goldfarb, MD, speaking at a conference of OB-GYNs about avoiding unessecary hysterectomy. The surgery has a decades long history of being overused, often in cases of dubious need (emphasis mine):
...Just remember this, hyster is from the Greek word meaning uterus and that the term hysteria was coined in the Victorian era and certainly popularized by Freud in the nineteenth century to denote "abnormal female behavior." So hysterectomy is often times suggested for hysterical women and, therefore, I think when someone says you've had your children, you don't need your uterus, I would suggest that you beware and start looking for someone who is more interested in treating you as a person, the whole person, and not just removing your uterus. ...
The Godfather. Michael has his brother-in-law Carlo killed after confirming that Carlo betrayed his older brother to his death. He's later confronted by his widowed sister in front of his wife, Kay. (format modified):
CONNIE (to Kay, after Kay puts her arms around her) Why do you think he kept Carlo at the mall? All the time he knew he was gonna kill'im. (then, to Michael) And you stood Godfather to our baby -- you lousy cold-hearted bastard. Want to know how many men he had killed with Carlo? Read the papers -- read the papers! (then, after she picks up and slams down a newspaper) That's your husband! That's your husband! ...
MICHAEL (to Neri) Get her upstairs. Get her a doctor. [Neri takes Connie out of the room. Michael sighs, then lights a cigarette]
MICHAEL (to Kay) She's hysterical -- hysterical
And the question just has to be asked: If they haven't used Section 215 over the course of fighting the War on Terra for two years, and it has helped capture no terrorists, then why are they so attached to it?
Posted by natasha at September 19, 2003 01:20 PM | TrackBack