Four things you (I hope) already know

The purpose of our blogging is to circulate ideas that are new, or at least new to us and perhaps to you.  But every now and then there is something to be said for sheer repetition of the important.  If nothing else, this incursion into the known might make those points more memorable, more salient, or more likely to influence your behavior.  So here goes:

1. Torture is morally wrong, and the U.S. government should not be torturing people or easing the use of torture.  And yes I will make an exception for the ticking nuclear time bomb.

2. We have dropped the ball on securing Russian nuclear weapons.  There was simply no good reason for this mistake.

3. Avian flu could be a very very serious pandemic; here is the latest.  We are not prepared.  How about more investment in faster vaccine production technologies, not to mention an improved legal and regulatory climate?

4. Choose the better, not the worse.  Have you failed to apply for your 401K employer-matched savings contribution?  Do you simply refuse to see the doctor for a needed check-up?  Do you fail to perform small considerate but ultimately costless household chores for the benefit of others around you?  Do you fail to realize that all food tastes better when cooked with sea salt?  Repent and reform.

We now return you to the regularly scheduled blogging...