to the league's destruction of the tapes of Belichick waterboarding Andy Reid prior to Super Bowl XXXIX, so it's appropriate.

Look up the definition of "analogy", from which "analogous" is derived, then look up the definition of "equate" (v), which is what you think he did.

Is your inability to understand an analogy really worthy of a frontpage post?

But let's stay focused, shall we?

Do you agree with Specter or not? It sounds like you're trying to re-frame the debate by saying torture and stealing signals aren't the exact same thing, but it's OK to use them in an analogy. Or no?

But hey, if you'd rather keep trying to distract from the issue, we welcome more suggestions for dictionary.com.  

Yet another commenter who refuses to touch torture. Quite the pattern that's forming here. Do you agree that it's OK to compare torture to a ballgame? My feeling is that comparing the two shows Specter doesn't understand the significance of either.

and "stupid" is uncalled for and unacceptable.  Last warning: keep this up this abusive garbage and you will be banned from RK.

Would you do that to someone you were arguing with in person?  We should never treat the anonymity afforded by the internet as a license to trash other people and dehumanize them.  

The situations aren't analogous.

In the CIA case, the destroyed tapes contained evidence of wrongdoing.

In Spygate, the destroyed tapes themselves were the wrongdoing.

Regardless, whether Arlen is analogizing or equating, perhaps we can all agree that he is trivializing torture.

Specter's completely out to lunch.  I believe that's a "metaphor," by the way...look it up! :)

or figure of speech.

So much for my hardass 6th grade English teacher! :)

In Spygate, the tapes contained the evidence as well as being evidence as well. But i get your point.

Has the United States signed treaties, ratified by the US Senate, that prohibit football teams from using underhanded tactics to gain a competitive advantage?

Does the US Constitution have an amendment in the Bill of Rights that strictly prohibits industrial espionage or some other such thing?

Are there laws against teams engaging in these types of acts?

These situations are not at all analogous. We have signed multiple treaties stating that we will not engage in torture -- these are laws that hold higher ground than normally enacted legislative acts by the Congress. Furthermore, the 8th Amendment to the Constitution specifically outlaws cruel and unusual punishment. There are multiple laws outlawing torture, and regulations within the armed forces further outlining what is and is not permissible.

This was evidence that showed torture by an official of the United States government. It was destroyed -- a clear act of obstruction of justice, and probably criminal conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the Patriots broke no laws or treaties or constitutional prohibitions, they just acted like punks.  

Make that arrogant punks. Was whatever advantage the Patriots gained worth losing a #1 pick over? Definitely not.

defending the indefensible?  You do realize that from George Washington onwards, torture has been considered both illegal and immoral in the United States of America?  What part of "illegal and immoral" don't you understand?

Remember, 9/11 changed EVERYTHING.

Seriously, though, this should be a Democratic talking point -- are you with George Washington, or George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzalez, and John Yoo?

Also, I believe the "illegal and/or immoral" formulation goes something like this for nutjob Republicans like Va Blogger2: If I or we Republicans do it, it's de facto legal and moral. If anyone else does it, it's illegal and immoral. Easy!

But thanks for making baseless assumptions about me and then criticizing me for it!

Because we solved all the other problems in the country, right? Gun violence, the war in Iraq, the economy, global warming, Pakistan? None of that matters because Specter finds it necessary to investigate Spygate!