Free Republic

One of the great advantages we have over our ancestors is hindsight. With a clearer picture of the past, we can avoid making the same mistakes they made. But what if weÂ’re not allowed to use our hindsight? What if weÂ’re forced to pretend that what happened in the past bears no relation to what is happening now?Of course, thereÂ’s something to be said for learning from your own mistakes, but some mistakes are so costly that itÂ’s far better to learn about them in history books. The appeasement of the Nazis prior to World War II is an...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Virginia man accused of plotting with al-Qaida to kill President Bush should be held indefinitely, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in court filings that also rejected his contention that he was tortured while held in Saudi Arabia. At a court hearing a day earlier in Alexandria, Va., 23-year-old Ahmed Abu Ali offered to display scars on his back as proof that he was tortured by Saudi authorities. In their filing Wednesday, prosecutors said, "There is no credible evidence to support those claims." Abu Ali never complained about his treatment during several meetings with an American diplomat in...