Showing posts with label torture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label torture. Show all posts
11/12/10
Outrage Mounts over Bush’s Waterboarding ‘Confession’
punditman says...
So now we have Bush confessing to a war crime. Of course he doesn't believe it is a war crime because the lawyer told him so. Bush doesn't think he did anything "wrong" in his 8 years of incompetent rule. Just a few honest mistakes.
After a three-year investigation, President Barack Obama’s mantra – "look forward and not backwards" – appears to have trumped the rule of law as a special prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges against the Central Intelligence Agency operatives involved in the destruction of video recordings of interrogations of "war on terror" suspects.
The human rights community and many legal scholars from both ends of the political spectrum are up in arms about the decision. And they were further angered by the remarks made by former president George W. Bush during recent television and radio interviews promoting his new memoir, Decision Points.
For example, Bush admitted to Matt Lauer of NBC’s "Today" program that he authorized the use of waterboarding on two CIA prisoners. He said further that the technique was legal and that he would make the same decision again.
Lauer then asked him, "Why is waterboarding legal, in your opinion?>
Bush responded: "Because the lawyer said it was legal. He said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I’m not a lawyer. But you gotta trust the judgment of the people around you, and I do."
Keep Reading...
7/16/10
Judge Rules CIA Can Suppress Information About Torture Tapes and Memos
Ruling Allows CIA to Conceal Evidence of Its Own Illegal Conduct, Says ACLU
NEW YORK - July 15 - A federal judge today ruled that the government can withhold information from the public about intelligence sources and methods, even if those sources and methods were illegal. The ruling came in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation filed by the American Civil Liberties Union for Justice Department memos that authorized torture, and for records relating to the contents of destroyed videotapes depicting the brutal interrogation of detainees at CIA black sites.
The government continues to withhold key information, such as the names of detainees who were subjected to the abusive interrogation methods as well as information about the application of the interrogation techniques. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today ruled that the government can continue to suppress evidence of its illegal program.
So much for justice. Peacenik.
10/22/09
Musicians Demand Records On Bush Administration's Use Of Music For Torture
They are trying to find out what music was used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo. They are trying to find out what music was used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo. What the fuck?
Eight years of a criminal Bush regime. Eight years. Peacenik can't even recall all the accusations of criminal behaviour. Peacenik has to admit that Peacenik assumed some of the accusations were true. Remember before the 2006 mid-term congressional elections. If only the Democrats could get control of the house they would have the power of the subpoena. They did get control. They have had the power of the subpoena since then. In 2008 they solidified their control, and won control of the Senate and the White House.
What about all the investigations into Bush's crimes. Oh there were a few early hearings but those meanie Bush underlings refused to honour the subpoenas. They refused to talk. Three years later some musicians are trying to find out what music was used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo. All the investigations have yielded squat. Who has gone to jail? Who has been convicted of contempt? Peacenik says fuck it. Peacenik is going to take a Tylenol 3 and listen to Leonard Cohen.
by Sam Stein
A group of prominent musicians are joining a campaign to close Guantanamo Bay and demanding the release of records about what music was used during the potential torture of detainees there and at other facilities.
Some of the more famous names in the music industry are formally lending their prestige to an effort being led by retired generals, progressive groups and a former member of Congress to shut GITMO down. The list includes Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne, Rise Against, Rosanne Cash, Billy Bragg and the Roots, all of whom are joining the broader National Campaign to Close Guantanamo which was launched earlier in the week.
Hoping to cast further light on the potential illegalities that took place at the detention facility, the group is also working to obtain records about why and how music was used (under laws authorized by the Bush administration) to effectively torture suspected terrorists. The musicians have officially endorsed a Freedom of Information Act request for the declassification of all secret government records pertaining to music utilized during interrogations. At least two members of the coalition, Reznor and Morello, have had their music linked to interrogations.
Read on...
Eight years of a criminal Bush regime. Eight years. Peacenik can't even recall all the accusations of criminal behaviour. Peacenik has to admit that Peacenik assumed some of the accusations were true. Remember before the 2006 mid-term congressional elections. If only the Democrats could get control of the house they would have the power of the subpoena. They did get control. They have had the power of the subpoena since then. In 2008 they solidified their control, and won control of the Senate and the White House.
What about all the investigations into Bush's crimes. Oh there were a few early hearings but those meanie Bush underlings refused to honour the subpoenas. They refused to talk. Three years later some musicians are trying to find out what music was used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo. All the investigations have yielded squat. Who has gone to jail? Who has been convicted of contempt? Peacenik says fuck it. Peacenik is going to take a Tylenol 3 and listen to Leonard Cohen.
by Sam Stein
A group of prominent musicians are joining a campaign to close Guantanamo Bay and demanding the release of records about what music was used during the potential torture of detainees there and at other facilities.
Some of the more famous names in the music industry are formally lending their prestige to an effort being led by retired generals, progressive groups and a former member of Congress to shut GITMO down. The list includes Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne, Rise Against, Rosanne Cash, Billy Bragg and the Roots, all of whom are joining the broader National Campaign to Close Guantanamo which was launched earlier in the week.
Hoping to cast further light on the potential illegalities that took place at the detention facility, the group is also working to obtain records about why and how music was used (under laws authorized by the Bush administration) to effectively torture suspected terrorists. The musicians have officially endorsed a Freedom of Information Act request for the declassification of all secret government records pertaining to music utilized during interrogations. At least two members of the coalition, Reznor and Morello, have had their music linked to interrogations.
Read on...
7/22/09
Bitter anniversary for rendition victim
punditman says...As if there isn't enough oppression these days, Punditman read this account in the Toronto Star the other day—of Benamar Benatta's forceable confinement without charge and his subsequent torture in the "good ole USA"—and Punditman felt outrage at the injustice of it all. Thanks to the illegal actions of Canadian government officials in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, this man lost five years of his life, not to mention the PTSD he now has. Where is the accountabilty? Where is the redress? Shame on Canada. Shame on Canadians. Here is his story.
by Benamar Benatta
I was the subject of an "extraordinary rendition" from Canada to the United States, where I was held for nearly five years and tortured as a terror suspect, even though I was innocent.
An extraordinary rendition is a transfer from one jurisdiction to another without lawful authority. When Canadian officials put me in the back of a car against my will and drove me over the border during the night of Sept. 12, 2001, and handed me to the Americans without legal authority, their actions fit with the definition of extraordinary rendition.
Today marks a bitter anniversary: three years in my struggle to get answers as to how and why the Government of Canada could have done this to me, in violation of domestic and international law.
6/30/09
Must Read from Bob Herbert - How Long Is Long Enough?
The other day Peacenik read about how the Obama administration was preparing an executive order to allow indefinite detention. Today we find out that torture is ongoing. That justice continues to be denied at Guantanamo.
Peacenik is having a hard time understanding Obama's positions on justice and torture. It was a slippery slope that George Bush led the country down. Now the concept of torture is enshrined in the American psyche. They support it. They like it. They want to torture people. And the rule of law? Its seems to Peacenik that a big chunk of the American public could care less. The drumbeat of neo con propaganda has brutalized a nation. And now Obama can't seem to turn the clock back. Even if he wanted to.
by teacherken
Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 09:07:21 PM PDT
It begins like this
No one seems to know how old Mohammed Jawad was when he was seized by Afghan forces in Kabul six and a half years ago and turned over to American custody. Some reports say he was 14. Some say 16. The Afghan government believes he was 12.
The penultimate paragraph
There is no credible evidence against Jawad, and his torture-induced confession has rightly been ruled inadmissible by a military judge. But the Obama administration does not feel that he has suffered enough. Not only have administration lawyers opposed defense efforts to secure Jawad’s freedom, but they are using, as the primary basis for their opposition, the fruits of the confession that was obtained through torture and has already been deemed inadmissible — without merit, of no value.
Read on...
Peacenik is having a hard time understanding Obama's positions on justice and torture. It was a slippery slope that George Bush led the country down. Now the concept of torture is enshrined in the American psyche. They support it. They like it. They want to torture people. And the rule of law? Its seems to Peacenik that a big chunk of the American public could care less. The drumbeat of neo con propaganda has brutalized a nation. And now Obama can't seem to turn the clock back. Even if he wanted to.
by teacherken
Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 09:07:21 PM PDT
It begins like this
No one seems to know how old Mohammed Jawad was when he was seized by Afghan forces in Kabul six and a half years ago and turned over to American custody. Some reports say he was 14. Some say 16. The Afghan government believes he was 12.
The penultimate paragraph
There is no credible evidence against Jawad, and his torture-induced confession has rightly been ruled inadmissible by a military judge. But the Obama administration does not feel that he has suffered enough. Not only have administration lawyers opposed defense efforts to secure Jawad’s freedom, but they are using, as the primary basis for their opposition, the fruits of the confession that was obtained through torture and has already been deemed inadmissible — without merit, of no value.
Read on...
6/10/09
Former White House Lawyer Tells Senate that “Indefinite Detention” Without Trial Is Occurring In Afghanistan and Iraq, As Well As Guantanamo
punditman says...If torture is mainstream, then the law is a joke and we all live in banana republics with kangaroo courts. Think I'll donate to Amnesty International.
Richard Klingler, a lawyer in the Office of White House Counsel under former president George W. Bush, told senators today:
The "debate on indefinite detention often wrongly focuses on Guantanamo Bay," arguing the practice is "considerably more widespread."Keep Reading...
It is a practice Obama "will continue to pursue," in Afghanistan, Iraq, and at Guantanamo, and he noted they have already followed in the Bush administration's footsteps by defending it repeatedly in court, added Klingler.
The "wartime framework underlying [these tactics] have settled well within the mainstream of the American tradition," he said.
5/19/09
John Cusack's Email to Obama's Blackberry: You're in Power, Don't Let Cheney's Torture Crew off the Hook
By John Cusack, Huffington Post. Posted May 19, 2009.
We can't whitewash institutionalized torture, trash any conceivable notion of the rule of law, and call that 'looking forward.'
If I had the President's Blackberry, I would send this.
President Obama,
On Wednesday you reversed your administration's promise to finally release pictures of detainee abuse.
The release of the photos was won by ACLU lawyers who have fought to bring to light the full extent of the brutality and torture that U.S. Army and intelligence services have perpetrated against human beings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and at CIA "black sites" around the world. Torture that was sanctioned and effectively legalized under the former administration, and that, if we are to be honest, most Americans knew -- or should have known -- was being carried out in our names.
Read on...
Peacenik is not keeping Peacenik's disappointment with Obama and the Democrats a secret. And the issues just keep piling up. Peacenik watched some of the Sunday morning talk shows...and Peacenik wanted to puke. The primary topic of discussion wasn't torture or the tribunals. It was all about what Pelosi knew about the torture and when she knew it. Even this is old news. The media continues to be an arm of the Bush/Rove/Cheney media machine. The gambling addicted Bennett was on, being his usual hypocritical self. And of course Newt, who the media is grooming for a run for the presidency, was being his usual sanctimonious, hypocritical self.
The Democrats don't seem to know how the frame any issue. The can't even effectively condemn torture. They can't even effectively counter Bennett and Gingrich, two of the tiredest most irrelevant pundits around. Why is anyone tiptoeing around the torture story? Is torture wrong? Yes. Should torturers be held accountable? Yes. Should there be a special prosecutor? Yes. Its simple.
We can't whitewash institutionalized torture, trash any conceivable notion of the rule of law, and call that 'looking forward.'
If I had the President's Blackberry, I would send this.
President Obama,
On Wednesday you reversed your administration's promise to finally release pictures of detainee abuse.
The release of the photos was won by ACLU lawyers who have fought to bring to light the full extent of the brutality and torture that U.S. Army and intelligence services have perpetrated against human beings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and at CIA "black sites" around the world. Torture that was sanctioned and effectively legalized under the former administration, and that, if we are to be honest, most Americans knew -- or should have known -- was being carried out in our names.
Read on...
Peacenik is not keeping Peacenik's disappointment with Obama and the Democrats a secret. And the issues just keep piling up. Peacenik watched some of the Sunday morning talk shows...and Peacenik wanted to puke. The primary topic of discussion wasn't torture or the tribunals. It was all about what Pelosi knew about the torture and when she knew it. Even this is old news. The media continues to be an arm of the Bush/Rove/Cheney media machine. The gambling addicted Bennett was on, being his usual hypocritical self. And of course Newt, who the media is grooming for a run for the presidency, was being his usual sanctimonious, hypocritical self.
The Democrats don't seem to know how the frame any issue. The can't even effectively condemn torture. They can't even effectively counter Bennett and Gingrich, two of the tiredest most irrelevant pundits around. Why is anyone tiptoeing around the torture story? Is torture wrong? Yes. Should torturers be held accountable? Yes. Should there be a special prosecutor? Yes. Its simple.
5/14/09
Obama seeks to block release of abuse photos
Obama abruptly changes position, tries to block court-ordered release of detainee abuse photos
JENNIFER LOVEN
AP News
May 13, 2009 17:20 EST
JENNIFER LOVEN
AP News
May 13, 2009 17:20 EST
President Barack Obama declared Monday he would try to block the court-ordered release of photos showing U.S. troops abusing prisoners, abruptly reversing his position out of concern the pictures would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and endanger U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House had said last month it would not oppose an appeals court ruling that set a May 28 deadline for releasing dozens of photos from military investigations of alleged misconduct.
But American commanders in the war zones have expressed deep concern about fresh damage the photos might do, especially as the U.S. tries to wind down the Iraq war and step up operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Read on...
Peacenik doesn't want to look at photos of people being tortured. Peacenik also doesn't want Obama to morph into Dick Cheney. But Peacenik is afraid it is too late. Bush/Cheney policies, Bush/Cheney secrecy, Bush/Cheney mistakes are being adopted wholesale by Obama. Peacenik is feeling discouraged. Obama can't even follow through with previously announced policies. Cheney's daughter ferchrissakes goes on TV and says releasing the photos (as ordered by the courts) would endanger U.S. troops. Does anyone think the Afghanis and Iraqis don't know what the U.S. is doing and has done. Bush/Cheney/Obama. Cheney/Obama/Bush. Obama/Bush/Cheney. etc. Fuck them.
But American commanders in the war zones have expressed deep concern about fresh damage the photos might do, especially as the U.S. tries to wind down the Iraq war and step up operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Read on...
Peacenik doesn't want to look at photos of people being tortured. Peacenik also doesn't want Obama to morph into Dick Cheney. But Peacenik is afraid it is too late. Bush/Cheney policies, Bush/Cheney secrecy, Bush/Cheney mistakes are being adopted wholesale by Obama. Peacenik is feeling discouraged. Obama can't even follow through with previously announced policies. Cheney's daughter ferchrissakes goes on TV and says releasing the photos (as ordered by the courts) would endanger U.S. troops. Does anyone think the Afghanis and Iraqis don't know what the U.S. is doing and has done. Bush/Cheney/Obama. Cheney/Obama/Bush. Obama/Bush/Cheney. etc. Fuck them.
4/24/09
They Added a Tracheotomy Kit to the Torture Chamber
by drational
They Added a Tracheotomy Kit to the Torture Chamber
Fri Apr 24, 2009 at 04:07:07 AM PDT
They Added a Tracheotomy Kit to the Torture Chamber
Fri Apr 24, 2009 at 04:07:07 AM PDT
Reading the OLC memos justifying "enhanced interrogation techniques" has revealed a frightening picture of our Government practicing torture. Below I focus on three of the OLC memos from the perspective of a physician. The first two were written in 2002, when the the OLC defined torture and the CIA outlined the protocols they would be using. The second is the 46 page memo of 5/10/2005, written after these techniques had been applied and after there had been serious dissent over their use within the government.
Close reading of these memos shows that:
1. The CIA misled the OLC about the harmlessness of waterboarding.
2. The waterboarding actually used on detainees fit the 2002 OLC definition of torture.
3. When the 2002 memos were rescinded, the OLC simply redefined torture to allow the waterboarding that fit the previous definition of torture.
Read on...
Peacenik doesn't particularly like analogies to Nazi Germany or to Nazis. But that is what Peacenik thought when Peacenik read this story this morning. A lot of people were astounded by the detailed record keeping that the Nazis kept of the holocaust. Peacenik is astounded by the documentary evidence there is about U.S. war crimes, even after many videos were destroyed in direct defiance of a court order. The new Nazis. One of them is being welcomed to Toronto next week to debate Bill Clinton. Who is the genius who dreamed up that promotion?
Close reading of these memos shows that:
1. The CIA misled the OLC about the harmlessness of waterboarding.
2. The waterboarding actually used on detainees fit the 2002 OLC definition of torture.
3. When the 2002 memos were rescinded, the OLC simply redefined torture to allow the waterboarding that fit the previous definition of torture.
Read on...
Peacenik doesn't particularly like analogies to Nazi Germany or to Nazis. But that is what Peacenik thought when Peacenik read this story this morning. A lot of people were astounded by the detailed record keeping that the Nazis kept of the holocaust. Peacenik is astounded by the documentary evidence there is about U.S. war crimes, even after many videos were destroyed in direct defiance of a court order. The new Nazis. One of them is being welcomed to Toronto next week to debate Bill Clinton. Who is the genius who dreamed up that promotion?
4/17/09
It's Official: Obama Will Not Prosecute CIA Torturers
Obama strikes a deal with CIA torturers not to prosecute them. This is a victory for Bush’s lawyers who justified torture.
by Jeremy Scahill
The White House has announced that CIA operatives, including contractors, who followed Bush guidelines for torturing prisoners will not be prosecuted for these actions, regardless of the Obama administration’s position on the legality of the techniques they used. “[I]t is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution,” President Obama said in a statement released today. This seems to be part of a deal struck with the CIA over the release of several torture memos today and it is a victory for Bush administration lawyers who sought to provide legal cover for US government torture.
The Washington Post also reported:
For the first time, officials said that they would provide legal representation at no cost to CIA employees in international tribunals or U.S. congressional inquiries into alleged torture. They also said they would indemnify agency workers against any possible financial judgments.
“It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Read on...
Peacenik thinks this is a very downer story for a beautiful Friday morning. No accountability. No Justice. Peacenik thinks the reason there will be no torture prosecutions is that Obama is afraid of the whacko wingnut backlash. Fox News. CNBC. And all the rightwing pundits who continue to pollute and shape the U.S. media.
If there is no prosecution, the U.S. is only one terrorist act or one election away from returning to full scale torture. And Peacenik isn't kidding Peacenik's self. The torture continues. And before Peacenik gets too worked up remember that Canada is completely complicit in the torture. Canada hands over detainees who are tortured. We are all torturers. Think about that while you quaff your beer and watch the hockey playoffs.
Peacenik needs to calm Peacenik's self. Peacenik needs to go back to reading about solar ovens.
by Jeremy Scahill
The White House has announced that CIA operatives, including contractors, who followed Bush guidelines for torturing prisoners will not be prosecuted for these actions, regardless of the Obama administration’s position on the legality of the techniques they used. “[I]t is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution,” President Obama said in a statement released today. This seems to be part of a deal struck with the CIA over the release of several torture memos today and it is a victory for Bush administration lawyers who sought to provide legal cover for US government torture.
The Washington Post also reported:
For the first time, officials said that they would provide legal representation at no cost to CIA employees in international tribunals or U.S. congressional inquiries into alleged torture. They also said they would indemnify agency workers against any possible financial judgments.
“It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Read on...
Peacenik thinks this is a very downer story for a beautiful Friday morning. No accountability. No Justice. Peacenik thinks the reason there will be no torture prosecutions is that Obama is afraid of the whacko wingnut backlash. Fox News. CNBC. And all the rightwing pundits who continue to pollute and shape the U.S. media.
If there is no prosecution, the U.S. is only one terrorist act or one election away from returning to full scale torture. And Peacenik isn't kidding Peacenik's self. The torture continues. And before Peacenik gets too worked up remember that Canada is completely complicit in the torture. Canada hands over detainees who are tortured. We are all torturers. Think about that while you quaff your beer and watch the hockey playoffs.
Peacenik needs to calm Peacenik's self. Peacenik needs to go back to reading about solar ovens.
3/2/09
Civil Liberties under the Obama administration
punditman says...
I think it is safe to say that there was not only the hope—but also the assumption—that Obama would go about overturning eight years of Bush administration illegality.
Yet as Glen Greenwald, American Constitutional and civil rights litigator and Salon.com columnist says, the Obama Department of Justice is:
Greenwald spoke recently at the annual conference of the ACLU of Massachusetts regarding impediments to the restoration of civil liberties under the Obama administration. When you have half an hour, take the time to listen. It may change some of your assumptions:
MP3 here
I think it is safe to say that there was not only the hope—but also the assumption—that Obama would go about overturning eight years of Bush administration illegality.
Yet as Glen Greenwald, American Constitutional and civil rights litigator and Salon.com columnist says, the Obama Department of Justice is:
...not merely trying desperately to keep the Bush administration's spying activities secret, and not merely devoting itself with full force to preventing disclosure of relevant documents concerning this illegal program, but far worse, doing everything in its power even to prevent any judicial adjudication as to whether the Bush administration broke the law by spying on Americans without warrants.Indeed, it is starting to very much to look like business as usual in Washington on the Constitutional front.
Greenwald spoke recently at the annual conference of the ACLU of Massachusetts regarding impediments to the restoration of civil liberties under the Obama administration. When you have half an hour, take the time to listen. It may change some of your assumptions:
MP3 here
1/23/09
Zombie Lies Still Find Targets
by dday
I was on this phone call today with Tom Malinowski from Human Rights Watch and others discussing the Obama executive orders on torture, and everyone is guardedly optimistic about what this means for the rule of law. If the gray areas on "other dispositions" besides trying or releasing Gitmo detainees and the wiggle room on extra-legal torture techniques are cleared up, we have a blueprint for restoring the rule of law. We need to be vigilant, however, to close whatever loopholes there may be.
This didn't seem to matter to one reporter on the call, who up front ADMITTED HE HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWING THE ISSUE and asked what would happen if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had to be set free because we waterboarded him. This is someone who has confessed to practically every terrorist act of the last 40 years, wants to be a martyr, and for whom there is enough evidence untainted by torture to progress to trial.
The media has been doing the republicans' and the Bush's bidding so long that they can't help themselves. Peacenik thinks its time the media was re-educated. Obama and his media team need to shoot down the nonsense that is spouted on Fox and CNN and the New York Times. And some of the talking heads need to retire. GE, the corporate owner of CNBC, has been to the public trough for bailout money. Maybe its time to remind GE who is funding the bailout. Its not the republicans. Its not the conservatives. Its not Rush Limbaugh.
I was on this phone call today with Tom Malinowski from Human Rights Watch and others discussing the Obama executive orders on torture, and everyone is guardedly optimistic about what this means for the rule of law. If the gray areas on "other dispositions" besides trying or releasing Gitmo detainees and the wiggle room on extra-legal torture techniques are cleared up, we have a blueprint for restoring the rule of law. We need to be vigilant, however, to close whatever loopholes there may be.
This didn't seem to matter to one reporter on the call, who up front ADMITTED HE HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWING THE ISSUE and asked what would happen if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had to be set free because we waterboarded him. This is someone who has confessed to practically every terrorist act of the last 40 years, wants to be a martyr, and for whom there is enough evidence untainted by torture to progress to trial.
The media has been doing the republicans' and the Bush's bidding so long that they can't help themselves. Peacenik thinks its time the media was re-educated. Obama and his media team need to shoot down the nonsense that is spouted on Fox and CNN and the New York Times. And some of the talking heads need to retire. GE, the corporate owner of CNBC, has been to the public trough for bailout money. Maybe its time to remind GE who is funding the bailout. Its not the republicans. Its not the conservatives. Its not Rush Limbaugh.
12/8/08
Obama should prosecute Bush officials who designed torture policy
By Michael Ratner
One of Barack Obama’s first acts as president should be to instruct his attorney general to appoint an independent prosecutor to initiate a criminal investigation of former Bush Administration officials who gave the green light to torture.
At Obama’s press conference on Dec. 1, he spoke of upholding America’s highest values as he introduced Eric Holder as his choice for attorney general. Holder insisted there was no tension between protecting the people of the United States and adhering to our Constitution.
A few months ago, Holder was even more explicit. “Our government authorized the use of torture, approved of secret electronic surveillance against American citizens, secretly detained American citizens without due process of law, denied the writ of habeas corpus to hundreds of accused enemy combatants and authorized the use of procedures that violate both international law and the United States Constitution,” he said. “We owe the American people a reckoning.”
The day of reckoning is fast upon us.punditman says...But will it happen? I'd say don't hold your breath.
7/21/08
Scott Horton Interviews Andy Worthington
punditman says...
Above is yet another great interview by Scott Horton, courtesy of antiwar.com. Download the mp3 here. (40:48)
Thus far, I have refrained from commenting on the Omar Khadr situation because, simply put, I can barely contain myself long enough to write about it.
As Andy Worthington points out, what is especially disturbing are the attitudes of a sizable number of Western citizens, who feel it is apparently okay to torture children just because they are deemed to be "terrorists" or "illegal foreign combatants" by an all powerful state. It is these crass souls--who feel obliged to actually sit down and gather their few remaining brain cells and bang out a hateful note--who worry me the most.
After all, it is one thing for this ilk to fire off a hateful harangue quite anonymously in a web forum, but quite another thing to attach their names to their embarrassingly misguided rants in the letters section of a national newspaper. Imagine trying to reason with these people over a few beers! I may have run into one or two over the past eight years, but shockingly, we now know that they can be found in ample supply. They either know nothing of the rule of evidence, international treaty obligations against torture, the rights of child soldiers--or they simply don't care. This can lead to only one conclusion: a sizable, grassroots, neo-fascist movement of dumbed-down creeps is lurking in the weeds.
****
Andy Worthington, author of The Guantánamo Files, discusses the recently released footage of Omar Khadr, the Canadian juvenile being held in Guantanamo, the dubious “charges” against him, the legal black hole of the made-up “enemy combatant” status, the evil and counterproductive nature of torture and the kangaroo court system in Guantanamo.
Andy Worthington is a historian based in London. He is the author of The Guantánamo Files, the first book to tell the stories of all the detainees in Guantanámo. He writes regularly on issues related to Guantánamo and the “War on Terror” on his Web site.
2/26/08
Ex-SAS soldier: 'Britain knew about US torture'
A former SAS soldier claimed today that the British secret service had been operating in a covert joint squad with the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 and that UK operatives knew detainees were being tortured by the Americans.
Ben Griffin, 29, who left the military at the beginning of last year, said British political leaders knew about what went on in the taskforce and were therefore complicit in the "illegal" tactics being used by US troops. He called for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to face trial for breaking international law.
punditman says...And still, politicians keep saying, "Torture? Who, us?"
11/20/07
Interview with Naomi Wolf: The End of America
punditman says:
The evidence of the drift towards a distinct and dangerous form of 21st authoritarianism is everywhere folks, and--not for a millisecond to let Bush and company off the hook--its' tentacles are global in scope.
I keep harping on this drift towards fascism and nobody even bats an eyelash--much less drops by with a comment. Is this the state of fear (or indifference) in which we are now ensnared? Or, is this blog just a load of paranoid and derivative parrot droppings?
Now, listen to Naomi. She speaketh the truth (I recommend taking the time to listen to this interview. You may want to nurse it along with your bevy of choice).
11/13/07
Amnesty International condemns Canadian probe into alleged Afghan abuses
A new Amnesty International report questions whether Canada really wants to get to the bottom of torture allegations involving Afghan detainees.
The human rights organization said Monday it has concerns that the investigation by Canadian authorities into abuse claims last spring may not have been "competent" or "impartial."
The scathing assessment, part of 51-page report on NATO's overall handling of prisoners in Afghanistan, also accused Canada of blurring the number of insurgents captured and handed over to local Afghan authorities.
Amnesty International "remains gravely concerned that detainees handed over by [NATO] to the Afghan authorities are currently at substantial risk of torture and other ill-treatment," said the report, released Monday in Europe and North America.
"Of the five countries with agreements regarding detainee transfer, only the second Canadian agreement specifies provisions for investigation into allegations of torture or other ill-treatment.
"However, [Amnesty International] fears that investigations by the Canadian government into allegations may not have been 'competent' and 'impartial.' "
Amnesty's Canadian-based expert on Afghanistan said the group's harsh judgment is based on the Conservative government's protracted legal battle to keep government documents on detainee transfers secret.
Keep Reading...
8/9/07
CSIS suspected U.S. would deport Arar to be tortured: documents
Previously blacked-out portions of the Maher Arar report state that Canadian security officials believed the United States might send the Syrian-born Canadian to a foreign country to be questioned under torture.
"I think the U.S. would like to get Arar to Jordan where they can have their way with him," a Canadian Security Intelligence Service officer based in Washington wrote in a report dated Oct. 10, 2002, according to documents released Thursday.
The note was written days after the United States deported Arar, who was returning to Canada from a vacation in 2002 when he was detained during a flight stopover in New York, accused of links to al-Qaeda and sent to Syria, where he was jailed for months and tortured.
The newly released documents also say the CSIS operative "spoke of a trend they had noted lately that when the CIA or FBI cannot legally hold a terrorist subject, or wish a target questioned in a firm manner, they have them rendered to countries willing to fulfill that role. He said Mr. Arar was a case in point."
More...
punditman says: Who in CSIS knew what, when did they know it, and why did they sit on the information?
"I think the U.S. would like to get Arar to Jordan where they can have their way with him," a Canadian Security Intelligence Service officer based in Washington wrote in a report dated Oct. 10, 2002, according to documents released Thursday.
The note was written days after the United States deported Arar, who was returning to Canada from a vacation in 2002 when he was detained during a flight stopover in New York, accused of links to al-Qaeda and sent to Syria, where he was jailed for months and tortured.
The newly released documents also say the CSIS operative "spoke of a trend they had noted lately that when the CIA or FBI cannot legally hold a terrorist subject, or wish a target questioned in a firm manner, they have them rendered to countries willing to fulfill that role. He said Mr. Arar was a case in point."
More...
punditman says: Who in CSIS knew what, when did they know it, and why did they sit on the information?
6/21/07
Exposed: The Anatomy of a Torture Scandal
by- Suzie-Q @ 1:42 PM MST
Where does the buck stop when it comes to torture?
Where does the buck stop when it comes to torture?
Not long before Lynndie England ever stepped foot in Iraq, long before she became the poster-child for torture, she was a whistleblower at Pilgrim's Pride chicken factory in Moorefield, W.Va. -- a notion that doesn't quite fit with her current image.
In the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal, Americans were offered two kinds of analysis. We were given a choice regarding the horrendous abuse of those detained in Abu Ghraib (70 percent to 90 percent of which, according to the Red Cross, were arrested by mistake or had no intelligence value): Was it just a few bad apples -- a crazed night shift of sadists that raped, sodomized, beat and electrocuted prisoners (including women and children) -- or was it systemic, based on orders that came straight from the top?
Tara McKelvey's new book Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War offers a more nuanced and in-depth exploration of how and why incidents of abuse and torture like Abu Ghraib happened (and continue to happen) in the war on terror. Namely, that it took both lower-level bad apples, and high-level hypocrites to produce such violence. Confronting the fact that both choice and command played a part in Abu Ghraib forces us to face a more complex and unsavory truth. But anything less simply doesn't make sense. If it were only a few bad apples, why haven't all of those few been prosecuted? In the famous prisoner pyramid photograph, there are 32 boots visible. Yet, only seven soldiers were charged, with Charles Graner and Lynndie England effectively serving as the poster couple for the abuses. Furthermore, how could it possibly be just a few bad apples when even the Army's own investigations have called the torture systemic and illegal. Similarly, to claim that those participating in the abuse were only following orders doesn't mesh with the fact that there are, as McKelvey states in the book, those who refused to take part in abusive practices and faced no reprimand.
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5/7/07
Torture a Kabul speciality
Ottawa's deal to inspect prisoners shows it hasn't learned from war history in Afghanistan
punditman says:
The names may change and the roles may reverse, but the reality of Afghanistan's brutal history is something that Canada is learning about the hard way. Quagmires are created by a combination of arrogance, ignorance, naivete and stubborness. Canada is following the script to a tee.
punditman says:
The names may change and the roles may reverse, but the reality of Afghanistan's brutal history is something that Canada is learning about the hard way. Quagmires are created by a combination of arrogance, ignorance, naivete and stubborness. Canada is following the script to a tee.
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