I called into Wisconsin Public Radio's News of the Week with Joy Cardin as is my wont on Friday morning at 08:00. I was very pleasantly surprised that I was allowed to ask my question to guests Paul Soglin - liberal former mayor of Madison Wisconsin and Rick Berg, contributing columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times. Former appointee to the Thompson administration, and currently a member of the governing board for Common Cause Wisconsin just as written. If you heard this or if you just want to express support for WPR and Joy Cardin for allowing us a voice to express ugly truth in a very straightforward way instead of censoring and candy coating the news please send an email to Joy Cardin at talk@wpr.org.
Update 1: Sorry no email for Rick Berg but if you email to Jay Heck
Executive Director the president of Wisconsin Common Cause
Update 2: torture memo link
Update 3: shipping container deaths
Update 5 (see in comments for update 4) My apologies to all I'll do better next time at documenting ahead of time. My time was short
Good morning Rick, Paul, and Joy:
This week the white house declassified a 2003 memo from Bush’s Judiciary legal counsel John Yoo who basically advised that the president can do anything that he feels is necessary regarding detainee treatment to defend this country providing it does not shock the conscience.
Here are just three things the US military and intelligence community did implementing this that did not shock George Bush’s conscience:
- Pack over 500 prisoners of war in shipping containers in the desert of Afghanistan and leave them to all suffocate in 135 degree heat.
- Forcible rape of male and female detainees to "soften them up" prior to interrogations
- Sexual molestation of the children of detainees to coerce information from their parents
My question is how are we different from the terrorists? It seems less clear to me now
PS. After I asked my question the conservative guest Rick Berg, contributing columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times. Former appointee to the Thompson administration, and currently a member of the governing board for Common Cause Wisconsin said that he was unaware of the validity of any of the charges. I think it might be helpful to Mr Berg if you could email him some information at but PLEASE BE POLITE. I take him at his word and I would like it if you did as well.
I enjoy calling into the show as they are a class act at WPR.
Common Cause in Wisconsin
P.O. Box 2597
152 W. Johnson, #212
Madison, WI 53701
voice: (608) 256-2686
fax: (866) 252-3758
Jay Heck
Executive Director
jheck@commoncause.org
Scott Colson
Outreach and Information Services
colson.scott@gmail.com
Wisconsin Common Cause