Hot off the wire today, apparently the CIA has over 7,ooo documents relating to our government run torture program. Of course, we ain't gonna see 'em. If we do I'm sure they'll include pages upon pages of blacked out paragraphs. Heck they didn't even want to admit they have them until now.
http://news.yahoo.com/...
Of course this speaks to the larger issue of the land of the free authorizing the use of torture on it's own citizens and the citizens of other countries. People who have been declared "enemy combatants" but many of whom have been found to have been erroneously captured.
How did we get here?
http://indepthleft.blogspot.com for these and other stories. Come check it out and leave a comment.
Here's is a great summary. Essentially this started with Bush's decision that the Geneva Conventions didn't apply to "enemy combatants" and was followed by several memos sent to and from members at the highest levels of our government.
http://lawofwar.org/... (with links to the memos).
Gonzalez Memo (doesn't work in above link):
http://kbonline.typepad.com/...
A great summary from Talking Points Memo using sources from the Associated Press and ABC News:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem...
There are some heroes in all of this horrible mess.
http://www.harpers.org/...
108 detainees killed! If that isn't torture, I don't know what is.
We are "disappearing" our own citizens and the citizens of other countries. Disturbing, reminds me of (from Wikipedia):
Operation Condor and Argentina's Dirty War
The phrase was infamously recognized by Argentinian de facto President, General Videla, who said in a press conference during the Military Government he commanded in Argentina: "They are neither dead nor alive, they disappeared".
It is thought that in Argentina between 1976 and 1983 up to 30,000 people (9,000 verified named cases according to the official report by the CONADEP)[7] were subject to forced disappearance under the military junta that was in power. From information collected from military officers involved in the so-called "Dirty War" it is known that many victims were sedated and dumped from airplanes into the Río de la Plata (today these are called vuelos de la muerte, death flights). Other people were held in torture and detention centres, the most notorious one being the Navy's Mechanics Training School (ESMA) in the Núñez district of Buenos Aires.
Detention centers that torture. Sounds like Guantanamo Bay. Do we as a nation really want ourselves to be compared to a military junta's torturing of their own citzens in a "dirty war". I am not alone in this comparison. Is the "war on terrorism" just another "dirty war" on this front?
What's next in the war on terrorism? Death flights? Oh, wait it's crushing children's testicles....
http://www.informationclearinghouse....
Also, please consider that even the Nazis did not believe in torturing high-value prisoners of war. I am not saying they didn't torture. Obviously, they did. The crimes the committed against the Jewish communities of Europe are inexcusable. However, they did not find torture to be an effective way of getting reliable information.
Take this, from Wikipedia:
Hanns-Joachim Gottlob Scharff (December 16, 1907 – September 10, 1992) was a
German Luftwaffe interrogator during the Second World War. He has been called the "Master Interrogator" of the Luftwaffe and possibly all of Nazi Germany; he has also been praised for his contribution in shaping U.S. interrogation techniques after the war. Merely an Obergefreiter (the equivalent of a senior lance corporal), he was charged with interrogating every German-captured American fighter pilot during the war after his becoming an interrogation officer in 1943. He is highly praised for the success of his techniques, especially considering he never used physical means to obtain the required information. No evidence exists he even raised his voice in the presence of a prisoner of war (POW). Scharff's interrogation techniques were so effective that he was often called upon to assist other German interrogators in their questioning of
bomber pilots and aircrews, including those crews and fighter pilots from countries other than the United States. Additionally, Scharff was charged with questioning V.I.P.s (Very Important Prisoners) that funneled through the interrogation center, namely senior officers and world-famous fighter aces.
And I can't help myself (from ThinkProgress):
FEB. 13, 2008: Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, containing a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that establishes one interrogation standard, requiring the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and banning waterboarding.
Just hours ago, the Senate voted in favor of the bill, 51-45.
Earlier today, ThinkProgress noted that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a former prisoner of war, has spoken strongly in favor of implementing the Army Field Manual standard. When confronted today with the decision of whether to stick with his conscience or cave to the right wing, McCain chose to ditch his principles and instead vote to preserve waterboarding:
Mr. McCain, a former prisoner of war, has consistently voiced opposition to waterboarding and other methods that critics say is a form torture. But the Republicans, confident of a White House veto, did not mount the challenge. Mr. McCain voted "no" on Wednesday afternoon.
Naturally, the result:
Bush Vetoes Bill Banning Torture- March 8, 2008
However, the story does not end there. Anyone who is following this story knows that the Judiciary Committee wants to hear from John Yoo:
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
Not that it is being covered by any major news outlets. In fact his article from CBS is the only mention I've found from a major news source. The liberal blogs are on top of the story however.
Oh, wait I found one article on this recent news from one major media outlet. One, this time ABC. John Yoo refused to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on torture.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/...
Of course, he was very willing to speak to several magazines and reporters for money.
http://www.esquire.com/...
http://www.pbs.org/...
Why the problem with going in front of our elected officials and testifying under oath?
Finally, it has also been revealed that top members of Bush's cabinet met in the White House to discuss torture on a case by case basis. The group included Vice President Dick Cheney, then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, then-secretary of state Colin Powell, then-CIA director George Tenet and then-attorney general John Ashcroft. Nice, the leader's of the free world are meeting to discuss how they are going to torture prisoners in all it's disgusting details.
http://abcnews.go.com/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
"Should we waterboard 'em, Condi?"
From ABC:
Then-National Security Advisor Rice, sources said, was decisive. Despite growing policy concerns - shared by Powell - that the program was harming the image of the United States abroad, sources say she did not back down, telling the CIA: "This is your baby. Go do it."
Conyers wants to speak to these cabinet members as well.
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
Two for CBS! Ya know I've always liked Olberman on MSNBC, but I think CBS may be my new major network news outlet. ABC sure isn't after that last miserable debate in Pennsylvania. Guess I'll have to warm up to Katie Couric (who a New Yorker friend tells me is actually quite personable).
Also, may I add that I heart John Conyers!
I digress. Now, most of the torturing seems to have been performed by the CIA, or in the very least authorized for CIA use in "special cases" that some would argue are not so "special" by the Pentagon, it also seems the FBI has been incapable of prosecuting, and perhaps investigating, this potential unconstitutional abuse of power by the CIA and Pentagon.
http://www.opednews.com/...
I heart Wexler, also!
Opinion: Personally, it sounds to me like the Department of Justice is interfering and not allowing the FBI to continue with it's "protocols".
This would not surprise me, as the DOJ has been very tight lipped on, well, just about everything lately.
http://rawstory.com/...
This story is developing, more and more so every week. Yet one would hardly know it given our media's total lack of coverage on this major issue. I guess flag pins, mistatements by presidential nominees are more important.
http://indepthleft.blogspot.com for these and other stories. Come check it out and leave a comment. I just started it!!