Torture, anyone?

In the middle of the recent torture/detainee debate, the Bush administration sent a bunch of right wing pundits to Guantanamo as part of a coordinated propaganda show. They took some of the most mindlessly subservient "journalists," staged a one-day show for them, gave them a script, and then sent them on their merry way, after which the little Bush propagandists began dutifully disseminating what they were told.

TRUTH High-level military attorneys have told Congress that some interrogation methods used at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] are not consistent with guidelines in the Army Field Manual [interrogation manual; additional manuals]. In a written response to questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee [official website], lawyers from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps wrote that certain tactics used to interrogate terrorism suspect Mohamed al-Qahtani [TIME report], the so-called "20th hijacker", could be considered violations of policy because they were humiliating or degrading. Interrogators forced al-Qahtani to wear women's undergarments, called him a homosexual and implied that others knew he was a homosexual, forced him to perform dog tricks, and forced him to stand naked in the presence of female soldiers. The lawyers said these methods do not follow policy.

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LIE MS: ...I'm at LaGuardia, on my way back from a very enjoyable day trip to Gitmo, down in Cuba, to have a look at the alleged, or I guess I should say, alleged enemy combatants down there.

HH: Well, the alleged enemy combatants lost their habeus corpus rights today, thanks to the steely indifference to liberty, as the Democrats would put it, of the Republican majority in the Senate. Do they appear put upon to you, Mark Steyn?

MS: No, they don't. It's interesting to me. They were being treated very lavishly, as you know, to Ramadan, and we at the meal that...when I was down there, that the detainees eat, and very proudly, we were told, as they served up this fantastic meal, that it featured homemade pastries, especially cooked for the detainees for Ramadan. So I can tell you something. They eat much better food...I've eaten MRE's with American troops in Iraq, and these detainees eat much better than American troops do. Whether that is the right approach to fighting this war, I don't know whether...I think that there are legitimate differences of opinion about that.

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TRUTH A suspect held in Guantanamo Bay was stripped, forced to bark like a dog, and subjected to music, it emerged as debate intensified in the U.S. capital over the future of the detention camp in Cuba.

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LIE While always mindful that they are dealing with dangerous men, the Americans treat them humanly, even sensitively. Seemingly every surface has a painted arrow pointing toward Mecca. Every detainee gets a Koran, and should it be necessary to search one, it is done by a Muslim translator, not a guard. Detainees are offered 4,200 calories a day. U.S. combat troops get 3,800. The average detainee has gained 18 pounds.

Interrogators rely on the soft sell. Detainees sit in a La-Z-Boy chair during interrogations, and beverages and movies are available to put them at ease. The most effective interrogator is said to be an older woman who adopts a nurturing attitude.

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MORE LIES The high-minded critics who complain about torture are wrong. We are far too soft on these guys - and, as a result, aren't getting the valuable intelligence we need to save American lives. The politically correct regulations are unbelievable. Detainees are entitled to a full eight hours sleep and can't be woken up for interrogations. They enjoy three meals and five prayers per day, without interruption. They are entitled to a minimum of two hours of outdoor recreation per day. Interrogations are limited to four hours, usually running two - and (of course) are interrupted for prayers. One interrogator actually bakes cookies for detainees, while another serves them Subway or McDonald's sandwiches. Both are available on base. (Filet o' Fish is an al Qaeda favorite.) Interrogations are not video or audio taped, perhaps to preserve detainee privacy.

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What a sick administration. They torture and make sure it's acceptable by feeding the public lies through fake news they pay for with our taxes. It doesn't get much sicker than Bush & Co. I'm must wondering when the other 1/2 of America will wake up. I can't figure out just what this administration of madmen would have to do before the hangers on become outraged.

Mark Steyn and Hugh Hewitt reveal the true impulses underlying yesterday's vote

I couldn't say it any better myself

NanceGreggs's Journal: Nance Rants
What the President Asked For

Posted by NanceGreggs in General Discussion: PoliticsFri Sep 22nd 2006, 01:04 AM

To:(the formerly Honorable) John McCain(the formerly Honorable) John W. Warren(the formerly honorable) Lindsay Graham:

Sirs:

Words cannot begin to express my grief when I saw Tony Snow’s quote earlier today: “We got what the president asked for.”

Over the past few days, the American people, of both parties, saw a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness that has engulfed our nation. They saw three men, of stature and influence, who had finally shown the backbone necessary to say that when it came to condoning torture, THIS would not stand. Or so, for one bright shining moment, that seemed to be the case.

“We got what the president asked for.” There was a time, which now seems so very distant, that the conduct of our country was not a matter of what ‘the president asked for’, but what the citizenry demanded. Apparently, those days are now, so sadly, gone.

You will all probably admit, in the privacy of your own thoughts, that the hypocrisy of your party has been astounding. You have cried ‘Support the Troops’ from the rooftops, while you quietly stripped them of their pensions and their benefits, while you voted against funding the equipment necessary to keep them safe. You questioned the loyalty of others in respect of our fighting men and women, never demanding answers from the war profiteers who have pocketed the lion’s share of the money meant for their benefit.

You have flaunted your alleged sense of justice, while allowing political and financial corruption to run rampant among your colleagues. You have hidden your sins of avarice, arrogance and the gluttony of political power behind the mask of feigned adherence to Christian belief.

You have accused your fellow elected officials on the other side of the aisle of being spineless appeasers, while you kow-tow to every whim of this occupant of the White House, regardless of the obvious detrimental consequences to our democracy and our standing in the world.

“We got what the president asked for.” It should not have come as a surprise. When was the last time – indeed, the singular time – that this president’s demands were not met? When was there a moment in the past six years of signing statements, the unlawful usurping of powers, the unconstitutional transference of oversight of our government into his hands of those of his administration, that even one of you or your fellow Republicans stood up and uttered the single word ‘no’?

I honestly believed – very naively, it would appear – that on this one all-important issue, the repercussions of which will define our nation like no other in our history, any one of you would have finally displayed the patriotism that you are so quick to accuse others of being bereft of. But I was wrong.

I realize that appealing to your sense of decency is now a moot point, as your lack thereof has now been so blatantly exposed. But I would, this one last time, attempt to appeal to whatever modicum of humanity you have left, and request the following:

Please do not appear in public wearing American flag pins in your lapels, or agree to being photographed in-frame with a flag nor any other symbol associated with the United States of America. Please refrain from identifying yourselves as citizens of my beloved country. You no longer represent our once-lofty ideals, but instead the inhumane fanaticism of those of lesser moral fiber.

Please defer from speaking on behalf of my fellow citizens, especially those in uniform who you have now potentially rendered to our enemies to be tortured, enemies who need no longer fear retribution from we who have now lost the moral standing to object.

While you have sacrificed all other sense of propriety, at least have the decency to dissociate yourselves from the American populace whom you have betrayed.

“We got what the president asked for.” And what the president has asked for is the right to drag a once-proud nation into the cesspool of depravity, the suspension of Constitutional law to do so, and the excuse to be absolved of personal wrongdoing after the fact.

Unfortunately, you were more than happy to acquiesce. Just as you have been happy to acquiesce to every other demand made by this petulant, incompetent maniac whose evil idiocy you revere.

Of course, you do not call it acquiescence. You couch this surrender of your obligations as representatives of our democracy as ‘compromise’, in an obvious attempt to render your own participation in crimes against humanity as something borne of good intentions and reasoned debate.

You call it ‘compromise’, an historically familiar term. Just as good German politicians ‘compromised’ with the Nazis on laws that segregated, minimized, and eventually killed six million people. Just as good German citizens ‘compromised’ by swearing allegiance to a madman in order to protect their own political ambitions. Just as good German Christians ‘compromised’ their own religious morals for a chance to save their own wealth, their own way of life, their own lives. So have you ‘compromised’, and sold your own souls in the bargain.

I realize this has been a lengthy missive. I doubt you have read this far. But that is to be expected in these days, these times. We are all busy people, with little time to spare for what should be important, what should be heeded, what should be said.

You have your priorities that must be attended to, as I have mine. You must get busy convincing your fellow citizens, as well as yourselves, that you have done right by your country and its people.

I, on the other hand, have to prepare for a death in the family. You see, my country, already weakened by the deceit of its leaders, the disillusionment of its people, the despair of its citizens, was dealt a fatal blow today; she was stabbed in the back by three assailants. Chances are she won’t recover.

Suffice to say your attendance at her funeral services will not be welcome, no less required. It would be, you must agree, unseemly for those with blood on their hands to attend.

May God have mercy on the faithful departed, and on those who contributed to her untimely demise.

May God have mercy on those who condone torture, be it overt or in the guise of ‘compromise’.

May God have more mercy than I would – because I would have none.

Yours Without Even the Pretence of Respect,
Nancy Greggs
Citizen of a once Great Nation, the United States of America


/Source

Blograiser for Brian Keeler!

Blograiser for Brian Keeler!

When: Monday, September 25, 2006, 7:00 - 10:00 PM EST

Where: Prey NYC (Online and beyond) 4 West 22nd Street

I have adopted Brian as a candidate, as my NY district is solidly blue. Just like I have adopted Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hall and out of staters Ned Lamont, Zack Space and Larry Kissell. So, if you are looking for a progressive candidate that has integrity, progressive values and beliefs, Brian is your guy

We must change this horrible Republican administration from the bottom up, Town by Town, District by District, School Board by School Board, County by County and State by State. Please take a moment to check out with Brian stands for and, if you believe in the same things he does, please drop a couple of bucks here.

Important info here from Kos regarding the simultaneous coast-to-coast Kossack meetup to support the candidacy of the one true Netroots candidate, Brian Keeler (aka NYBri).

Ass Backwards

Check this out. And, they called Kerry a Flip Flopper? Evangelicals scare the hell out of me. However, the sheep that blindly follow/listen to these so-called preachers scare me much more.

Dobson preaches mixed message
Conservative leader criticizes, praises GOP leadership

James Dobson speaks during last night's Stand for the Family rally at the Mellon Arena. Standing before an enormous American flag in Mellon Arena, conservative evangelical activist James Dobson told thousands of supporters he was deeply disappointed in the nation's Republican leadership, but that the nation's future depended on re-electing them.


"I have flat-out been ticked at Republicans for the past two years," he said, to some applause from a crowd that arena security estimated at around 3,000.

However, he said, "This country is at a crisis point. Whether or not the Republicans deserve the power they were given, the alternatives are downright frightening."

Link to Story

Link to Focus on the Family

You tell me - is this guy mixed up or what? The honorable, pious preacher is willing to sacrifice everything that is going wrong with our country to keep the horribly irresponsible Republicans in power so gays can't marry and abortion will be illegal. And, oh, yeah. So he can stay not-for-profit and keep the money rolling in. Charlatan.

September 11, 2001. It started out as a beautiful sunny day. The kind of day you wish you had skipped work because you knew with Fall approaching, these warm, bright days were few and far between. I went to work and it seemed like any other work day. I own the building in which I work. I live upstairs and work in the law office beneath our apartment. As the morning got started, my husband came flying downstairs to announce a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. He always did this kind of thing when there was breaking news. However, this was different. I looked at my boss and he looked at me. Something wasn’t right. How can a plane just fly into the Trade Center?

My oldest daughter lived on 79th and York. I telephoned her. She was on a bus, riding in to work and was surprised to hear my voice. I asked her if everything was okay and she seemed puzzled. I told her about the plane and when she looked out of the bus window towards downtown, she saw the smoke. She didn’t seem concerned and not wanting to alarm her, but feeling relieved that I had alerted her to possible danger, we hung up. Then my husband raced downstairs again – to tell us the 2nd tower was hit. And, the rest is history.

It was one of the most horrible days of my life. I had a hard time watching the coverage as I didn’t know if I would ever see my daughter again. Phones were down, the Pentagon was hit, a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. All hell was breaking loose and the President was riding around in a plane and the Vice-President was in an undisclosed location. No one was in charge. And, in the City where my daughter lived, the roads and bridges were shut off. I was sick to my stomach and, as I write this now, I still feel the raw pain and my eyes well with tears.

As I imagine is usually the case, if one is personally involved in a crisis, it makes it that much harder to bear. Although my heart went out to the Oklahoma bombing families, I didn’t experience their pain. 911 was different. This was my child in a city that was being torn apart. I didn’t know if she had made it into work, if she was at her corporate headquarters or headed to one of the other locations for a business meeting. Not knowing was unbearable. However, in the end, I was one of the lucky ones. I later learned she watched in horror from her office window as the second tower fell. Everyone was ordered out of the building and she and a co-worker started walking the 50 or so blocks home. They passed people on the street crying and sobbing, not knowing where to go or what to do. A cabbie picked them up and dropped each of them home without accepting a penny. Her electricity was off, but at some point, she was able to phone home. She struggled through the next few days alone, smelling the stench of the fires and listening to the planes patrol the city. My heart ached for her and there wasn’t a thing I could do to allay her fears or comfort her. She is a survivor, but, after all is said and done, the experience changed all of us.

It is for all of the reasons stated above that September 11th, 2006 is very personal to me. And, it is why every single time George W. Bush utters the words or uses the images it makes me mad as hell. To steal this shattering tragedy for political gain is shameful. To blame the dying of thousands of US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis on 9/11 is sickening. I can never forgive him or his political party for using a painful, frightening attack to advance their PNAC plan, to increase their wealth and avenge Bush, Sr. And, that’s why I won’t be watching television. I don’t need to see it again. It is forever etched in my memory. And, I don’t think I could bear to watch Bush using this 5th anniversary of an attack on America to advance his agenda for the November elections. He is a pitiful man and although I don’t know if I believe there is a God, I do believe he will be held accountable for his lies. Even if it’s only in the history books, labeling him the worst president ever.

Amish Oats

On a recent early morning drive on my way in to work from our camp in the Southern Adirondacks, I had the good fortune to meet up with a black bear. I say "good fortune", as although there are signs of bears on the local hiking paths, no one I know has ever actually seen a bear in the woods.

As the car navigated a corner, I admonished my husband to slow down due to the thick fog, and suddenly, there he/she was! At first, I was puzzled. What is that large, slow moving lump in the road? I am used to seeing deer in this neck of the woods. Large bucks with full racks and mother deer with their spotted doe not too far behind. The slow moving lump was too big to be a dog - Holy Shit, it's a bear! In the first few seconds, I was too surprised to react. By the time I came to my senses and fumbled for my camera, he/she had lumbered up the side of the bank and disappeared into the woods.

I feel very lucky to have seen this bear. Although I live in a wonderful rural area of New York State, to see a wild animal while doing something so mundane as going to work makes me appreciate my home even more. Yes, I love NYC. I could easily live there. But, the country is a beautiful, serene, charming, yet wild place with an excitement all of its own.