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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Evil

My inner Frenchman is screaming.

From the Post:
When CIA officials subjected their first high-value captive, Abu Zubaida, to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, they were convinced that they had in their custody an al-Qaeda leader who knew details of operations yet to be unleashed, and they were facing increasing pressure from the White House to get those secrets out of him.

The methods succeeded in breaking him, and the stories he told of al-Qaeda terrorism plots sent CIA officers around the globe chasing leads.

In the end, though, not a single significant plot was foiled as a result of Abu Zubaida's tortured confessions, according to former senior government officials who closely followed the interrogations. Nearly all of the leads attained through the harsh measures quickly evaporated, while most of the useful information from Abu Zubaida -- chiefly names of al-Qaeda members and associates -- was obtained before waterboarding was introduced, they said.

Moreover, within weeks of his capture, U.S. officials had gained evidence that made clear they had misjudged Abu Zubaida. President George W. Bush had publicly described him as "al-Qaeda's chief of operations," and other top officials called him a "trusted associate" of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and a major figure in the planning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. None of that was accurate, the new evidence showed.

Abu Zubaida was not even an official member of al-Qaeda, according to a portrait of the man that emerges from court documents and interviews with current and former intelligence, law enforcement and military sources. Rather, he was a "fixer" for radical Muslim ideologues, and he ended up working directly with al-Qaeda only after Sept. 11 -- and that was because the United States stood ready to invade Afghanistan.
Turley adds:
The Bush torture program is a wonderful example of not just the time-proven junk that comes from torture, but also the value of legal process as a way to acquiring legitimate information in legitimate ways. Putting aside the obvious immorality of the program, the reports show how we tortured people for little more advantage than the visceral and political benefits of “getting tough on terrorism.” It turns out that we sold our collective soul pretty cheap in creating this torture program. The question is now whether Obama will continue to buy into the same cover-up by continuing to block a special counsel.
I'm ashamed that I live in a country that committed torture and is currently doing everything possible to prevent those responsible for it from being brought to justice. It's an abhorrent practice, an immoral practice, an un-American practice, and we are all responsible for it if we allow Obama to sweep it under the rug because he thinks it is politically expedient to do so. There must be trials. The people must face the horrors of what has been done in our name and see that it is wrong. And we cannot afford another generation of Negropontes and Abrams. We cannot risk for the likes of John Yoo to be available to serve in a future administration. Our nation's very soul is at stake here.

12 comments:

  1. .

    "I'm ashamed that I live in a country that committed torture and is currently doing everything possible to prevent those responsible for it from being brought to justice."

    This too has caused all sorts of troubles. A way around those who try to stop investigations is to ask, "A what level does an official become above the law?" OK. The people will hold policemen, and state level officials accountable. But some high level federal officials seem to become ut supra-legal.

    And for real fun turn the question slightly around and ask, "A what level down the food-chain does on become subject to the law?" It has been shown that low ranking service members are subject to prosecution. But where does it start?

    FYI - USA will do the right thing on this matter only after USA has exhausted all other possibilities.

    Open investigations, fair trials, and appropriate punishments.

    No pardons, no immunity, no excuses!

    Ema Nymton
    X@:o?
    .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mon Ami, General's IF:

    Bon, bon! It is wonderful that you have been allowed out to smoke a gauloise or two and have a cafe au lait.

    I am Charles (pronounced "Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarlz") Mr. democommie's IF. He is currently experiencing transmission difficulties in the loo.

    I too am outraged that my adopted home would allow such things as torture and then when there is a chance to put things right resort to even more obfuscation and stonewalling. I am somewhat hopeful that action by Spain in beginning the process of indicting former officials of Bushco, may somewhat force the hand of the U.S. government in this regard. We shall see.

    Ah! I just heard democommie shouting that somebody used the last roll of toilet paper and all he has to wipe his bum with is the New York Daily News--this is a problem?

    Au Revoir, mon ami, General.

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  3. I have to think that Obama's choice of Dawn Johnson (whose appointment vote is being blocked in committee) as head of OLC was to address and convict the perps.
    Seymour Hersh reports(NPR 3/30) that Bush and Cheney(Dick really, he was emperor by this time)knew the torture was ineffective but insisted on continuing it. That speaks volumes on the moral bankruptcy of Darth Cheney, and makes not prosecuting him impossible for a just society.
    If Obama doesn't refute their Dark Age Doctrine, his presidency is a failure.

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  4. Anonymous9:55 AM

    By the way, this is just further confirmation of what FBI agents have been saying for six years or more. It’s worth repeating, of course, over and over and over again; but if anyone in the media had been listening to what the experts were saying all along, the public would never have bought into the Bush-Cheney-Yoo worldview in the first place.

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  5. Silence! Or, as a true patriot would say, Shut UP! Don't you know that by merely reporting this story, the terrorists win.

    Can't you imagine Osama bin Laden sitting in his cave watching Fox News on his DirecTV (btw, DirecTV knows where he is, if nobody else does, because their service isn't free) and seeing our president describe this stooge as a senior member of his organization? He turns to his colleagues in terror and says, "Jesus, this guy really is an idiot. We don't have to do anything else. America will blow itself up under his leadership."

    Now imagine how they are laughing at us now, as we flail about, trying to find some way, any way to avoid acknowledging the war crimes and crimes against humanity our political leaders committed. They point at us and say, see, they are weak. They will fall. The economy of the world could collapse and it wouldn't affect us, because we're already living in caves, but they will devour themselves.

    Then somebody turns to Osama and says, yes, but it would be a shame to lose our opium markets.

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  6. Just slow down, first we need to protect the criminals in the financial sector from their own immoral actions then it's BushCo's turn. Wait, er, that didn't come out right, did it?

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  7. It's only a petition, but here it is:
    http://www.democrats.com/special-prosecutor-for-bush-war-crimes

    ReplyDelete
  8. we took jesus off the cross
    and laid him on the table:
    we poured buckets of water on him
    simulating his drowning
    simulating his death over and over:

    simulating his death by drowning
    simulating his death by drowning
    simulating his death by drowning
    simulating his death by drowning
    simulating his death by drowning

    we yelled at him, over and over
    "tell us, jesus: tell us where the
    shadows lie!"

    he sputtered and screamed
    and heaven locked all of its doors
    and shut fast its windows
    to keep from hearing his suffering
    it is a terrible sound, so who can blame them?

    here are today's afterlife announcements:
    there are no virgins to deflower in heaven
    and
    american exceptionalism is at an end

    have a nice day

    ++++

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  9. that is disturbingly well put

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  10. Your Inner Frenchman would stop screaming if you waterboarded him once or twice. I'm just sayin'...

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  11. Right, sir. My inner frenchwoman was trying to mention the whole torture-sadism-vengeance-torture-sadism thing, but I didn't want to hear it, so I got some big republican macho jesus dude to smack her around a whole bunch, which really shut her up and all us patriots really enjoyed seeing an enemy get what she deserved.

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  12. Le inner Frenchist would get even more tingly to see Steve Clemons blog. He notes that Colin Powel admits to torturing and detaining innocents at Gitmo, in his recent Rachel Maddow interview.

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We'll try dumping haloscan and see how it works.