Sunday, June 29, 2008

USA, Home of the Free and Land of the Brave - where we torture children and bury people alive to keep it that way?

From the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Hearing on: From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules, Part III




Here's an idea: They should have used harsh interrogation tactics on them! Thee artwork alone is worth a look at this blog post. I'm of the opinion that it's always nice to keep a sense of humor about, even when discussing serious matters such as these.

Watch the whole three hour and thirty seven minute Hearing here.


Other references:

Two Testify on Memo Spelling Out Interrogation
from the New York Times

From Elusive Starting Point on Harsh Interrogations from the NY Times
*Most Republicans continue to defend the administration’s policies. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California, insisted that while there had been occasional mistakes, the policies had prevented a repeat of Sept. 11. “By and large, I would say our people have done a terrific job,” he said.

The American News Project

The Headmaster and the Schoolboy from Slate.com

From The Garlic: Oh Yeah ...There'll Be Hard Karma A'Comin' ...

The Torture Memo from The Nation

From John Conyers' Balloon Juice, Your Government in a Nutshell:
Fundamentally, the reason why Bush officials like Yoo and Addington show such total contempt for Congress is also the answer to the question that Conyers asked John Yoo: a rule without a penalty is no rule at all. If Congress won’t enforce the law when the President breaks it, then why should he pretend the law is there? For all intents and purposes it isn’t. Yoo’s answer to Conyers, then, is to lean back, smirk and ask what are you going to do about it?

Both sides of that conversation know the answer: nothing. Maybe Conyers will hold another hearing and invite another Bush official to crap on his desk.


*Note on quote from NYT article: There is no way to prove that anything that has been done since 9/11 has prevented a repeat episode. I would say it would be much easier to prove that the Bush administration's ineptitude allowed 9/11 to happen.