Jul 15 2008

Ten lessons from recent torture hearings

Before I post up what I brought I’d like to point out that when Our Government changes It’s Policies to Match those of what we call enemies it Endangers All The Troops in Active Theaters as well as the citizens of this country!!

And it leaves us not only open to condemnation but at a place where we cannot condemn others!!

ANP: Lawyers who approved “enhanced interrogation tactics” are under increasing pressure to explain them

American News Project: Reporter’s Notebook: Ten Lessons from Recent Torture Hearings – The “enhanced interrogation tactics, ” used in Guantanamo under orders from the Pentagon and the White House have been the subject of numerous hearings on Capitol Hill recently. The lawyers who approved the policies–which many call torture–are under increasing pressure to explain how it was possible for such methods to be ordered by the United States government. More hearings are on the way.

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Terror And The Unraveling Of America’s Moral Fabric

The war on terrorism has had devastating social and political costs, and it is the United States government – not foreign enemies – that has caused much of the damage, says investigative journalist Jane Mayer.

Mayer’s new book is The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals. In it, The New Yorker writer contends that the policy implemented after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks promoted an agenda that sought to increase presidential power. Further, many of the Bush administration’s strategy decisions violated the Constitution and impeded the pursuit of terrorists.

SNIP: Read the rest at link, also listen to discussion there as well



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1 comment

  1. … a very powerful video, Jim.

    I’ve been reading the polls saying that over 40% of Americans approve of torture.

    And over at Daily Kos there were a group of folks in a diary about Omar Khadr who were more interested in Omar’s crime than whether or not we tortured him.

    There are Americans all across the country that either do not understand what has been done in our name and the grave consequences of that which are amply shown in the video you posted, or are living in such a state of fear, with all the moral distortions fear causes, that they actually feel torturing human beings will both keep them safer and make them believe they are stronger and more righteous citizens, that believing this actually shows courage.

    I wish every one of that 40+% would watch that video.  If even 1% of them regained their hearts and minds from this information, it would be a big step forward.

    What torture has done to us all is  a tragedy that, I think, will take years, and maybe way beyond my lifetime, to come to terms with.

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