The Senate Torture Report

[ZiprHead]

If a Democratic vice-president had thrown a Democratic president under the bus the way Cheney did to Bush, does anyone think the "liberal" media would be this quiet about it?

 

[KeepTalking]

Keep Talking
The United States signed the United Nations Convention against Torture on 21 October 1994. Prior to this, from 1946-1948, we actually executed seven Japanese soldiers for committing torture during WWII, including the use of warterboarding.

Not just Japanese soldiers. American soldiers have been convicted for doing it.
How about the US soldiers court martialled during the Phillipine War for applying the 'water cure' ("Nothing can justify its use." - Theodore Roosevelt), or the American soldier court martialled for waterboarding a Vietnamese after that photo on the Jan. 21, '68 edition of the Washington Post?

"Legality" is a red herring, as is the definition of "torture." Why even bring them up?
Laws and legal definitions have always been tailored to support whatever those in power want supported. They're changed with every shift of the political wind.

I bring them up because I want those who condoned and enacted the post-9/11 torture program to be prosecuted for their crimes. Currently, there does not seem to be the political will to do this within the administration, or Congress, but maybe this will change in two years.

I am curious as to what you think this discussion should be about if you consider the legality and definition of torture to be red herrings?

 

[untermensche]

I bring them up because I want those who condoned and enacted the post-9/11 torture program to be prosecuted for their crimes. Currently, there does not seem to be the political will to do this within the administration, or Congress, but maybe this will change in two years.

I am curious as to what you think this discussion should be about if you consider the legality and definition of torture to be red herrings?

"Political will" means the government is run by the NSA and the CIA and the politicians take their orders from these unelected supporters of torture.

 

[Bronzeage]

If a Democratic vice-president had thrown a Democratic president under the bus the way Cheney did to Bush, does anyone think the "liberal" media would be this quiet about it?

In the case, the correct metaphor would be Cheney leaping under the bus and pulling Bush with him.

 

[fromderinside]

In the case, the correct metaphor would be Cheney leaping under the bus and pulling Bush with him.

He did this in 2004, 2008? Oh, 2012. Well that makes more sense since by then he had a new heart.

 

[ksen]

"New" heart implies that Cheney had a heart previously and I'm not convinced that is so.

 

[Bronzeage]

In the case, the correct metaphor would be Cheney leaping under the bus and pulling Bush with him.

He did this in 2004, 2008? Oh, 2012. Well that makes more sense since by then he had a new heart.

Cheney likes the view from under the bus.

 

[fromderinside]

He did this in 2004, 2008? Oh, 2012. Well that makes more sense since by then he had a new heart.

Cheney likes the view from under the bus.

Sure he does and all his years have 366 days.

 

[Bronzeage]

Cheney likes the view from under the bus.

Sure he does and all his years have 366 days.

Say what you like about Dick Cheney. He has never cared about public opinion or public perception of himself.

 

[Nexus]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday asked the United Nations Security Council to add the issue of torture by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to its agenda as the council prepares to hold a meeting next week on alleged human rights abuses by the Asian state.

Looks like N. Korea will use this to deflect from their human rights issues.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday asked the United Nations Security Council to add the issue of torture by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to its agenda as the council prepares to hold a meeting next week on alleged human rights abuses by the Asian state.

Looks like N. Korea will use this to deflect from their human rights issues.

Well, that's kind of America's fault for making it so easy for North Korea to do that. It's like if you know your wife wants to divorce you so that she and her boyfriend can run off with your money, don't call up an escort service on your personal cellphone - you make it too easy for her and diminish the impact of her own actions through your actions. Similarly, if you don't want the assholes of the world to try and deflect attention away from their own horrific actions by calling attention to your own ... don't fucking torture people, you morons.

 

[funinspace]

Sadly, most all US demographic groups have bought the tortured lies of our military-complex about torture. The below link has a nice graphic showing the groups:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...phic-group-believes-torture-can-be-justified/

Those ideological poles at opposite ends of public opinion aren't that surprising. But the distribution of demographic groups between them is. A majority of nearly every group — non-whites, women, young adults, the elderly, Midwesterners, suburbanites, Catholics, moderates, the wealthy — said that torture of suspected terrorists can be often or sometimes justified.

A majority of only one other group beyond liberals and Democrats disagreed: people with no religion.

Funny how the non-religious have more concerns about torturing their fellow human beings than those who worship the great Sky Beast....

 

[KeepTalking]

Sadly, most all US demographic groups have bought the tortured lies of our military-complex about torture. The below link has a nice graphic showing the groups:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...phic-group-believes-torture-can-be-justified/

Those ideological poles at opposite ends of public opinion aren't that surprising. But the distribution of demographic groups between them is. A majority of nearly every group — non-whites, women, young adults, the elderly, Midwesterners, suburbanites, Catholics, moderates, the wealthy — said that torture of suspected terrorists can be often or sometimes justified.

A majority of only one other group beyond liberals and Democrats disagreed: people with no religion.

Funny how the non-religious have more concerns about torturing their fellow human beings than those who worship the great Sky Beast....

Their gods have engaged in these activities, and worse, genocide, murdering children, etc. They aspire to become like those that they worship, so this should not be very surprising. Add to that, in the western world, consumption of media that glorifies torture, and sends the message that torture works when Jack Bauer does it to save us all from the ticking nuclear time bomb, and we arrive at the current situation, which politicians like Dick Cheney use to their advantage.