Bush Era Memo Released: They Knew it Was Torture

The Decider and Darth Cheney. Image from
source, Huffington Post

Since President Obama was inaugurated, there have been rumblings from the right about impeaching him. They don't care why (as they didn't with Clinton. . .lying about a blow job?), they just want it done. They haven't gotten very far, but you can bet that if Obama wins a second term, the volume on that idea is going to go way up. Which strikes me as ungrateful, if nothing else.

Ungrateful? Yes. Because Nancy Pelosi long ago took impeachment "off the table," when it came to George W. Bush. And because President Obama declared that he would not seek to investigate the Bush Administration's potential crimes. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest got away scot-free! They took a wrecking ball to the country, and other parts of the world, and now they get to comfortably retire, with no worries about repercussions. We're talking war crimes here.

Pffft! War crimes! Why, that's just Bush Derangement Syndrome! Uh, no, it's not. Torture is a war crime, and the just released memo shows that the Bush Administration knew it was torture. Arguably, we should be pissed at the Obama Administration for insisting it won't investigate, and for not stepping cleanly away from all of the "expanded executive powers" created in the Bush Years. The story below does a good enough job pointing out those issues. I'm actually more concerned by the prospect of a future President Ryan or Cantor deciding that torture is cool again.

[Excerpt]


New Bush-Era Torture Memo Released, Raises Questions About What Has Changed And What Hasn't 

A six-year-old memo from within the George W. Bush administration that came to light this week acknowledges that White House-approved interrogation techniques amounted to "war crimes." The memo's release has called attention to what has changed since President Barack Obama took office, but it also raises questions about what hasn't. . .

Read more at: Huffignton Post

Breaking News: Got Him! Osama Bin Laden is Dead

So, can we call all these wars off now? Or something? I mean, I thought OBL had been dead for a while now, but yay, we got him. Now let's get the freak outta there, mmmkay? Thanks.

[Excerpt]

Official: Osama bin Laden is dead

Osama bin Laden is dead and the US has his body, says person familiar with developments.



Read more at: MSNBC.com

The Iraq War is Over?

It feels rather anti-climactic, doesn't it? I hope it remains true, and that combat forces don't ever need to go back and start it all up again. Then again, to be honest, I don't really know what the hell we're doing there that would require that.  I have a healthy respect for the military itself (though not the almost fetishism of many), but at the same time have a great deal of difficulty understanding our reasons for being in Iraq for so long.  I suspect I'm not alone.

As with previous wars, we're leaving a large number of troops in place. Since there are still bases in Japan, Germany and many other places around the world. So is it really over over? Is it ever?  Did we really accomplish anything worthwhile?  I don't think we'll have many generally agreed-upon answers for a long time to come.

[Excerpt]
U.S. ends combat operations in Iraq

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The last U.S. combat troops were crossing the border into Kuwait on Thursday morning, bringing to a close the active combat phase of a 7½-year war that overthrew the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, forever defined the presidency of George W. Bush and left more than 4,400 American service members and tens of thousands of Iraqis. . .


Read more at: MSNBC

Underwear Bomber Spilling Secrets; GOP: Wrong Again

The GOP has been on a rampage, declaring President Obama's treatment of the Christmas Day "Underwear Bomber" reckless and "soft on terror." Wrong again. But they'll never admit it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Repbulican Ad: WTC in Flames, Don't Vote Democrat

Image from source (again), Raw Story

Remind me again, what Party was in power on the morning of September 11, 2001? What two cities had their--presumably heavily guarded--airspace invaded by aircraft that had been off-course with plenty of warning? What Party's President sat in a children's classroom like a deer caught in headlights? What Party's former President was having breakfast with the brother of Osama bin Laden that very day? What Party's President invaded an uninvolved country as retaliation, draining us of blood and treasure? I'll give you a hint, it starts with an R.

Remind me again why we shouldn't vote for a Democrat?

[Excerpt]

Billboard displays burning World Trade Center with slogan, 'Please Don't Vote for a Democrat'

A political billboard in St. Cloud, Florida reads "Please Don't Vote for a Democrat" over an image of the burning World Trade Center.

Businessman Mike Meehan, who paid for the ad, says he's "only trying to help Republicans." The billboard also carries a link for Meehan's website, TheRepublicanSong.com, at which he says, "I claim to be a man of God" and promotes his political song and video. . .

Read more at (excuse me for double-dipping): Raw Story

Democrats Receive Strange Terror Warning

Photo from source, Politico

As you probably know, there was a bombing in Times Square yesterday morning. But did you know that several Democrats received mailings with a photo of the bomb site, taken before the bombing? They also apparently received a rambling 20-page letter taking credit for the bombing.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt. But what could this mean? My distrust of our current administration raised all sorts of "tinfoil hat" theories, but I won't elaborate without more information. Still, how strange that in a Presidential primary season, where national security is taking a prominent place in the discussion, that something like this would happen. And why would Democrats be the only ones to get letters. Very curious, and to me at least, very suspicious.

[Excerpt]

House Members receive letters, photo of NY recruiting station sent before bombing

A number of House members were mailed a letter and photo of a Times Square recruiting station in Manhattan before it was bombed on Thursday morning, according to House insiders and law-enforcement officials.

Initial information from Capitol Hill sources suggested the letters were sent only to eight House Democrats from the New York City area, but a senior House aide said many more members than that total could have received the missives. One source desribed the letter as a "20-page rambling rant," and the AP reported the envelopes included a "holiday greeting card" with the message "Happy New Year, We Did It" on the cards. . .

Read more at: Politico

UPDATE: It has been reported that there is no connection between these warnings and the actual bombing event, so I'm striking the post. I'll do a followup when time permits.

Overstuffed Terror Watch List?

Photo from source, Raw Story

This issue has always bothered me. We keep putting people on this "watch list," and it is very difficult to have a name removed once it's on there. So what good does a list with hundreds of thousands of people do? How can they possibly focus on numbers like that? Shouldn't it be winnowed down a bit?

[Excerpt]

ACLU calls out US over 'absurd bloating' of terror watch list

More that 900,000 people are currently listed as suspected terrorists on the US government's "do not fly" list, and that number will grow to beyond 1 million by summer, says the American Civil Liberties Union.

"If there were a million terrorists in this country, our cities would be in ruins," Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program, stated. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Guantanamo Bay Detainees Finally Charged

Photo from source, Guardian

For the entirety of the "War on Terror" we've held detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with no charges. Civil libertarians have been complaining for years that these people deserved due process. The Bush Administration (and their supporters) have maintained that these prisoners of war were terrorists, and so the rules were different. Of course with no charges, no due process, there was no proof that all of the detainees even were terrorisrs to begin with.

Now, all these years later, six of the detainees are finally being charged. You have to wonder what the delay was, and why they're being charged now. And what may have been lost by waiting for years to even get the process started. And, of course, we will not get to see everything (or much of anything) that goes on.

[Excerpt]

US charges Guantánamo detainees with 9/11 murders

The US today charged six Guantánamo Bay detainees with murder and war crimes in connection with the September 11 attacks and said it would seek the death penalty if they were convicted.

The men are set to be the first detainees brought before a military tribunal in Guantánamo Bay over the attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. . .

Read more at: Guardian

Iran Ended Nuclear Weapons Program in 2003

Hmmm. So the spectre of a mushroom cloud is a little more unlikely than we've been led to believe. Maybe this will stop the drumbeat to war with Iran? Sure hope so, but I won't count my chickens yet.

[Excerpt]

U.S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work

A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.

The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran’s nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy. . .

Read the rest at: New York Times

Bush Wants to Cut Anti-terror Grants?

Photo of Michael Chertoff from source, USA Today

The excuse made for why the 110th Congress has consistently capitulated to the whims of this unpopular President, is that they're terrified that they will be branded "unpatriotic" or that they don't support the troops. Strange, of course since those things and worse are said about Democrats every single day on talk radio and FOX "News." But I wonder what that bunch of bozos would have to say about this?

Somehow, President Bush himself can blatantly disregard or disrespect the troops, and can make policy decisions that seem to undermine the "global war on terror," yet get a pass from the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world. How odd. It's almost like they have a double-standard or something. . .

[Excerpt]

Bush seeks cuts in anti-terror grants

The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. . .

Read more at: USA Today