May 2009 archive

May 13 2009

What Happens When All Their Arguments Are Destroyed?

Musings on the hearings

I won’t try to chronicle how they are being destroyed here.

But they are being destroyed.

Just in this semi-preliminary hearing today, they were destroyed.

At the end, all that one of their finest legal minds, a former JAG officer Lindsay Graham had to close with after the testimony and evidence had been presented with boiled down to was…..Torture Worked.

And….since it worked, we cannot “take torture off the table for future presidents.” We don’t want to “chill” the efforts of the intelligence community in the future. “Chill their efforts” to use torture.

Why oh why wouldn’t we WANT to chill efforts to torture? Why wouldn’t we want to make sure that torture, is the absolute last resort, where it is only used in those 0.0000001% of those cases where it might be “needed” to stop a “ticking time bomb?”

Which is a scenario that has never occurred, and that no one claims has?

Why wouldn’t we

Waterboarding is torture, Graham says. Torture is wrong, Graham says. But we don’t want to stop the president from ordering torture if we need to torture.

Even though other techniques work, we still need to have the option to torture.

And if we are scared, as we were after 9/11, if we decide….wrongly, Graham says…..then that is just a “mistake.” And there should be no consequences for mistakes.

“Do you see how complex this is?” Graham concludes.

No.

It is only complex if you have to argue the position that there are times when we have to make what is patently and admittedly illegal….legal, even if doing so….is a mistake.

Yes that IS “complex”…..because it is ridiculously illogical.

It just doesn’t hold up. It will take some time to prove it doesn’t hold up. It will take time to work through the legalese to destroy their argument.

But it will be destroyed.

And then what?

There will now be full investigations. Dick Cheney and the Republicans insist on it, lol, by saying we have to have evidence that torture “works.”

So when we have those investigations and all of there arguments are methodically and thoroughly destroyed….what then?

Will we REALLY put Cheney on trial? Or Bush? That has never happened, never. We have been pushing hard on this for years now. What do YOU think will happen?

What will the end game be?

That, after the arguments for torture are destroyed, will be the BIG question. It is easy to say “throw em in jail.” But unless you really think Cheney or Bush will be the first Vice President or President to actually be jailed…and if you do, please imagine the process and implications of that for us….what do you think will happen?  

May 13 2009

The Senate Democrats Who Fucked 9 Million Americans: Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)

(Crossposted at The Free Speech Zone)

(Part 3 of a 13 part series)

VOTED NAY on Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009

http://www.senate.gov/legislat…

Photobucket

Current Office: U.S. Senate

Seniority: Senior Seat

First Elected: 11/04/1958

Last Elected: 11/07/2006

Next Election: 2012

Party: Democratic

Background Information



Gender: Male

Family: Widowed

2 Children: Mona, Marjorie.

Birth Date: 11/20/1917

Birthplace: North Wilkesboro, NC

Home City: Sophia, WV

Religion: Baptist



Education:

BA, Marshall University, 1994

JD, American University, 1963.

Professional Experience:

Author

Butcher

Gas Station Attendant

Musician

Produce Salesman

Store Owner/Small Businessman

Welder/Ship Builder.



Political Experience:

Senator, United States Senate, 1958-present

Senate Majority Leader, United States Senate, 1977-1980, 1987-1988

Senate Minority Leader, United States Senate, 1981-1986

Senate Democratic Whip, United States Senate, 1971

Representative, United States House of Representatives, 1952-1958

Senator, West Virginia State Senate, 1950-1952.

Delegate, West Virginia House of Delegates, 1946-1950.

Organizations:

Sunday School Teacher.

Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees:

Secretary, Senate Democratic Conference, 1967

Congressional Fire Services Caucus

Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee

Senate National Guard Caucus

Senate Rural Health Caucus

Senate Steel Caucus.

http://www.votesmart.org/bio.p…

May 13 2009

Congressional Hearings

Just a reminder that starting at 10 am are 2 hearings which may be of interest.

The first is Sheldon Whitehouse’s Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts- “What Went Wrong: Torture and the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush Administration.”   Ali Soufan and Philip Zelikow will be testifying.

The other is the House Oversight Committee- “AIG: Where is the Taxpayer’s Money Going?.”  AIG CEO Edward Liddy and the three AIG trustees, Jill Considine, Chester Feldberg, and Douglas Foshee, will be testifying.

Both hearings should be web cast by CSPAN.

May 13 2009

To Clothe the Naked

(crossposted from orange)

(h/t to Lady Libertine, who got me thinking about this)

The ACLU fought and won the case to force the Department of Defense to make public by May 28, 2009 “photos depicting the abuse of prisoners by U.S. personnel.”

There’s been a lot of pushback regarding the release of these photos.  I have no reason to believe otherwise, yet I wonder if those who are part of this pushback will succeed in keeping the pictures from being released.  Guess we’ll find out by May 28.

And when they are released, what will we do?  How are we to look at these pictures?  How can we prepare ourselves so that this is not just some sensational political event, but a somber confrontation of man’s inhumanity to man?

May 13 2009

Wednesday Morning Science Supplement

From Yahoo News Science

1 NASA finds minor scratch damage to shuttle shield

By Irene Klotz, Reuters

Tue May 12, 6:47 pm ET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis apparently was hit by a piece of debris that nicked part of its heat shield but the damage appeared very minor, NASA said on Tuesday.

Atlantis and its seven-member crew blasted off from Florida on Monday on an 11-day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

It will be the U.S. space agency’s last chance to tinker with the telescope — which has vastly expanded scientists’ knowledge of the universe — before NASA ends the shuttle program in 2010.

May 13 2009

Muse in the Morning

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Muse in the Morning

An Opened Mind XXXVI

Art Link

Butterfly

Just Wondering

Just because

I’m gendered differently

than other people,

why must I

surrender my feelings,

check my sensitivity

at the door

like an oversized overcoat,

just so a few

can repeat their

unfunny jokes

and pokes

at people like me,

because after all

there is nothing

funnier in their minds

than someone like me?

Not a real woman…

Not a real man…

What does that

even mean?

And why does

it even matter?

And why do people

just stand around

and silently

watch it happen?

Are they chuckling

to themselves

because they agree?

I wonder.

Beyond toleration

and acceptance

lie support

and defense.

Which will die first,

bigotry

or me?

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–November 29, 2005

May 13 2009

Late Night Karaoke

Time Was Not On My Side

May 13 2009

It’s Not Getting Any Smarter Out There

‘Millionaire’ Contestant Makes Worst Use Of Lifelines Ever

Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.’

It seems that Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing ‘the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.’

After being introduced to the show’s host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was: ‘Which of the following is the largest?’

A) A Peanut

B) An Elephant

C) The Moon

D) Hey, who you calling large?

May 13 2009

“And the Cat…

is named Yusuf.”  ðŸ™‚

And the Cat Came Back, (now that’s a headline!) By Lorraine Ali  

Big news, right?  Breaking.

Not even.  @;-)

I don’t care.  ðŸ™‚

It’s news that makes me very, very happy.

A man of peace, an artist of life, returns to give the part of himself that I can receive, his music.  

In this time.

Via his own choice.

I am floored by the decision.

And more grateful than I can find words to explain.

Artists of life, rejoice!  We have an unique, tested, treasured Voice back among us!  ðŸ™‚

Enjoy!  We will be Encouraged!

May 13 2009

Tortured to death

I posted this over at DailyKos and it was my first rec-listed diary there.

There was a front-page post the other day on DailyKos about the detainees that have died in US custody since 2002 after being tortured and abused, so I’m following up on that post with more information I’ve found.

In 2005, the ACLU released findings from autopsy reports of detainees held by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq. Twenty one of the autopsies were ruled homicides. Something the ACLU notes that’s interesting (ugh, I hate using that word for this seriously sick finding) is that while at the time CIA abuse was being widely reported in the media, their autopsies revealed a problem with abuse by Navy Seals and military intelligence too.

Some things the report found… and I have to warn you this whole post is graphic:

A detainee at Abu Ghraib Prison, captured by Navy Seal Team number seven, died on November 4, 2003, during an interrogation by Navy Seals and “”OGA.””  A previously released autopsy report, that appears to be of Manadel Al Jamadi, shows that the cause of his death was “”blunt force injury complicated by compromised respiration.””  New documents specifically record the circumstances of death as “”Q by OGA and NSWT died during interrogation.””

A detainee was smothered to death during an interrogation by Military Intelligence on November 26, 2003, in Al Qaim, Iraq.  A previously released autopsy report, that appears to be of General Mowhoush, lists “”asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression”” as the cause of death and cites bruises from the impact with a blunt object.  New documents specifically record the circumstances of death as “”Q by MI, died during interrogation.””

The documents were obtained from the Department of Defense from a Freedom of Information Act request and a judge also ordered that more Abu Ghraib photos should be released, but as of this article the decision was stayed. Are those the ones due to be released this year?

May 12 2009

Is Barack Obama Bad for Blogging???

No Drama Obama.

Great.

Great for government maybe, great for the nation and great for the world, sure….

But who is thinking of the children bloggers?

Let’s face it. A big part of political blogging is complaining criticism. Criticism of policy, criticism of outrageous statements, criticism of strategy. And while Obama is far from perfect, the things to complain about are, relatively speaking, minor compared to the daily outrages of the Bush Administration that thrilled us so and gave us more fodder than a field full of spring clover scattered with republican bullshit.

Yeah sure he is continuing American Imperialism in the Middle East and Asia, but any responsible president would have to do that. Yeah he is not starting torture prosecutions, but, to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t either at this point. Which brings us to the real reason he is so boring.

“When your enemy is destroying himself, the best thing you can do is stay out of the way.”

And boy are they( Thanks Dick and Liz!) destroying themselves!

Look around at the blogs!!! You can read every goddam liberal blog today and barely experience a spike in your blood pressure, and where is the fun in that???

All we are left with is the traditional nagging liberal anxiety that tells us that SOMETHING must be wrong, because there is always something wrong.

Yeah, he is far from perfect, but…..dammit….he could be doing FAR worse.

And if he really cared about the blogs, he would be!

May 12 2009

Four at Four

  1. Afghan schoolgirls attacked by poisonous gas, reports AFP. “Another 98 Afghan girls were rushed to hospital on Tuesday in the latest in a spate of mysterious poisonings to hit three schools north of Kabul” in two weeks. The girls became ill as they entered their school in Mahmud Raq, a small town 45 miles north of Kabul.

    A doctor dealing with the case said that the school had apparently been filled with gas overnight, and that radical Islamist insurgent groups opposed to the education of girls could be responsible…

    “We admitted 98 schoolgirls and a few teachers today in our hospital with symptoms of semi-consciousness, weakness, vomiting, headache and dizziness,” the head of the hospital, Ahmad Khalid Anayat [said].

    They became ill “apparently from some poisoning gas they respired,” he said.

    BBC News says this is the third ‘incident’ of its kind. “There has been an increase in reported attacks on schoolgirls in Afghanistan in the past year… A group of Afghan schoolgirls had acid thrown in their faces in an incident in Kandahar province last year.”

    If Obama wanted to do some good in Afghanistan, he could post a military guard around girls schools there.

    Meanwhile, the LA Times reports 20 people killed in staged suicide bombings in Afghanistan. “A wave of up to a dozen suicide bombers staged synchronized attacks on government buildings in a provincial capital in eastern Afghanistan, triggering a day of chaotic fighting that left at least 20 people dead. Scores of people were injured in the fighting in Khost, the site of a large American military base. The wounded included at least three U.S. soldiers.”

    The NY Times reports the attack begain at 10 a.m. local time with ten Taliban suicide bombers storming two government buildings in the eastern province of Khost. “Shortly afterward, a group of nine suicide attackers stormed a nearby municipality building. Four of them blew themselves up in a battle with security guards outside the building, and five others entered the building and were killed after a standoff in which hostages were taken, the Interior Ministry said.”

    The LA Times also reports Afghan villagers get payments for battle that killed civilians.

    Turbaned elders and weather-beaten farmers trekked to this provincial capital today to accept reparation payments from a government commission that concluded 140 civilians were killed in a fierce battle last week between Taliban fighters and coalition troops.

    If the figure arrived at by the commission is correct, it would make last week’s fatalities in rural Farah province the worst single episode of civilian casualties since the U.S.-led invasion more than seven years ago.

    “This was an accident, and we offer condolences,” provincial Gov. Rosul Amin told the somber, ragged assemblage of villagers. Relatives received about $2,000 for family members killed and $1,000 for those injured.

    Back in the U.S., the NY Times reports A new approach is expected in Afghanistan. Defense War Secretary Robert Gates’ decision to replace Gen. David McKiernan as head of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan with Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal “was yet another signal of growing U.S. apprehension over the war in Afghanistan, compounded by concerns in neighboring Pakistan.”

    Lastly for the record, the Afghan president’s brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai threatened McClatchy writer reporting Afghan drug story.

Four at Four continues with an update from Pakistan, the space shuttle, BoA sells stake in Chinese bank, and outsourcing and profiting from torture.

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