Author's posts
May 22 2009
McClatchy Nails Cheney To The Wall
Whenever I read a piece like the one last night from McClatchy News Service, “Cheney’s speech contained omissions, misstatements”, I often wonder where they’ve been for the last 8 years, pre-Obama? To its credit though, McClatchy had far better reporting going on than AP and Reuters during the Bush years. This one is just scorching… HOT! It’s the kind of reporting we all lusted after, but never got, while Cheney was in office.
Cheney said that “the key to any strategy is accurate intelligence,” but the Bush administration ignored warnings from experts in the CIA , the Defense Intelligence Agency , the State Department , the Department of Energy and other agencies, and used false or exaggerated intelligence supplied by Iraqi exile groups and others to help make its case for the 2003 invasion.
I envision Yosemite Sam, right after Bugs blows him up with gunpowder or something, still smoldering.
– Cheney said that only “ruthless enemies of this country” were detained by U.S. operatives overseas and taken to secret U.S. prisons.
A 2008 McClatchy investigation, however, found that the vast majority of Guantanamo detainees captured in 2001 and 2002 in Afghanistan and Pakistan were innocent citizens or low-level fighters of little intelligence value who were turned over to American officials for money or because of personal or political rivalries.
This piece, written by reporters Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. Strobel, is to be applauded. It’s nice to see some media not afraid of Dick Cheney.
There’s so much more at the link. For your viewing pleasure (don’t miss it!):
May 18 2009
This is my home now. May I rest in peace, .. or not.
*** Please note, that I checked with Budhy prior to posting this, and while he had not seen nor approved the actual content, he ageed that a banning that recently took place at Daily Kos, is worthy of discussion.***
Well, Markos at DailyKos has banned “ToquedeVille”, for his diary urging further examination of the events of September 11. It was NOT a CT diary (sorry, no link handy, and I refuse to ever visit DKos again). It was instead, a well written treatise urging an re-examination of the events that took place that day. If any group came under critical comment in the diary, it was the Bush regime for their well documented malfeasance before, during, and after the events. Still, Markos banned Toque. Why?
I have a distinct feeling that Markos was urged to ban Toque by a very specific group of people. This group, no matter how benign the discussion might be, if 9/11 (and certain other international issues) are a part of the diary, they (and if you look at the comments surrounding this travesty, you’ll easily be able to discern who “they” are) are there to terrorize any and all commenters, and the diarist. These people are obsessed, rude, and out of line. They have a primary interest, one I share, but I DO NOT share their fascistic methods of dealing with it. I am of them, but not one of them…. I don’t know how else to put it. And yes, I am being purposely cryptic.
This clique, a growing and powerful one, from the “front page” through the diaries, appears to be trying and control the subjects presented at DKos, and how they are discussed. They have a “primary interest” in doing so, one not everyone shares, thankfully. OK, that may seem a bit CT in and of itself, but I’ve been active at DKos for over 5 years (UID – 5***), and before that, a “Front Pager” at Democratic Underground. I am over 60, a journalism major, and former newspaperman, among other things.
I know when something stinks.
Now, this diary may seem like so many sour grapes, and perhaps this is not the right venue for it, but I am someone who cannot tolerate the “group think” that now pervades DKos, and think it worthy of protest, here, and elsewhere. If you care/dare to further zero into this matter, visit DKos and check out my latest, and forever final, comments (same screen name, “Hornito”), ….if they are still there (ie, haven’t been censored). You can also see the hundreds of comments in the thread from other people who protested this latest “McCarthyite” like action.
OK, enough of that. I have been watching this site for some time as well, and particularly Buhdy’s efforts, which I have long supported, to bring justice to the Bush cabal. Those efforts are to be complimented and encouraged. That’s why I am here, and here I shall remain. That said, I sincerely hope that I can add to the site, and that you won’t find my comments too offensive, now, or in the future.