bruce, That's nice. How the fuck does it address my post?
On May 10, 2:15 am, bruce majors <[email protected]> wrote: > "to pelosi:" the lie publicly, especially stupidly and hypocritically, while > using Botox to suppress any facial ticks or tells > > On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 11:24 PM, Hollywood <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > > bruce, > > > Sorry, but I don't get your point here. > > > You want to condemn people for NOT reporting a crime but you do not > > want to condemn or punish the people who actually committed the > > crime???? > > > On May 9, 10:00 pm, bruce majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > > CIA memo cites 40 Congressional briefings on torture By Bill Van Auken > > > > A memo released Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence Dennis > > Blair > > > lists 40 separate briefings beginning in September 2002 in which leading > > > members of Congress were briefed by the CIA on the agency’s use of > > “enhanced > > > interrogation techniques”—in plain words, torture. > > > > Before the revelations about the employment of such methods as > > waterboarding > > > appeared in the media, none of these legislators, including leading > > > Democrats, objected to or publicly protested against what amounted to war > > > crimes. > > > > Blair’s release of the document compiled by the CIA came in response to a > > > request from Representative Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican > > on > > > the House intelligence committee. In a letter to Hoekstra, Blair stated > > that > > > the memo “provides a straightforward account of the extent of interaction > > > with the Congress on this issue.” > > > > Much of the media attention has focused on the role of House Speaker > > Nancy > > > Pelosi (Democrat, California), who as the ranking Democrat on the House > > > intelligence committee was, together with Republican Representative > > Porter > > > Goss, who went on to become director of the CIA, one of the first members > > of > > > Congress to be briefed on the CIA’s torture tactics. > > > > The memo’s description of the briefing reads: “Briefing on EITs [enhanced > > > interrogation techniques] on Abu Zubaydah, background on authorities, and > > a > > > description of the particular EITs that have been employed.” > > > > Zubaydah, captured by the CIA in Pakistan in March 2002, was one of the > > > first “high-value” detainees subjected to waterboarding and other forms > > of > > > torture. While the Bush administration grossly inflated Zubaydah’s > > > importance, the torture methods served to extract from him a false > > statement > > > that Iraq was training Al Qaeda terrorists in the use of chemical > > weapons. > > > The Bush administration had ordered the torture in large part to obtain > > such > > > a phony confession in order to bolster its key pretext for launching its > > war > > > of aggression against Iraq. > > > > The memo’s description of this initial briefing of Pelosi and Goss > > > contradicts Pelosi’s own account. Just last month, she claimed that the > > CIA > > > “did not brief us that these enhanced interrogations were being used,” > > but > > > merely informed the two intelligence committee leaders about “an array of > > > interrogations that they might have at their disposal.” > > > > This claim is hardly credible. Why would the CIA brief two leading > > members > > > of Congress on methods of torture in the abstract? And if they had done > > so, > > > why didn’t Pelosi ask them whether these “techniques” were in fact being > > > used on detainees captured on the “global war on terrorism”? > > > > Other briefings listed in the memo included one in February 2003 in which > > > Republican Senator Pat Roberts and Democratic Senator John Rockefeller > > had > > > the EITs “described in considerable detail,” including “how the water > > board > > > was used.” > > > > In briefings held in September 2003, Roberts and Rockefeller, as well as > > > Republican Congressman Goss and Pelosi’s successor on the House > > intelligence > > > panel, California Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon, were given slide > > > shows in which “non-enhanced and enhanced interrogation techniques were > > > named, described and compared on the same slide.” > > > > Subsequent briefings, which included Senator Harry Reid, now the > > Democratic > > > Senate Majority Leader, and the other Democratic members of the Senate > > > Select Committee on Intelligence—Senators Carl Levin, Dianne Feinstein, > > Evan > > > Bayh, Barbara Mikulski and Russ Feingold—heard presentations on > > > “waterboarding, diet manipulation, nudity, walling and stomach slap.” > > > > The content of the memo is hardly a revelation. In December 2007, the > > > *Washington > > > Post* reported that in 2002 briefings Pelosi and three other members of > > > Congress were “given a virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention sites > > > and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to make prisoners > > talk,” > > > including waterboarding. The *Post *added that while leading Democrats > > > subsequently denounced waterboarding as torture, “on that day, no > > objections > > > were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to > > > push harder.” > > > > The patent aim of the congressional Republicans in requesting the public > > > release of the record of these briefings is to intimidate Democrats into > > > dropping the issue of torture, by threatening to focus public attention > > on > > > Democratic complicity in the implementation of the criminal methods > > > introduced under the Bush administration. > > > > The issue has divided Washington since President Barack Obama last month > > > released Justice Department memos authorizing the use of these illegal > > > methods, while simultaneously announcing a blanket amnesty for those in > > the > > > CIA who carried them out. > > > > Obama has since informed Democratic leaders in Congress that he is > > opposed > > > to any independent investigation of the torture carried out under the > > Bush > > > administration, while publicly stating that the matter is in the hands of > > > his Attorney General Eric Holder. The administration and the majority of > > the > > > Democratic leadership in Congress have also deferred to an inquiry being > > > conducted by the Senate intelligence committee, which will not be > > completed > > > until the end of the year. The probe will be conducted behind closed > > doors, > > > and it is uncertain how much of its findings will be made public. > > > > In an appearance on Capitol Hill Thursday, Attorney General Holder dealt > > > with the issue of the torture memos. His testimony before the Senate > > > Appropriations Committee came just a day after the *New York Times* > > reported > > > that a draft report issued by the Justice Department’s Office of > > > Professional Responsibility had concluded that the government attorneys > > who > > > wrote memos declaring specific methods of torture to be legal were guilty > > > only of poor judgment and should not be criminally prosecuted. Holder, > > > however, claimed not to have read the document. > > > > Republican Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Richard Shelby of > > > Alabama pointedly questioned Holder about the implications for the > > Democrats > > > themselves of any serious investigation into the question of torture. > > > > “What about members of Congress who were informed of them or knew about > > them > > > or approved them or encouraged them, wouldn’t they also be appropriate > > parts > > > of such an investigation?” asked Alexander. > > > > Holder responded: “Our desire is not to do anything that would be > > perceived > > > as political, as partisan. We do want to look forward to the extent that > > we > > > can do that.” He added, however, that where “we see violations of those > > > laws, we’ll take the appropriate actions.” > > > > Shelby turned to the CIA’s rendition program, in which suspects are > > > kidnapped off the street and transported to secret prisons abroad for > > > interrogation and torture. > > > > “Didn’t that happen during the Clinton administration?” he asked. Holder > > > acknowledged that rendition had been employed under the former Democratic > > > president. > > > > “How many did you approve?” he continued, referring to Holder’s role at > > the > > > Clinton Justice Department. Holder responded that he would have to > > consult > > > his records. > > > > The Obama administration has specifically defended rendition as a > > practice > > > that the CIA will continue using, effectively “disappearing” those who it > > > deems a threat to the US government, transporting them to foreign prisons > > to > > > be held indefinitely, denied the right to either be charged with a crime > > and > > > placed on trial or be released. > > > > The Republican campaign is based on the well-founded charge that the > > > Democrats were complicit in the introduction of torture as a policy of > > the > > > US government and therefore are in no position to hold former officials > > of > > > the Bush administration accountable. > > > > The media has largely adopted this standpoint, casting the issue as one > > > based primarily on partisan politics. As the *New York Times* put it, the > > > Republicans are “mounting an aggressive pushback on several fronts.” > > > > The *Washington Post* commented: “The issue of what Pelosi knew and when > > she > > > knew it has become a tussle on Capitol Hill. Republicans have accused her > > of > > > knowing for years about the interrogation techniques CIA agents were > > using > > > and of objecting only when the tactics became public and antiwar > > activists > > > protested.” > > > > The Democrats’ complicity in the systematic use of torture by the US > > > government does not make the practice any less criminal. It is merely > > shows > > > that the entire political establishment—Congress, both major parties, the > > > mass media and the corporate and financial elite—is implicated in the > > crimes > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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