When you release the terrorists and prosecute the good and faithful public servants at CIA, the seal is no longer worthy of an eagle -- but a vulture fits your character quite well.
They are eating their own, Opus. In order to get to the CIA, they have to prosecute the DOJ people who wrote the opinions approving aggressive interrogations.
The world has taken a definite turn for the surreal.
This comes in kinda late. The vulture should have taken over way back when Yoo and Gonzales were turning the DOJ into a travesty of justice, effectiveness, and common sense.
You're right, though. The folks responsible for torture should be the ones prosecuted - not the lackeys who carried out the orders. Meanwhile, they walk free.
Seda- I know you have a different take on things than I do. I went through SERE training in the military, which meant that I was subjected to the same physical duress as those terrorists. Same rules, same waterboard, same BS. Nobody likes SERE training, but to equate that as "torture" in the sense that a Palestinian or Egyptian would manage a prisoner is completely different. There are no fingernails in an Egyptian prison. Go to Egypt, go to a prison and see for yourself.
The people such as KSM, who were selected for aggressive interrogation were the very worst of the worst who were actively planning to attack defenseless citizens in the US. And to spite what the morons back home in the US believe, the interrogation practices worked. And we have been safe for 8 years partly because of that program.
Obama, viewed essentially as an "empty suit" everywhere in the world but here, does us no favors by de-fanging the US.
First, as a practical matter, it is ineffective. It cannot produce reliable evidence or testimony, as witnessed by the fact that information obtained under torture cannot be used in a court of law. Waterboarding most certainly IS torture - the intent is to cause such intense suffering that the subject is compelled to reveal secrets and testify against himself. If you have indeed suffered waterboarding, you know that either it did not cause sufficient discomfort to force you to reveal anything you didn't want to reveal, or that you would say anything that you believed would make it stop. In either case, it is unreliable.
My second objection is the greater. Torture completely abdicates all moral and ethical high ground, and willingly embraces the embodiment of evil. It is the intentional commission of acute pain or suffering against one who is helpless to resist. It is an act of supreme weakness and cowardice. It damages the body of the tortured, but the soul of the torturer. It is bad karma. The torture ordered and/or enabled by G.W. Bush, Cheney, et al has disgraced and damaged our nation - and, if anything, has further endangered us.
The idea that torture can keep us safe is a myth, and a sad, bitter one at that. We would do much better to light a beacon on a hill, not wade into the depths of depravity to join the worst of our enemies.
There is a difference between aggressive interrogation and torture and the definition seems to be quite subjective.
The goal with aggressive interrogation is not to get information to be used in court. It is all about obtaining information that can be used to prevent an attack.
I personally disagree with torture, which would include electrocution, breaking bones, teeth, extracting fingernails, cutting eyelids, blinding and mutilation.
This blog has many elements and depending on your interests, may pique your imagination...or not. I urge you to be unreasonable. Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. The unreasonable persist in trying to adapt the world to themselves, therefore all progress depends on unreasonable people. The more unreasonable you are, the more likely you are to enjoy this blog. All men dream, but not equally.
If you're a socialist or a Marxist, you'll find that I poke fun at your absurd notions of "good government" on a regular basis. So you might not wish to follow this blog because you'll be offended.
John Locke said, "One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant." I like what Locke said. We can't theorize without adequate information because when we do we inevitably twist facts to suit theories rather than theories to suit facts. In this blog and in my life, I try to maintain this perspective.
Either you believe in our essential spark of shared divinity, or you succumb to our human insecurity. Either way your conscience lets you slice it, the main thing is to earnestly do what is right at the time.
Today, I balance work and play as much as anyone can. All things remaining equal, play is more important. Life is short - it's important to make every day count for something, if only to yourself.
I'm a former tinker/tailor/soldier/sailor who has now decided that maybe it really wasn't all done for nothing.
Trump's 12-Year Term
-
Photo Credit:
AT via Magic Studio
Democrats now either get on the Trump bus or get run over by it. They
either embrace America’s core values or get sto...
Tits, Tiramisu, & Treviso
-
On a recent trip to Treviso, I stumbled upon everything from fairytale
fountains with a cheeky twist to the birthplace of tiramisu. Between
wandering anc...
Poundmaker's 2019 Powwow
-
Wow, it's hard to believe I've neglected my blog for so long. I haven't
even shared photos of our annual Powwow yet and this was back in August.
I'll sh...
A rose by any other name...
-
I've been busier than ever. And yet somehow, I still manage to find the
time to stare out of a window or become distracted with all the (hilarious)
meme's ...
Grateful That It Wasn't Worse
-
We got home from the hospital this afternoon... exhausted. Yesterday
(Monday) I had to undergo a hastily scheduled surgery on my replacement
shoulder afte...
Am I Missing Something...
-
John Podesta's emails.
The Russian's hacked the election. They "hacked" into the Democratic
National Committee's computers. And they got...one guy's emails...
11 comments:
Pardon my swearing, but, no f___ing doubt!!
LL, I'm beginning to suspect you're a 'domestic terrorist'. Like the sniper picture.
God bless.
LL, great post. Those vultures should be ashamed of themselves.
On second thought, the DOJ guys give vultures a bad name.
They are eating their own, Opus. In order to get to the CIA, they have to prosecute the DOJ people who wrote the opinions approving aggressive interrogations.
The world has taken a definite turn for the surreal.
This comes in kinda late. The vulture should have taken over way back when Yoo and Gonzales were turning the DOJ into a travesty of justice, effectiveness, and common sense.
You're right, though. The folks responsible for torture should be the ones prosecuted - not the lackeys who carried out the orders. Meanwhile, they walk free.
Justice? No. Just us. the us being Barak H. Marx, et al.
Seda- I know you have a different take on things than I do. I went through SERE training in the military, which meant that I was subjected to the same physical duress as those terrorists. Same rules, same waterboard, same BS. Nobody likes SERE training, but to equate that as "torture" in the sense that a Palestinian or Egyptian would manage a prisoner is completely different. There are no fingernails in an Egyptian prison. Go to Egypt, go to a prison and see for yourself.
The people such as KSM, who were selected for aggressive interrogation were the very worst of the worst who were actively planning to attack defenseless citizens in the US. And to spite what the morons back home in the US believe, the interrogation practices worked. And we have been safe for 8 years partly because of that program.
Obama, viewed essentially as an "empty suit" everywhere in the world but here, does us no favors by de-fanging the US.
LL,
I object to torture on primarily two grounds:
First, as a practical matter, it is ineffective. It cannot produce reliable evidence or testimony, as witnessed by the fact that information obtained under torture cannot be used in a court of law. Waterboarding most certainly IS torture - the intent is to cause such intense suffering that the subject is compelled to reveal secrets and testify against himself. If you have indeed suffered waterboarding, you know that either it did not cause sufficient discomfort to force you to reveal anything you didn't want to reveal, or that you would say anything that you believed would make it stop. In either case, it is unreliable.
My second objection is the greater. Torture completely abdicates all moral and ethical high ground, and willingly embraces the embodiment of evil. It is the intentional commission of acute pain or suffering against one who is helpless to resist. It is an act of supreme weakness and cowardice. It damages the body of the tortured, but the soul of the torturer. It is bad karma. The torture ordered and/or enabled by G.W. Bush, Cheney, et al has disgraced and damaged our nation - and, if anything, has further endangered us.
The idea that torture can keep us safe is a myth, and a sad, bitter one at that. We would do much better to light a beacon on a hill, not wade into the depths of depravity to join the worst of our enemies.
There is a difference between aggressive interrogation and torture and the definition seems to be quite subjective.
The goal with aggressive interrogation is not to get information to be used in court. It is all about obtaining information that can be used to prevent an attack.
I personally disagree with torture, which would include electrocution, breaking bones, teeth, extracting fingernails, cutting eyelids, blinding and mutilation.
'nuff said. I believe our positions are clear. Be blessed.
Post a Comment