'Bush's Republican Administration Used Torture Routinely' - REPORT
"Under the chapter "Main Elements of the CIA Detention Program" the subheadings list: "Suffocation by water; prolonged stress standing; beating by use of a collar; beating and kicking; confinement in a box; prolonged nudity; sleep deprivation and use of loud music; exposure to cold temperature/cold water; prolonged use of handcuffs and shackles; threats; forced shaving; deprivation/restricted provision of solid food."
Venture further into the report by the International Committee of the Red Cross and details lay bare the "enhanced interrogation techniques" used on 14 prized captives, including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Excerpts were previously leaked, but the entire 43-page report was made public Monday by author and journalism professor Mark Danner on the website of the New York Review of Books."
"The Star
Forced shaving? This is what qualifies as torture nowadays?
Posted by Adam | 5:55 pm, April 08, 2009
The evidence is there, and in so many other places. And yet still there is no public outcry, and no apparent will in the White House to move on what we know.
Posted by skdadl | 6:42 pm, April 08, 2009
ADAM!! Enforced shaving of a prisoner's head has long been a systematic tool to 'dehumanize' and 'depersonalize' an individual. The Nazi's used it in the concentration camps.
In military terms, recruits are buzz shaved, again to break down the 'individual' in them.
I am slightly ticked off at your comment here ... I am going to guess that you are a Right winger who has NO problem with the torture Bush's goons did at Gitmo?
Posted by leftdog | 7:28 pm, April 08, 2009
Muslim men are usually with a mustache or a beard. That is either cultural or religious.
To have one's beard/mustache removed would cut to the core of his manhood and faith.
Posted by Anonymous | 7:36 pm, April 08, 2009
Well, we have always suspected this and knew about it. What concerns me is the Obama administration's refusal to release the memos.
They seem to be covering something up, something big.
Sexual exploitation and terror? Outright orders of murder? Clear implication of Bush and Cheney and Rummy in this?
is he trying to protect the guilty at the troop level or avoid an civil war at home?
I think he needs release the memos and let justice take its course.
Posted by Mike | 6:57 am, April 09, 2009
ADAM! Torture is WRONG! Period!
What you want to post here is too extreme! The difference between the torture used by the Hussein government and the Bush government is one of 'degree' not of 'substance'. Torture is wrong! Your justification of torture as a normal tool for being in government is both offensive and frankly, sick! How are you any different from the terrorists if you want to live in a country that routinely uses torture techniques!
Posted by leftdog | 12:11 pm, April 09, 2009
My point of the comment which you will not show, is where is your criticism of those kinds of events? You are quick, too quick, to criticize the CIA for cutting some terrorists hair. Where is the outrage about the ceaseless killings of children on their way to school? Where is the outrage over the killings of aid workers? I am not trying to justify the use of torture in any way. My argument is that one should be more upset by the murder children on their way to school, rather than getting in a tizzy about the terrorist that is responsible for their murder having to endure "prolonged stress standing".
And don't try any of the relativistic "how are we different from the terrorists" stuff. There is a difference and you know it.
Posted by Adam | 1:33 pm, April 09, 2009
Adam, I would post your comment if I could take out the film footage link to the clip of actual torture being committed. But the html of the link is built into your comment.
Now ... Adam, if you advocate that we Canadians or our allies the Americans use torture as a matter of course, you ARE NO BETTER THAN A TERRORIST!
"Relativistic" schmelativistic ... you have lowered yourself to THEIR standards! You would utilize THEIR methods! You become, them.
Posted by leftdog | 5:33 pm, April 09, 2009
You honestly can't see the difference between gunning down innocent school children and subjecting a terrorist scumbag to "prolonged stress standing" whatever that is? It is isn't quite like those games where you have to spot the differences between two pictures that are almost exactly the same except for a window in a building missing or something. I think that this is probably something pretty obvious to most people, is it not?
You are twisting yourself into circles trying to continue with that "you are no different than the terrorists" meme.
Would you post the clip if it showed people standing for long periods of time? Or someone having their head shaved when they didn't want it to be? Think about that...
Posted by Adam | 8:12 pm, April 09, 2009
You are clearly obsessed with a world view that divides things into a simplistic ... "we are good - they are bad" duality.
You hate the 'terrorists' because they kill 'children'. You have mentioned that a number of times now in your posts to this thread.
First of all, it is not healthy to live in a 'black-white' or 'good-bad' duality. Ultimately .. you degenerate to the level of those you say you have contempt for.
If you support 'torture lite' as you advocate, what ultimately keeps you from doing the things that the Hussein thugs did with their 'full blown' torture? Once you have crossed the line and decided that 'torture lite' is okay because ... well heck .. it is still NOT as bad a what THEY are doing?
If we in the west truly consider ourselves civilized (and I point out how you mentioned we need to protect our 'civilization' from terrorists) then we need to be CIVILIZED .. and not barbarians who torture because it makes us feel better to inflict pain and suffering on those who would 'destroy' us.
You need to erase ALL of the torture images that you have saved on you computer. It is not healthy to have them. Erase them! Then turn off your computer, go aside, breath some fresh air, and be thankful that we do not live in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Don't obsess on all of this .. it will make you sick in your soul and you will end up okay with being able to inflict pain and misery on those you hate. Even IF that is how they are ... don't lower yourself to their level. Be CIVILIZED!!
Posted by leftdog | 9:26 am, April 10, 2009