Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Why the Blase Attitude about Torture

By Ray McGovern
November 11, 2009

“We’re going to talk about the policy of torture,” the radio producer said when she called me five years ago. “And you’ll have ten minutes to defend your side.”

Read on.
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4 comments:

Unknown said...

Stunning. You'll have 10 minutes to state your side on torture...as if there is another side.
Murder works too for that matter, so does pollution of a river.
When the news came that we were now torturer-apologists/advocates/practitioners I lost my breath.
This is the brand new 21st century and we christen it with a return to the dark ages!?
Harrumph, there were 2 very good reasons why we did NOT elect Bush and Cheney, Bush and Cheney. That they were thrust upon us in an illegal action by our own Supreme Court should have had us up in arms right then and there.
That we didn't stop them before they got started was a grave error, an extreme laziness that brought us all the horrors that followed, that are still flowing through our govt, military, media and corporations.
2009 and the newspaper won't print an op-ed discussing the wretchedness of torture?
A mass brain washing has taken place in our former country and turned it into something obscenely ugly. Until we clean it up, we will suffer.

Wed Nov 11, 06:06:00 PM 2009
cs said...

I,too, have asked how and why we came to this; how and why we allowed a department of government to install a president; how and why we have no conrol over a Congress clearly acting in accord with the dictates of America's controlling corporations, the people be damned.
And how and why have we have taken no steps to correct the catastrophe.
The sad and terrible truth is that there are no steps for us to take. We cannot arm ourselves against our military, our "law enforcement cartel." We cannot "vote" a change. The Supreme Court showed us that. And even when we think we are voting a change, i.e. Obama, we soon learn that the "unseen" regime is still in charge. The Spartacus strategy didn't and won't work nor will the Ghandi/MLKing ever work again. The ruling cartel learned their lessons well. (Just try J-walking!)If we want to step outside the "good citizen" role asssigned to us, we need to get a permit or we need to go to a "free speech zone." We have inch by unobservant inch been herded into an unending maze, and we walk continuously around in it. It is our Hell and our Paradise.

Thu Nov 12, 09:00:00 AM 2009
Anonymous said...

Ray Mc Govern, is one of the un-sung heroes of the 21st century,post 9/11 American landscape.
We have been bullied into silence.The very thought of a "Free Speech Zone" ,should have resulted in charges of treason.
"The ends justify the means" has become the mantra for the New America.At least in the past,the Death Squads,the Torturers,the False Flag Terrorists,that did our "Dirty Work" had the fear of public opinion to at least keep them from advocating their illegal,immoral activities a secret. Now they proudly proclaim them,like the Nazi wannabees they long to be.Our schools have become junior prisons with "zero tollerance" proclaimed as a good thing.Schools used to be a place where you could make a mistake as a child and the teachers and administratrators would try to find out if their was some problem in a young students life that had caused them to act out.When grade school kids are expelled for pointing a chicken patty shapped vaugly like a gun at some one and going bang,then we have a real problem.Many Police have an "Us or Them " attitude,when they used to be part of the community.What were once "Public Servants" are now "Petty Dictators" abusing any small measure of power that WE have given them.Valarie Plames "Outers" should have been charged withrevealing a covert agent during time of war tried and if convicted,executed like any other traitor.We need to send a message to "Our Public Servants"that they work for us,and have sworn an OATH to uphold and defend the Constitution.Al they defend are their own asses, and those of their rich supporters.Rather than indictments for the blatant thievery of our Wall Street Bankers,we give them MORE of OUR money.To big to fail? I don't think so! To big to be legal is more likely.Remember anti-trust laws against monopolies?I'll stop here,I'm getting nauseous at the endless list of crimes against our Country that have become business as usual.When they have sucked us all dry,they will retire outside the Country they have destroyed.

Fri Nov 13, 11:02:00 PM 2009
Bob Charron said...

Some time ago I heard Chris Matthews discussing torture, and he opined that "torture works," because it is a fact that you can get anyone to say 'uncle' by using torture. To Chris this proved that torture works. But all this proves is that you can get anyone to say what you want them to say by using torture. That this does not mean you can get useful intelligence by torture was beyond Chris's mental horizon.

Sat Nov 14, 09:42:00 AM 2009

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