Immunize Me And I’ll Sing Like A Bird, Testify Until I Get Laryngitis, And Move On A Remade Redeemed Man.
It is becoming apparent in the news and private conversations that we have a new game in Washington DC. How many of you remember the old TV quiz show “Truth or Consequences”? Well, our new game is called “Truth Without Consequences”. First you receive a grant of “below the beltway” immunity; then you tell the truth, or as much as is required, followed by writing a book and hitting the talk show and lecture circuits. Not a bad deal huh? You get off the hook; make the big bucks and Congress gets to go around bragging about getting to the truth so the same corruption cannot happen again, as the best they could do. It is becoming Gin clear that the more that is revealed the greater the grants of protective immunity will become.
http://wbx.me/l/?u=http://blog.amnestyusa.org/waronterror/those-torture-memos/
Will Obama Ruling Allow CIA Whistleblowers to Step Forward?
by Ralph Lopez
Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 11:45:22 AM PDT
The tortures described in the long-awaited memos are obviously the tip of the iceberg, as obviously as they reek of pure sadism. Putting an insect in with you in a coffin-like box to exploit your fear of insects? Specifically approved by Yoo? These are some sick puppies. Winston in Orwell’s "1984" was afraid of rats. It’s clear that Yoo/Gonzales read that book, and liked what they read.
The old "but Bush thought he had to do it because he was trying to prevent another 9/11" bromide is wearing a little thin. In case after case, these things happened to men who committed the crime of being worth $10,000 to the Pakistani ISI. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s old Chief of Staff, said the real reason the innocent were not released, after we realized they were innocent, was that Bush realized he had a political problem. In sweeping up many of the wrong guys, he made a mistake. Letting them go would mean admitting to a mistake, and we know how well Bush entertains that idea.
Some applaud the Obama Administration for striking the right balance. Others say immunity is not as broad as some think. Still, others say the President hasn’t gone far enough.
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Pelosi Supports Committee to Probe Causes of Meltdown
Washington Post - United States
By Paul Kane House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has endorsed a proposal to create a special congressional committee to investigate the causes of the ...
See all stories on this topic
Firedoglake » What’s “Insect Jay” Bybee Doing These Days? Sitting ...
By Jane Hamsher
It seems being dumb as a pet rock was a mandatory requirement for employment in the Bush/Cheney criminal cabal, and now has been elevated to being the top requirement for membership in the Repug party. ... Impeach Bybee Now. Reply. cinnamonape April 16th, 2009 at 7:05 pm. 41. In response to billybugs @ 28. Many caterpillars are extremely toxic (to everyone), and some people have extreme allergic reactions to some that are innocuous to other people. ...
Firedoglake - http://firedoglake.com/
The Reality-Based Community: Bybee's Torture Memo: Time to Impeach?
By Jonathan Zasloff
Regardless of the Obama Administration's decision on prosecution, then, impeachment hearings and a Senate trial for Bybee would signal a necessary reassertion of Congresional authority and would ensure at least some minimal ...
The RBC - http://www.samefacts.com/
Uncommon Priors » Impeach Bybee NOW.
By Paul Gowder
Bruce Ackerman says impeach Jay Bybee for his crimes in the torture memos. I say YES. He betrayed not only human decency and the values of his country but also the rule of law and the legal system and the constitution and the legal ...
Uncommon Priors - http://uncommon-priors.com/
Gavel Grab » Impeach Judge Bybee? (continued)
By Bert Brandenburg
In the wake of the release of Justice Department memos about detainee treatment, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow was the latest to talk about impeaching Judge Jay Bybee, a former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel who wrote ...
Gavel Grab - http://www.gavelgrab.org/
Nadler Requests Special Prosecutor for Torture
Bush's Hypocrisy on War Crimes
Naomi Klein HopeOver, HopeLash, HopeBreak: A Lexicon of Disappointment
Steele: Sarah Palin One of GOP's Top Leaders
Napolitano Apologizes to Veterans
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/16/napolitano_apologizes_to_veter.html?wprss=44
By Spencer S. Hsu
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano apologized today to U.S. military veterans who took offense at being mentioned in a domestic intelligence report that concluded that a declining economy and the nation's political climate could fuel a resurgence of right-wing extremism, saying any slight was unintended.
In the report, dated April 7 but begun last year, the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence section stated, "The return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
A footnote that defined rightwing extremist groups as primarily hate-oriented or anti-government also stated, "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
Acknowledging criticism by veterans' groups, Napolitano said yesterday on CNN, "I apologize for that offense. It was certainly not intended."
She told Fox News, "If there's one part of that report I would rewrite, in the word-smithing, Washington-ese that goes on after the fact, it would be that footnote."
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) the top Republican on the House intelligence committee, asked the director of national intelligence's ombudsman to investigate the report for "evidence of unsubstantiated conclusions and political bias."
Oh My…The Right Wing Is Upset Here In Virginia.
For Immediate Contact: Alex Rosenwald
April 17th, 2009
(703) 383-0880
“The American people have a right to know why the Department of Homeland Security is drafting political documents, by what process these documents were drafted, who was responsible for writing them, and who authorized it.” —ALG President Bill Wilson.
ALG Files FOIA Request On DHS “Right-Wing Extremism” Memo,
Calls Department Investigation a “Witch Hunt”
April 17th, 2009, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today filed a Freedom of Information request demanding all documents related to the drafting of the controversial “right-wing extremism” memo.
“The American people have a right to know why the Department of Homeland Security is drafting political documents, by what process these documents were drafted, who was responsible for writing them, and who authorized it,” said Wilson.
Wilson believes that the memo “deliberately and unjustly targets mainstream political constituencies and unjustly labels their beliefs as 'extremist.'”
“The American people are not the enemy,” Wilson declared. “The only thing extreme is a government agency using the power of law to create boogeymen.”
In defining “rightwing extremism,” the Department of Homeland Security memo targets “groups, movements, and adherents… that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority” and “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”
Said Wilson, “The memo describes beliefs held by millions, I believe a vast majority, of Americans as 'extremist,' and promises to work with 'its state and local partners over the next several months' to determine the extent and factors driving this purported 'rise.'”
“It is apparent that DHS is monitoring political speech and thought, whether on the Internet or via other forms of communications,” said Wilson.
Wilson says that the memo makes the accusations all the more chilling by not saying which groups are being investigated. “What is so disturbing, and why Americans across the country should be alarmed, is that the memo does not mention any specifics as to what groups or individuals are currently being investigated.”
Wilson notes that in similar memos, the names of terrorist organizations are often listed with specificity.
“It is unclear what, exactly, the Department is actually investigating in this case. It lists numerous potential motivations, mostly ideological, for violent acts, but does not illuminate on any actual planned attacks or any groups known to be planning attacks, or any groups with histories of perpetrating attacks that are currently conducting any types of operational recruitment, meeting, or planning attacks,” said Wilson.
“Which is, by definition, a witch hunt,” Wilson concluded.
Enclosed Materials:
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request to Department of Homeland Security
Interview Availability: Please contact Alex Rosenwald at (703)383-0880 or at arosenwald@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
Justice yesterday promised CIA officials who used waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics on terror suspects they won’t be prosecuted, The Associated Press’ Jennifer Loven and Devlin Barrett relate — as The Washington Post’s Carrie Johnsonand Julie Tate have the administration simultaneously releasing four Bush-era legal memos detailing practices critics have likened to torture. Spain’s attorney general yesterday urged against an investigating magistrate’sprobe of six former U.S. officials implicated in alleged Guantanamo torture, Reuters’ Jason Webb relates.
Spooky: “The release of these memos may cripple Obama’s relations with the clandestine service — or not,” Time Magazine’s Joe Klein ambivalently blogs — and read ex-CIA boss Michael Hayden and former-A.G. Michael Mukasey’s more assured reaction in The Wall Street Journal. Intellicrats say they have added safeguards to prevent NSA from unlawfully spying on U.S. citizens after a routine check “detected issues that raised concerns,” CNN’s Jeanne Meserve andPam Benson report — as the Post’s Ellen Nakashima has the DHS cybersecurity review exploring Bush-era technical avenues that had raised privacy issues.
Fifth columnists: “In the middle of a storm of controversy over a DHS report that mentioned disgruntled veterans as a possible security threat, two major veterans’ groups are staying calm,” The Navy Times’ Rick Maze leads: The document is “a threat assessment, not an accusation,” a VFW statement judges — while AMVETS calls the report “a wake-up call that we need to ensure our veterans are cared for once we come home.” The Washington Times, however, finds it “a sad commentary on our politically correct government that Muslim Arabs cannot be profiled as potential extremists while our own veterans are.” DHS’s civil liberties shop had problems with some of the language in the report, AP’s Eileen Sullivanlearns — while Reason, finally, offers an illuminating self-quiz: “Are You a Terrorist?”
Enough Already…Take A Break And Go See A Movie!
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