Comments on: Let’s Not Make Torture a Partisan Issue

By: MarkH

MarkH — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:15:29 +0000

This issue reminds me of a slogan Brad Friedman used/uses at his blog (BradBlog.com) when he talks about election integrity: “It’s not about Left and Right. It’s about Right and Wrong.”

By: MarkH

MarkH — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:04:30 +0000

Would any cuts in funding have been directed at the interrogations or GTMO? Not likely. They’d have let building maintenance suffer before cutting that.

No, it appears Goss is just making noises.

The obvious thing is Bushies were running the Executive branch, so the number of Dems exposed would necessarily be very small. If there’s any political hit on this it’s small for Dems.

But, by far the more important thing is the Rule of Law and how we maintain (even the appearance of) having the moral high-ground. It’s hard to claim Exceptionality when you behave like everybody else.

Anyhow, I think it will be good for Repubs to distance themselves from the Bushies. They might not *get* that, but in time they might.

By: MrWhy

MrWhy — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:44:10 +0000

“It’s not rebels that make trouble, but trouble that makes rebels.” - Ruth Messinger

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” -Flannery O’Connor

By: NotJust4Breakfast

NotJust4Breakfast — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:44:20 +0000

I’ve taken to responding to mainstream articles pointing out “Liberals” hot to prosecute torture :

“I am a PROUD disabled cold war vet and I did NOT SIGN UP to defend a Constitution that allows War Crimes to go unpunished and unobjected to. I am NOT a ‘Liberal!’”

They use it as a slur, see? It’s a codeword for “baby killers who hold vigils for serial killers on death row.”

By: rapier

rapier — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:34:48 +0000

“Did not vote to stop CIA funding”

That would have done a lot of good. “Why did you vote against the omnibus bill funding the CIA Jane?

“Because”

By: tjbs

tjbs — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:14:55 +0000

And just one more little thought . Where any of the torture tapes actually SNUFF films?

By: VictorLaszlo

VictorLaszlo — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:14:54 +0000

For me, this has always been a no-brainer. I don’t think I’ve ever thought “if there are Democrats involved, we should get them, too.”

It’s always simply been “let’s find out who was responsible for the torture, and prosecute.”

Republicans seem to think that it’s some kind of “gotcha” when they ‘inform’ us that Democrats may have been involved. Yeah, and your point is…?

By: tjbs

tjbs — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:05:11 +0000

Jane you brain,
And just one more thought this weekend.
I read the torture methods were adjusted as needed.
Interesting.
This Mc Connell pilot, the IT karl side kick could have set up a secure link from gitmo to W.H. No?
So now we know Rummy, Condi and dick approved special treatment for some and were making adjustments.
How fast? Real time with the tortured tortured at the pleasure of the leaders ,via live stream back and forth,for not being deferential enough?
This would be different than the roman coliseum how?

By: tjbs

tjbs — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:19:57 +0000

Jane,
If I may a point or two. It’s not water boarding like surfboarding it’s water torture.
Two things I find that aren’t spoken is there are reported 108 people who died by somehow not having the right answer during torture.
So Bybee ,a sitting Federal Judge ,is an accessory to murder. Nice.
Up to 80% of the Gitmo Guys were innocent ,at the wrong place and time. So we made a mistake.

Do the republicans torture boosters argue to provide mental health resources and reparations to those who are 100% innocent and were water tortured?

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:11:47 +0000

Agreed. Many of us in the progressive internet community begged, pleaded and threatened lawmakers over the torture policies and the illegal wiretapping and we were dismissed as dirty fucking hippies. Now it comes out that at least one key congresscritter was wiretapped, (legally apparently), and now is crying “foul” at the top of her lungs. Best to appoint a non partisan special prosecutor and let him or her follow the facts wherever they go. And when they lead to Pelosi, Reyes, Hoyer, Harman, Reid aned others at least tacitly agreeing to this, (read “rolling over again”), then so be it. Best to remove them from congress before we can move forward.