White House Call For Prosecution Of Torture

BuzzFlash

Wouldn't it be nice... if the White House would release a statement containing these words:

"Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law."

The White House did release a statement starting with these words. But it wasn't from the Obama Administration. No, this statement came on June 26, 2003 -- under the reign of George W. Bush.

Really.

"The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment."

Well, you know how he lies. Of course he may have been referring to heads of state who torture without covering their ass by quasi-legal-sounding flim-flammery that will confuse everybody when he gets caught.

More at the site.

We got 60!

Politico

Specter to switch to Democratic party

Yo, Minnesota Al, go beat the crap outta Coleman and get down to D.C. and take yer seat!

Coleman Update:

Coleman contends that he plans to appeal to the Federal Circuit Court, a Federal Appellate Court and the Supreme court if he loses. If the Supreme Court appeal fails , Coleman will appeal to the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Special Court for Sierra Leone, Special Tribunal for Cambodia and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Ho-hum...

Update el segundo:

The Rude One in "Some Conservatives Discover Their Morality on Torture":

And now with Arlen Specter switching parties to save his political ass, there's a chance for a pandemic of Republican abandonment.

I can live with Specter as a Democrat, but I hope the rest of the Repugs 'abandon' by just running screaming back to wherever they came from. Look out, Repug Moms, better get them bloomers outta the way!

That said, I hope Joe Sestak beats the pants off Specter in a Democratic primary in 2010.

Incoming!

Krugman via Maru:

...

What else did the right oppose recently? I just want enough information to take cover.

Quote of the Day

Fez-head (in toto):

Dear GOP,

You are obstructing the confirmation of a Secretary of HHS during an outbreak of a possible pandemic.

Why do you hate...well, everything that isn't a fetus?

Don't fuck around ...

Listen, we New Yorkers can deal with anything, but to those of us who lost 3000 of our relatives, friends, and neighbors, this was definitely bad form:

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A photo shoot involving an Air Force aircraft and a fighter jet led to hundreds of frightened calls from residents and workers in Lower Manhattan Monday.

The planes flew over Lower Manhattan and in the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty during the 30-minute flight, between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

...

It's an understatement to say we're a little gun shy of low flying jet aircraft. Next time, fucking tell us you're gonna pull some shit like this.

...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he is furious that the federal government flew the planes near Ground Zero. Bloomberg says the flyover so near the World Trade Center site showed "poor judgment" and was insensitive. He says he is furious that the NYPD and another city agency were notified last week, but did not tell him.

...

No fucking shit, twits.

How to Have Fun with the Coming Pandemic

The Rude Pundit is a the kinda guy who likes to stir things up, like running an outboard motor in the punch bowl. Heh.

Hey, kids, swine flu's got you down? Then do what the Rude Pundit does: when life gives you a virus, make virusade. You can use the swine flu outbreak to totally fuck with the nutzoid right and help along their delusional, conspiratorial fantasies about Barack Obama and the federal government. Shit, maybe we can get 'em to the point where they barricade themselves in caves, armed to the teeth, daring the feds to find them. Over at places like Free Republic, they're startin' to get monkeyfuck crazy about the whats and whys. Michelle Malkin has broken out her red, white, and blue 10-inch vibrator that pumps her kooz to the strains of Ted Nugent's "Wango Tango" in order to write how the virus makes the country needs "to get serious" about stronger borders more than ever. Here's a few spreadable rumors to egg 'em on:

I don't doubt that we'll actually hear a few of these from the whackjob right.

Just go see. Total liquid alert!

Flu You, M*****F*****s

Think Progress, links at site:

In Attempt To Placate The Right Wing, Collins and Specter Endorsed Pandemic Flu Funding Cut

On February 5, Karl Rove took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to argue against President Obama's Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act because, in his view, the spending was not targeted to create or preserve jobs. In particular, Rove complained about the fact that the bill included "$900 million for pandemic flu preparations." He contended that such spending was unnecessary because the health care sector "added jobs last year."

Rep. David Obey (D-WI) included the pandemic preparation funding in the package because he believed "that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse." But Rove was not concerned with the actual substance of the funding.

Rather, as Paul Krugman explained at the time, in attempting to oppose and discredit the economic recovery package, conservatives in the media and Republicans in congress aligned themselves around a strategy that amounted to "snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny." Unfortunately, this "snickering" at funding priorities had very real impacts.

Not on Congress. They have the health care plan we should all have. But then it wouldn't be special as befits their lofty positions.

Now, in light of the current outbreak of swine flu, their attempts to placate the conservative wing of their party by standing up against extremely important funding priorities looks extremely shortsighted. Ironically, those ultra conservatives in office who led the fight against the stimulus, like Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), are seeking government assistance in addressing the swine flu outbreak.

Lemme see now, this flu outbreak started in Mexico, right? I think there might be a case or two of it wade across the Rio Grande. Better Goodhair should secede Texas. After all, he doesn't like federal funds and it would be cheaper for the rest of us.

Bwahahahahahaha!

Judge: It's 'high time' to legalize pot

The Raw Story

A judge and Vietnam veteran from Orange County, California is on a publicity crusade to get marijuana legalized.

From NBC San Diego:

Jim Gray is a Vietnam combat veteran who spent 25 years on Orange County's 'bench'. He's riled a lot of anti-drug crusaders with his critiques of America's war on narcotics.

In his view, it's 'high time' -- so to speak -- for another approach to marijuana.

"We would make marijuana less available for our children than it is today," Gray said.
"Why is that? Because alcohol is controlled by the government, and illegal drugs are controlled by drug dealers, and they don't ask for ID. So what's not to like?"

If you're interested in the drug war debate, definitely click through and check out the full interview with Mr. Gray. Here's a recent video of him (uploaded by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) spreading the legalization message on Fox:

Go see.

Like, right on, Your Dudeship.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

MAN IN THE STREET
This Week's Question: Is waterboarding torture?

Tomas de Torquemada, inquisitor:

"No. It is a safe, time-tested method of interrogation."




Vlad the Impaler, impaler:

"Of course not. You want torture? I'll show you torture. My card."




Pol Pot, mass murderer:

"Yes, it's torture. For the person administering it! Borrring."




Idi Amin, cab driver:

"It is if I'm doing it. Hey, you call this a tip?"




Dick Cheney, sportsman:

"No. It is a safe, time-tested method of interrogation."

***

Liz Cheney Defends Harsh Interrogation
Says she was waterboarded and slammed into walls as a child “with no lasting effect.”

Whatever you say, Liz, but maybe ya oughta get that looked at...

Listen to me ...

This weekend, I heard wave upon wave of talking twits on TV say we shouldn't prosecute guys like Yoo and Bybee. Their justification is lawyers shouldn't be prosecuted for doing what they're supposed to do, for giving legal opinions.

Fuck them.

These guys were given a problem: Parse the laws to find some sort of exemption (or muddy the waters enough) to allow torture. These 'lawyers' knew what they were doing. They knew they were giving cover to criminals (see: Bruce Cutler - at least Cutler tried to twist the law in his client's favor after the fact), giving them justification to commit multiple crimes. There should be no cover for them.

Prosecutions should begin with Yoo and Bybee, include Gonzalez and Addington, and end up with Rove, Cheney and Bush. They knew what they were doing was wrong, both morally and criminally, and were looking for an 'end' to justify the means. Anything short of prosecutions will not do.

For once ...

I agree with Bill "The Bloody" Kristol"

... Let's have George Tenet testify. Let's have Mick Hagen testify. Let's have a serious debate, let's have Dick Cheney take on anyone that the left wants to produce about whether we were responsible ...

Yes, let's, Bill. Let's put Cheney, under oath, before a congressional committee.

***

Sill working on the house but we're getting close.

The Hardware Store

This is dedicated to Fixer, who is no stranger to these places.

This is a short spoof of the original music video/song by Weird Al Yankovic made by Connor McCaslin, 7th grader, Lake Travis Middle School, for a theater arts project.

I hope the kid got an A+ for this one!

Thanks to smccaslin.

The Sunday Talk Shows

Thanks to eli0125, Manila.

Inside The Beltway Blues

Taj Mahal ~ The Bourgeois Blues

Thanks to WellExcuuuseMeee.

The Cuckoo's Nest

Filched from Daniel Kurtzman.

"...perverted lawyering and pornographic amorality"

Daddy Frank agrees with me:

In other words, the ticking time bomb was not another potential Qaeda attack on America but the Bush administration’s ticking timetable for selling a war in Iraq; it wanted to pressure Congress to pass a war resolution before the 2002 midterm elections. Bybee’s memo was written the week after the then-secret (and subsequently leaked) “Downing Street memo,” in which the head of British intelligence informed Tony Blair that the Bush White House was so determined to go to war in Iraq that “the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.” A month after Bybee’s memo, on Sept. 8, 2002, Cheney would make his infamous appearance on “Meet the Press,” hyping both Saddam’s W.M.D.s and the “number of contacts over the years” between Al Qaeda and Iraq. If only 9/11 could somehow be pinned on Iraq, the case for war would be a slamdunk.

But there were no links between 9/11 and Iraq, and the White House knew it. Torture may have been the last hope for coercing such bogus “intelligence” from detainees who would be tempted to say anything to stop the waterboarding.

President Obama can talk all he wants about not looking back, but this grotesque past is bigger than even he is. It won’t vanish into a memory hole any more than Andersonville, World War II internment camps or My Lai. The White House, Congress and politicians of both parties should get out of the way. We don’t need another commission. We don’t need any Capitol Hill witch hunts. What we must have are fair trials that at long last uphold and reclaim our nation’s commitment to the rule of law.

And I agree with him.

Watch this! Heh...

Normally I would put something like this at Fixer & Gordon, but this is just too funny and I had to share! I think you will be able to tell almost from the start how this is going to go. I suspect alcohol involvement.

The title of this is 'Prawdziwy kaskader'. 'Kaskader' is Polish for 'stunt men'. One wonders if the rider knew he was one when he let the clutch out...


I think if there's a moral to this story, it's "If you can't start it by yourself, don't ride it. But if you do, make sure there's video!"

Thanks to edzierzoniow.

Addendum:

Speaking of video, I wish we coulda seen the look on the guy's face when he came to three simultaneous "OH SHIT!" moments:

1) When he realized that the grand steaming pile of Polish home-brew under him was not going to turn*, and

2) Also that the throttle of said GSTPOPHB was STUCK!, and

3) His ride was about over and the corollary simultaneity of wondering just how badly it was going to end.

*Don't feel bad, buddy. Nobody coulda turned that thing. Heh.

There's a larger point to be made here as well. As I have said repeatedly, there is an element of politics in everything, and here's the point in that video:

Everybody the world over is pretty much the same as everybody else, even, maybe especially, gearhead bozos like us and those Polish dudes. I woulda felt right at home if I had been there with them when that bomb went off. If ever the people of the world realize this and stop hating each other, the true promise of humankind can commence. I'm not holding my breath.

Saturday Crazy Badass Biker Music Blogging

Thanks to flydguzmon.

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Emmylou Harris, Kieran Kane, and Barry and Holly Tashian perform "When I Found You" with Mark O'Connor and Glenn Worf.

Thanks to BluegrasBanjoLover.

Today's How-To

If things go like we want and due process is applied to our war criminals, this is something we should all know how to do.



Then we need to figure out how long to make the rope so that:

1) Cheney's feet don't hit the ground. We wanta break his neck, not his ankles.
2) His neck snaps cleanly without tearing his head off. That would be bad form.

Then we put the noose just behind his left ear and let 'er drop. If we do it right, his feet will make a quarter turn to the right when he stops.

I'm hearing a lot of right-wing noise that going after these war criminals is 'retribution'. It is most certainly not. It is simply JUSTICE under the LAW.