Clipmarks | Gwot Clips

New CBS/NYT Polls Asks about Iraq

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:29:40 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: More comments from troops;

What I can't believe (0.00 / 0)
is that ONLY 53 percent now realize that Iraq has nothing to do with the "GWOT." That's pretty depressing actually. After everything we know now, you would expect that percentage to be closer to 80, at least--well, I would...

Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com

by: Brandon Friedman

Wed Sep 17

Among other things, the new CBS/New York Times survey found the following:

Still, most Americans continue to think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq in the first place, and 53 percent now say the war in Iraq is not a part of the war on terrorism -- more than ever before.

I guess these things become clearer when the casualty rate in Afghanistan skyrockets while Pakistan falls apart. Go figure.

Why are the polls so close? (0.00 / 0)

If most Americans do not agree with the war in Iraq the what the hell is wrong with them for still voting for McCain??? He claims to have all this experience about winning wars and bringing us victory. If that's true then why is it 5 yrs later and still no "victory"? McCain sold his soul to George Bush. Bring back McCain 2000!

Tags: cbs, iraq

Only 8% of Guantánamo detainees alleged to be al-Qaeda...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:31:58 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: ... and 55% are "not alleged to have engaged in any hostile act" against the US. 95% were turned in by bounty hunters seeking rewards, not captured on the battlefield. How is this justifiable?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Madness and Shame

By BOB HERBERT

“After reviewing 517 of the Guantánamo detainees’ cases in depth,” she said, “they concluded that only 8 percent were alleged to have associated with Al Qaeda. Fifty-five percent were not alleged to have engaged in any hostile act against the United States at all, and the remainder were charged with dubious wrongdoing, including having tried to flee U.S. bombs. The overwhelming majority — all but 5 percent — had been captured by non-U.S. players, many of whom were bounty hunters.”

“One source of ideas,” she wrote, “was the popular television show ‘24.’ On that show as Ms. Mayer noted, “torture always worked. It saved America on a weekly basis.”

I felt as if I was in Never-Never Land as I read: “In conversation with British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands, the top military lawyer in Guantánamo, Diane Beaver, said quite earnestly that Jack Bauer ‘gave people lots of ideas’ as they sought for interrogation models.”

Tags: guantanamo, human_rights, gwot, civil_rights

Christianity Today on torture

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:12:54 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: David Gushee for the evangelical Christian magazine Christianity Today on five theological grounds for the unequivocal and universal condemnation of torture by Christians, and why, from a Christian perspective, no exceptional circumstances can ever justify the use of torture. From February 2006.

Clip Source: www.christianitytoday.com

5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong

And why there should be no exceptions.

Clip Source: www.christianitytoday.com

Furthermore, while all "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment of detainees has been officially rejected by the administration (under pressure from Sen. John McCain and others), it is not clear who defines when treatment crosses that line. It also remains unclear how much latitude those on the front lines of interrogation have, and if and how they would be held accountable if they were to cross the line. In other words, there remain a number of loopholes for torture to be practiced in the war on terror.

Yet the prohibition on torture in international law admits no exceptions. The U.N. Convention Against Torture puts it this way: "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for torture."

Tags: torture, religion, christianity, evangelicalism, commentary, opinion, gwot, violence, rels327

Homepage of the National Religious Campaign against Torture

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:00:54 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: This group has achieved some visibility by distributing simple black banners with the words "torture is wrong" to houses of worship.

Clip Source: www.nrcat.org

Torture is a Moral Issue Sign the Statement of Conscience

Tell the President: Ban Torture

Lobby Against Torture

Investigate US Interrogation Practices

Tell your Congressperson that we need to investigate U.S. interrogation practices and the treatment of detainees. Click here to access our form letter.

Take Action

Urge the presidential candidates and both political parties to include planks rejecting torture in their party platforms.

Tags: torture, activism, religion, christianity, interfaith, violence, gwot

California State Legislature instructs health-care licensing boards to condemn torture

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:39:34 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: California licensing boards are instructed to inform doctors and other health-care workers holding state licensures that any involvement or complicity in torture or coercive interrogations may result in prosecution.

Clip Source: www.afsc.org

News Release

CALIFORNIA BECOMES FIRST STATE
TO CONDEMN USE OF TORTURE IN ‘WAR ON TERROR’

Senate Joint Resolution 19 instructs the state’s licensing boards to inform California doctors, psychologists and other health professionals of their obligations under national and international law relating to torture. The boards will warn the licensees that they may one day be subject to prosecution if they participate in interrogations that do not conform to international standards of treatment of prisoners.

“As professional licensure and codes of ethics are regulated by states, California has the obligation to notify members of laws concerning torture that may result in their prosecution,” said Ridley-Thomas.

“No government has the authority to legalize torture,” Miles added

“Torture is much more than a political issue,” Ridley-Thomas said. “It is an ethical, moral and spiritual issue that has not only become a shame, but it is an evil in our midst.”

Tags: torture, california, states_rights, politics, gwot, law, health, quakerism, christianity, religion

DHS: Federal border agents can "detain" your computer indefinitely, without cause

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:59:31 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Federal security agents can confiscate anyone's laptop or any information storage device (including any and all papers you're travelling with), share the contents with any third party they wish, and keep the material indefinitely, without cause.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border

No Suspicion Required Under DHS Policies

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The policies cover "any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form," including hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Jayson P. Ahern said the efforts "do not infringe on Americans' privacy."

Tags: computers, gwot, civil_rights, privacy, travel, dhs, news

War on Terrorism is a Pretext

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:24:57 GMT

clipped by: oldephartte
clipper's remarks: Do you remember the changing list of reasons for going to Iraq ? WMD investigators said they hadn't found any both before and after Occupation.Did you know the U.S. has sent forces and weapons into Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan for years and years ? Now there are many 'Super Bases' in Iraq and 'terrorism' is worse. Something's not right.

Clip Source: existentialistcowboy.blogspot.com

Perhaps because it is still, basically, a conservative think tank, a favorite of the Pentagon, Rand has not stated the obvious conclusion: Bush's 'war on terrorism' failed because Bush never intended that it succeed. It's a smokescreen, a pre-text by which his administration might justify the theft of Iraqi oil [See: OIL] and every Constitutional abuse put forward in the US Patriot Act. [See: Patriot Act Provision Declared Unconstitutional]

Tags: gwot smoke_and_mirrors

The return of COINTELPRO: spying on dissenters in the name of freedom

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:39:05 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A truly creepy story. An anti-death-penalty activist (and sportswriter) describes how his group was infiltrated by an undercover agent who described members as "anarchist" and "socialist," even after it was obvious that the group was engaging in no dangerous or illegal activities.

Clip Source: ny.metro.us

In the eye of homeland security

In classified reports compiled by the Maryland State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, I am “Dave Z.” This nickname was given by an undercover agent known to us as “Lucy.” She sat in our meetings of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, smiling and engaged, taking copious notes about actions deemed threatening by the former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Our seditious crimes, as Lucy reported, involved such acts as planning to set up a table at the local farmers market and writing a petition.

Former police superintendent Tim Hutchins defended these totalitarian practices in the Washington Post saying, “You do what you think is best to protect the general populace of the state.” But protect the general populace from what? The surveillance continued even after it was determined that we were planning nothing more dangerous than carrying clipboards in a public place.

Tags: domestic_spying, gwot, bad_news, commentary, civil_rights

"Fusion centers": another step on the road to the "total surveillance society"

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:35:59 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A "fusion center" is a domestic intelligence-gathering facility which involves police, federal agencies, the military, and in some cases also private contractors in gathering as much data as possible about people suspected of undefined "illicit activity." No chance of abuse there, of course. None.

Clip Source: www.progressive.org

ACLU Highlights Risk of “Fusion Centers”

On the heels of the Maryland State Police spying scandal, the ACLU is ringing the alarms over “fusion centers.”

The fusion centers represent an attempt to create a “total surveillance society,” the update says.

It notes that the LAPD fed into its fusion center an array of ““suspicious activity reports” that included such innocuous activities as “taking notes” or “drawing diagrams” or “using binoculars.” (Since one out of six Americans is a birdwatcher, this last item could really swell the files.)

Frighteningly, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has called the LAPD program “a national model.”

The ACLU notes that “other illicit intention” is not defined, and that fusion centers are fed intelligence before “reasonable suspicion” is established.

For those living in Virginia, it’s already too late: The Virginia General Assembly passed a law in April 2008 exempting the state’s fusion center from the Freedom of Information Act.

Tags: domestic_spying, civil_rights, law, politics, gwot, bad_news, commentary

Pew Forum interview on religion in the military

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:04:25 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A short interview with Robert Tuttle of Georgetown; focuses primarily (but not exclusively) on the legal issues associated with the chaplaincy

Clip Source: pewresearch.org

PewResearchCenter Publications

Organized Religion's Role in the Military

U.S. Army Chaplain Dan Knight speaks during a Sept. 2002 service in Afghanistan. The military chaplaincy occupies a unique place under the Constitution's Establishment Clause.

Over the past few years, several controversies over religion's role in the military have arisen. Most recently, students and staff at the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point have complained of pressure from their supervisors to engage in religious activities. Three years earlier, similar allegations surfaced at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Other controversies have arisen over whether military chaplains may offer faith-specific prayers at official military events. With cadets, military officers and chaplains asserting competing constitutional rights, these disputes have raised complicated questions. To clarify these issues, the Pew Forum turned to church-state scholar Robert W. Tuttle.

Tags: interview, religion, christianity, military, islam, gwot, rels327

"They Have Names": memorials for soldiers

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:03:18 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Extensive profiles and photos of individual soldiers.

Clip Source: theyhavenames.com

Welcome to They Have Names, dedicated to the memory of our fallen soldiers. Please understand that any donations received are welcome, but are not tax-deductible. Any money collected is used to send special coins to the family members of these fallen heroes. Each coin costs approximately $16 to purchase, inscribe and ship. Here are some (terrible) pictures of the FRONT and BACK of the coins. If you'd like us to honor your Fallen Hero, please contact Sue Tottle (sue[at]theyhavenames.com) or CJ Grisham (cj[at]theyhavenames.com)

This Week's Hero

Name: Jason R. Arnette
Rank: SSG
Service: Army
State: Virginia
Killed on: 1 April 2007

"It's funny how things roll in your direction when you think everything is all good in the hood. Life can switch momentum on you in a flash but don't let it get you down as long as you can do something about it." - Jason Arnette in an email to his sister.

Tags: war, military, violence, memorial, death, iraq, gwot

Suicide bomber attacks Indian Embassy in Kabul

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:16:44 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: If India is drawn into direct or proxy conflict with the Taliban (and by extension Pakistan's ISI), the results could be very explosive.

Clip Source: www.atimes.com

Now it's war against India in Afghanistan

By Sudha Ramachandran

BANGALORE - The suicide bomber who crashed an explosive-laden car into the Indian Embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday not only killed 41 people and injured more than 140, he sent a powerful message to Delhi that its significant presence and growing influence in Afghanistan through its reconstruction projects are now in the firing line.

Among the dead were four Indians, including Defense Attache Brigadier R D Mehta, diplomat Venkateswara Rao and two guards at the embassy, who were personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police - a paramilitary outfit. The attack is said to be among the deadliest in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

India and Afghanistan enjoy a close relationship nowadays, a matter that irks their common neighbor and traditional foe, Pakistan.

Tags: news, bad_news, afghanistan, middle_east, india, south_asia, gwot

Nicholas Kristof calls for a U.S. Truth and Reconciliation commission

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:12:46 GMT

clipped by: enbar

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The Truth Commission

When a distinguished American military commander accuses the United States of committing war crimes in its handling of detainees, you know that we need a new way forward.

“There is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes,” Antonio Taguba, the retired major general who investigated abuses in Iraq, declares in a powerful new report on American torture from Physicians for Human Rights. “The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.”

The first step of accountability isn’t prosecutions. Rather, we need a national Truth Commission to lead a process of soul searching and national cleansing.

That was what South Africa did after apartheid, with its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and it is what the United States did with the Kerner Commission on race and the 1980s commission that examined the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Tags: gwot, politics, law, opinion, commentary

"Believe me, it's torture": Christopher Hitchens gets waterboarded

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:07:05 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Hitchens decided to experience waterboarding for himself. He lasts about twenty seconds and describes having nightmares and panic attacks ever since. Also check the video at http://snipr.com/2sv2d

Clip Source: www.vanityfair.com

The author catches his breath after undergoing his first waterboarding session. Photographs by Gasper Tringale.

Believe Me, It’s Torture

by Christopher Hitchens

You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it “simulates” the feeling of drowning. This is not the case. You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning—or, rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure. The “board” is the instrument, not the method. You are not being boarded. You are being watered. This was very rapidly brought home to me when, on top of the hood, which still admitted a few flashes of random and worrying strobe light to my vision, three layers of enveloping towel were added. In this pregnant darkness, head downward, I waited for a while until I abruptly felt a slow cascade of water going up my nose.

I don’t want to tell you how little time I lasted.

Tags: torture, gwot, journalism, violence

Breaking: David Addington appears before Congress, acts like a jerk

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:30:29 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A very strange little piece. Addington was subpoenaed before Congress and, along with John Yoo, pushed to new limits the practice of obfuscating the Congress in their attempts to exercise supervisory authority.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

When Anonymity Fails, Be Nasty, Brutish and Short

David Addington, left, under subpoena, and John Yoo, back by popular demand. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

David Addington was there under subpoena. And he wasn't happy about it.

Could the president ever be justified in breaking the law? "I'm not going to answer a legal opinion on every imaginable set of facts any human being could think of," Addington growled. Did he consult Congress when interpreting torture laws? "That's irrelevant," he barked. Would it be legal to torture a detainee's child? "I'm not here to render legal advice to your committee," he snarled. "You do have attorneys of your own."

He sure was. When John Conyers (D-Mich.) inquired about Addington's pet legal concept, a "unitary executive theory" that confers extreme powers on the president, Addington dished out disdain.

"I frankly don't know what you mean by unitary theory," Addington replied.

Tags: politics, bushies, conservatives, law, gwot, wierd