Especially if he means what he says: Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey said Wednesday the president doesn’t have the authority to use torture techniques against terrorism suspects, a stance not taken by predecessor Alberto Gonzales and considered key to the nominee’s confirmation. Mukasey repudiated a 2002 memo by then-Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee that said the president has the power to … Read More
White House Leaked Secret Surveillance Info To Fox News; Tipping Off al Qaeda
From the Washington Post: A small private intelligence company that monitors Islamic terrorist groups obtained a new Osama bin Laden video ahead of its official release last month, and around 10 a.m. on Sept. 7, it notified the Bush administration of its secret acquisition. It gave two senior officials access on the condition that the officials not reveal they had … Read More
Public Morality
Globe columnist James Carroll defines the wrong track we’re on: If this nation followed the pattern of its own historic reckoning with the ever unfinished work of public morality, political discourse would be defined by the dual-project of eliminating nuclear weapons and building international structures of peace. Instead, we are paralyzed by a war that no one wants, unable to … Read More
The Torture Regime
Todya’s New York Times covers how the Bush Adminstration covered its ass about torture by changing the definition of torture, telling nobody about the change, and then assuring the American public that it wasn’t breaking any laws. You see, if you get to define the law, then you can’t break it. That was the shell game. But if the Times … Read More
Couric’s Comments Spark National Debate
Couric spoke. Then Goldberg spoke. And then lots of people (including me) spoke. The people at the New York Times blog cover it all. I think these commentors have nailed it: I too experience a profound uneasiness (for all the reasons stated so well above) with the jingoism that too often passes for patriotism these days. As John Prine would … Read More
9/11 Survivor’s Tale Turns Out To Be B.S.
From CBS News: The six-year anniversary is, apparently, when the gloves come off. The New York Times has a brutal take-down of a 9/11 survivor activist whose sob story of lost love and heroic escape in the flames of the crumbling World Trace Center appears to be almost entirely bunk. Tania Head – possibly not even her real name – … Read More
How To Deal With Autistic And Retarded Kids? Tase Them
I wish I was this was a joke: Every time [Rob] woke from this dream, it took him a few moments to remember that he was in his own bed, that there weren’t electrodes locked to his skin, that he wasn’t about to be shocked. It was no mystery where this recurring nightmare came from—not A Clockwork Orange or 1984, … Read More
Terrorizing Your Kids
If the objective is terrorism is to spread terror, then this guy is doing the terrorists’ work. Here’s how he prefaces his "chlidren’s book" (which is really a Flash animation) about terrorism: Dear Concerned AmericanOn September 11, 2001, a most vicious and dangerous enemy attacked our nation and gave a wake up call to every American. Now nearly eight years … Read More
Biden Does Political Seriousness
Sen. Joe Biden, on the GOP’s successful filibuster of legislation restoring habeas corpus for enemy combatants: “As I’ve said before, the terrorists win when we abandon our civil liberties. The way we win is to show them that we can fight this war without changing our character as a nation. I hope the Senate reconsiders this issue once again.” . … Read More
Two Important Bills
I’ve sort of noticed that I’m not as political on this blog lately, and I think that is for three reasons. First of all, there’s the burnout factor. I mean, when you’ve seen all the outrages by this Adminsitration over the past several years — from Iraq to Katrina — then the smaller outrages (which would have been big ten … Read More
Spreading Freedom
Public Approval numbers in Pakistan for a few international political figures … Osama bin Laden (46%) Pervez Musharraf (38%) George W. Bush (9%) And Pakistan is an ally. I think these numbers are more important in the global war on terrorism than the number of Level II Iraqi trained police squads.
Petraeus Asked: Does Victory In Iraq Make Us Safer?
Supposedly, the whole war in Iraq is so that America will be safer. So Senator John Warner (R-VA) cuts to the chase: WARNER: I hope in the recesses of your heart that you know that strategy will continue the casualties, stress on our forces, stress on military families, stress on all Americans. Are you able to say at this time, … Read More
9/11 — Six Years Later
I have nothing to say. I certainly understand the need for memorial services (especially for the families) and, on a day like today, it’s impossible for any of us not to reflect back on the events of 9/11/01. It’s just that nothing can be said that hasn’t already been said. Let’s not turn it in to an annual pageant. Also, … Read More
He’s Back
After remaining silent for 3 years, Osama bin Laden is going to post an online video to mark the 6th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, according to news reports. For you kids out there, a little history: bin Laden and his organization, al Qaeda, were responsible for the 9/11 attacks Saddam Hussein in Iraq wasn’t None of the hijackers were … Read More
Feel Safe Yet?
Our Air Force misplaced five nuclear warheads. Mistakes by U.S. Air Force personnel left five nuclear warheads unaccounted for during a three-hour period on Aug. 30, according to Army Times. The paper, a fellow Gannett publication, cites anonymous sources who say that five Advanced Cruise Missiles were mistakenly loaded on a B-52 bomber that flew from a base in North … Read More