Feb 11th, 2011
When former Vice President and architect of the Iraq debacle Dick Cheney appeared at last year's CPAC, he was greeted with uniform adulation. Not so yesterday at the 2011 gathering. He got at least a little bit of what he deserves. There was a bit of a dust up caused by the Ron Paul wing in attendance. One member of the audience can be heard quite clearly yelling the words "war criminal."
He is one after all.
Cheney's presence appears to have been intended as a crowd whipping surprise. He had been brought in to present former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with the confab's annual "Defender of the Constitution Award." Even the John Birch Society is appalled at Rumsfeld's receipt of the award.
Showing posts with label war cimes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war cimes. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Rumsfeld - Not To Be Trusted Ever
Feb 9th, 2011
Let's skip the fact that Donald Rumsfeld is a war criminal. Let's even skip a detailed analysis of his once having been not just an advisor to but an apologist for Saddam Hussein.
He has now signed onto the latest Big Lie of the American right.
He has endorsed the Beckian delusion that a new Grand Caliphate could possibly ascend successfully across the planet.
As one of the principal architects of the longest, the 2nd most expensive and the most unnecessary war in the in the history of our country, he said in early November of 2002 that it would take "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."
In the face of Iraqi rage amidst the utter chaos resulting from his policies and the killing and maiming of thousands of Iraqi women and children, he said he was "surprised" and did not "expect" it.
Donald Rumsfeld is a notoriously vicious and stupid liar. Most importantly, he has proven to be his generation's most incompetent analyst.
The whole of his career since has been spent excusing himself due to an inability to predict events geo-politically.
He has spent the last seven years saying he never saw any of it coming.
He is not to be listened to now.
He is not to be trusted.
Ever.
 |
He has now signed onto the latest Big Lie of the American right.
He has endorsed the Beckian delusion that a new Grand Caliphate could possibly ascend successfully across the planet.
As one of the principal architects of the longest, the 2nd most expensive and the most unnecessary war in the in the history of our country, he said in early November of 2002 that it would take "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."
In the face of Iraqi rage amidst the utter chaos resulting from his policies and the killing and maiming of thousands of Iraqi women and children, he said he was "surprised" and did not "expect" it.
Donald Rumsfeld is a notoriously vicious and stupid liar. Most importantly, he has proven to be his generation's most incompetent analyst.
The whole of his career since has been spent excusing himself due to an inability to predict events geo-politically.
He has spent the last seven years saying he never saw any of it coming.
He is not to be listened to now.
He is not to be trusted.
Ever.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The So-Called Liberal Media
Dec 29th, 2010
Here is a tale of two videos. Well, one video really. It is shown in two different ways and to very, very different ends. It is but a single example of our major news organization's complicity in keeping the public uniformed. It is also typical. The first media embed is from CBS News coverage of a few seconds from the helicopter gunship recording that put Wikileaks on the map. Watch please...
Did you see the obvious war crime caught on tape? Neither did most people who watched good old "liberal" CBS for information on the release of the video.
Now, please watch the second video...
The CBS coverage is questionable in the extreme. The highly respected Namir Noor Eldeen is not mentioned by name. There is no mention that the American soldiers mis-identified a 10" camera lens as an RPG-7, an item roughly 3 feet longer when unloaded. There is no mention that the soldiers involved lied and stipulated that it was a "battle" with insurgents. There is no mention that there were children on the scene when the helicopter gunships engaged a second time in an attempt to kill the wounded (a war crime under Common Article 3 of The Geneva Conventions) and those who attempted to provide them assistance (a war crime under Common Articles 9, 12 and 15 of The Geneva Conventions).
The money quote from the network's 90 second story:
"Now it appears from the tape that at least some of those hit on the ground were unarmed, but a journalist who was in the general area that same days says it is important for all of us to remember it was a hectic, violent and uneasy day."
Excuse me? The second wave of unprovoked fire wounded rescuers and two children almost killing them. It is as clear a record of a war crime that we have seen here at home from our Iraq misadventure. Yet, CBS chose to carry the water for our military in it's attempts to cover up the incident and diminish public anger.
The network should be ashamed. To be fair, guys like Murrow and Cronkite wouldn't be caught dead working for them now. And that's the way it is.
Here is a tale of two videos. Well, one video really. It is shown in two different ways and to very, very different ends. It is but a single example of our major news organization's complicity in keeping the public uniformed. It is also typical. The first media embed is from CBS News coverage of a few seconds from the helicopter gunship recording that put Wikileaks on the map. Watch please...
Did you see the obvious war crime caught on tape? Neither did most people who watched good old "liberal" CBS for information on the release of the video.
Now, please watch the second video...
The CBS coverage is questionable in the extreme. The highly respected Namir Noor Eldeen is not mentioned by name. There is no mention that the American soldiers mis-identified a 10" camera lens as an RPG-7, an item roughly 3 feet longer when unloaded. There is no mention that the soldiers involved lied and stipulated that it was a "battle" with insurgents. There is no mention that there were children on the scene when the helicopter gunships engaged a second time in an attempt to kill the wounded (a war crime under Common Article 3 of The Geneva Conventions) and those who attempted to provide them assistance (a war crime under Common Articles 9, 12 and 15 of The Geneva Conventions).
The money quote from the network's 90 second story:
"Now it appears from the tape that at least some of those hit on the ground were unarmed, but a journalist who was in the general area that same days says it is important for all of us to remember it was a hectic, violent and uneasy day."
Excuse me? The second wave of unprovoked fire wounded rescuers and two children almost killing them. It is as clear a record of a war crime that we have seen here at home from our Iraq misadventure. Yet, CBS chose to carry the water for our military in it's attempts to cover up the incident and diminish public anger.
The network should be ashamed. To be fair, guys like Murrow and Cronkite wouldn't be caught dead working for them now. And that's the way it is.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Continuing Rebuttal of Marc Thiessen
March 10th, 2010
Matthew Alexander, a former senior military interrogator who publishes under a pseudonym for security reasons, has written a caustic review of Marc Thiessen's recently released and garishly pro-torture manifesto:
As Thiessen continues his attacks on not just the rule of law but traditional morality as well, another voice has added itself to his growing chorus of detractors. This one is conservative author and editor, Conor Friedersdorf who argues that it is irresponsible for editors to even publish his work for it's lack of quality:
"The readers who propelled him onto the New York Times bestseller list can be forgiven if they’re not knowledgeable about United States law, the military code of conduct, or devastating counterarguments that require a bit of outside knowledge. But the editors who willingly publish this man again and again, despite the poor quality of his work and his inability to answer his strongest critics, are being negligent and unprofessional."
Thiessen, on The Daily Show last night, was skewered:
Matthew Alexander, a former senior military interrogator who publishes under a pseudonym for security reasons, has written a caustic review of Marc Thiessen's recently released and garishly pro-torture manifesto:
"My gut reaction on reading Marc Thiessen's new book, Courting Disaster, was: "Why is a speechwriter who's never served in the military or intelligence community acting as an expert on interrogation and national security?"
Certainly, everyone is entitled to a voice in the debate over the lawfulness and efficacy of President Bush's abusive interrogation program, regardless of qualifications. But if you're not an expert on a subject, shouldn't you interview experts before expressing an opinion? Instead, Thiessen relies solely on the opinions of the CIA interrogators who used torture and abuse and are thus most vulnerable to prosecution for war crimes."
Certainly, everyone is entitled to a voice in the debate over the lawfulness and efficacy of President Bush's abusive interrogation program, regardless of qualifications. But if you're not an expert on a subject, shouldn't you interview experts before expressing an opinion? Instead, Thiessen relies solely on the opinions of the CIA interrogators who used torture and abuse and are thus most vulnerable to prosecution for war crimes."
As Thiessen continues his attacks on not just the rule of law but traditional morality as well, another voice has added itself to his growing chorus of detractors. This one is conservative author and editor, Conor Friedersdorf who argues that it is irresponsible for editors to even publish his work for it's lack of quality:
"The readers who propelled him onto the New York Times bestseller list can be forgiven if they’re not knowledgeable about United States law, the military code of conduct, or devastating counterarguments that require a bit of outside knowledge. But the editors who willingly publish this man again and again, despite the poor quality of his work and his inability to answer his strongest critics, are being negligent and unprofessional."
Thiessen, on The Daily Show last night, was skewered:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Marc Thiessen Extended Interview Pt. 1 | ||||
| ||||
Saturday, March 6, 2010
It's Called Torture
March 6th, 2010
In a case that could prove to be dynamite in the Torture Debate, US District Judge Wayne Andersen ruled that the torture claims of two US citizens who served as contractors in Iraq may go forward in their suit against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Again, the allegation is that two United States citizens, one a Navy veteran, were tortured by our own forces.
From the linked story:
"The men claimed they were subjected to sleep and food deprivation, threats of violence, actual violence (emphasis added) and prolonged solitary confinement, according to yesterday’s ruling. Andersen said if those claims were true, “a court might plausibly determine that the conditions of confinement were torturous.” "
In a case that could prove to be dynamite in the Torture Debate, US District Judge Wayne Andersen ruled that the torture claims of two US citizens who served as contractors in Iraq may go forward in their suit against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Again, the allegation is that two United States citizens, one a Navy veteran, were tortured by our own forces.
From the linked story:
"The men claimed they were subjected to sleep and food deprivation, threats of violence, actual violence (emphasis added) and prolonged solitary confinement, according to yesterday’s ruling. Andersen said if those claims were true, “a court might plausibly determine that the conditions of confinement were torturous.” "
Friday, February 19, 2010
There Aren't Different Versions Of The Truth
Feb 19th, 2010
by F. Grey Parker
On Friday November 12th 1948, General Kenji Doihara, Baron Kōki Hirota, General Seishirō Itagaki, General Heitarō Kimura, General Iwane Matsui, General Akira Muto, General Hideki Tōjō were sentenced to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Primary amongst the actions for which they had been convicted were the torturous methods with which they interrogated prisoners. One of the principle tools was called the "water cure" otherwise known as waterboarding.
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