The CIA Terror Memos - Legal Opinions Redefine Torture, Criminal Acts »
Posted By epiphannyy 7 months, 1 week ago in NewsThe Bush administration’s 2001 declaration of “war on terror” critically—if not irreparably—injured the constitutional soul of America. This nation can no longer look other civilized countries in directly in the eye and unequivocally say it is the moral leader of the “free world.” The recently released CIA “terror memos” demonstrate that during the eight-year presidential tenure of George W. Bush the United States became a nation that subscribed almost exclusively to the base Machiavellian political dogma of “the end justifies the means.” Those who have defended, and continue to defend, the “torture” practices carried out under the Bush administration say they were a necessary weapon in the “war on terror” declared by President Bush after the three September 11, 2001 terror attacks against the United States by the international terrorist organization, al-Qaeda.
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epiphannyy
"I will tell you, I am a liberal; I am a progressive. But, you know what I really am? I am a "bleeding-heart conservative." Yes ...
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epiphannyy7 months, 1 week ago
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FTA:
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From the moment of his capture, the CIA had aggressively interrogated Zubaydah to force his cooperation without much success. The intelligence agency decided to escalate from harsh interrogation methods to “torture” to get him to talk. The agency, however, knew torture is explicitly prohibited by Section 2340A of title 18 of the United States Code; and being fearful of future congressional and media backlash, the agency sought, and received, legal cover from the U.S. Justice Department to violate this law.
The Justice Department first provided the CIA with unlawful “legal cover” on July 24 and July 26, 2002 with verbal torture approval before providing the intelligence agency with written approvals beginning on August 1, 2002. The Justice Department based its criminal decision on information provided to it by the CIA that Zubaydah had information about al-Qaeda but had refused to divulge it. The CIA suggested that more aggressive torture techniques would have to be employed to get him to reveal this information. In its first written August 1, 2002 torture approval memo, the Justice Department informed John Rizzo, the CIA’s Acting General Counsel, that the intelligence agency could torture Zubaydah because:
“ … he is withholding information regarding terrorist networks in the United States or Saudi Arabia and information regarding plans to conduct attacks within the United States or against our interests overseas. Zubaydah has become accustomed to a certain level of treatment and displays no signs of willingness to disclose further information. Moreover, your intelligence indicates that there is currently a level of ‘chatter’ equal to that which preceded the September 11 attacks. In light of the information you believe Zubaydah has and the high level of threat you believe now exists, you wish to move the interrogations into what you have described as an ‘increased pressure phase’.”-
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epiphannyy7 months, 1 week ago
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Continuing FTA:
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The Justice Department then approved the ten interrogation techniques suggested by the CIA to force Zubaydah to give up the information it was seeking:
1. Attention Grasp – grasping the suspect with both hands, “one hand on each side of the coHal’ opening [and] in a controlled and quick motion” drawing the suspect toward the interrogator.
2. Walling – the suspect is placed against a flexible false wall with his heels touching the wall. The interrogator snatches the individual forward and then slams him against the wall. A rolled towel or hood is placed around the head and neck to prevent whiplash. The wall is designed so that a loud noise is made when the suspect is slammed into it inducing shock and surprise in the suspect.
3. Facial Hold – an open palm is placed on either side of the suspect’s face to keep the head immobile.
4. Facial Slap (Insult Slap) – a slap across the face designed to induce humiliation, shock, surprise; something particularly offensive to Arab men.
5. Cramped Confinement – placing the suspect in a confined space that severely restricts his movements, and based upon the size of the space, the suspect is held virtually immobile for 2 to 18 hours.
6. Wall Standing – the suspect is forced to stand four to five feet from a wall with feet spread shoulder width with his arms stretched out in front of him with fingertips touching the wall. The suspect’s entire body weight, therefore, is supported by his fingertips. He cannot move or re-position his hands or feet. The muscle fatigue induced can be excruciating. -
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epiphannyy7 months, 1 week ago
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Continuing FTA:
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7. Stress Positions – a variety is positions which, like wall standing, produce severe muscle fatigue. Two of the positions used on Zubaydah included forcing him to sit on the floor with his legs extended straight out in front of him with his arms raised above his head; and kneeling on the floor with his body leaning back at a 45 degree angle.
8. Sleep Deprivation – deprives a suspect of his normal ability to think and resist; and produces abnormal reactions. The Justice Department authorized that Zubaydah could be deprived of sleep for up to 11 days.
9. Insects Placed In Confinement Box – Zubaydah had an abnormal fear of poisonous insects. The Justice Department authorized that CIA interrogators could place a non-poisonous stinging insect in a cramped box with Zubaydah but lead him to believe the insect was poisonous.
10. Water Boardin – a suspect is bound tightly to a declining board four to seven feet in length with his feet elevated, and a cloth placed over his forehead and eyes. Water is then poured over the cloth as the cloth is lowered to cover the nose and mouth restricting the suspect’s air flow and increasing the level of carbon dioxide his blood. The increased level of carbon dioxide produces a suffocation-drowning effect forcing the suspect not to breathe any water into his lungs. The water pouring continues for 20 to 40 seconds before the cloth is removed and the suspect allowed to take three or four full breaths. The process is repeated, and repeated, and repeated during 20 minute sessions.
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epiphannyy7 months, 1 week ago
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Here's a snipit from the Geneva Convention, of which we're a party to, that outlines the acceptable treatment of prisoners at a time of war. These are guidelines that, up until Bush, were universally accepted in the civilized world as law. Breaking these conventions equate to committing crimes against humanity......crimes that we, ourselves, have prosecuted in previous conflicts.
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Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Adopted on 12 August 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of
International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, held in Geneva
from 21 April to 12 August, 1949
entry into force 21 October 1950
Article 3
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) Taking of hostages;
(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/91.htm -
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gamahuche7 months, 1 week ago
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The US's loss is something akin to a loss of virginity.
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Once its gone it ain't EVER going to come back..
For the entire remaining period of time-future the US will never, ever be able to lead the world from the moral high ground on ANY topic. -
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