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The Horror Of The Bush Years
Eschaton —
Official Washington will never let their beautiful minds be bothered this stuff, but for 8 years we've been ruled by very bad people who have committed numerous criminal atrocities. But, in the Village, the only thing politicians and high level political appointees should be punished for is putting their winkies where they shouldn't. ...
In Our Names
TalkLeft —
Read Glenn Greenwald discussing the affidavit of former Gitmo military commissions prosecutor Darrell J Vandeveld (PDF) in support of the habeas petition of Mohamad Jawad (here is the habeas brief prepared by the ACLU), held in Gitmo for more than 6 years, since he has transported from Afghanistan when a teenager. A stain on our Nation. In our names. President Obama issued an order suspending the military commission tribunals to allow for a review by his incoming Administration. His review of what has been done in our names must extend beyond ...
Continuance Granted in Gitmo Cases
Daily Kos —
... , Switzerland has stepped up to say it is willing to consider accepting Guantanamo detainees. Also, for reinforcement of just how critical it is that the kangaroo military commission trials end, read Glenn. ...
Closing Gitmo
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
By Patrick Appel
Glenn Greenwald is on top of it: It appears that the Guantanamo judges will be receptive to the Obama administration's request to stay these commissions, as another military judge -- this one overseeing the proceedings against five detainees accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- just ordered the commissions stayed for 120 days, as Obama ordered his prosecutors to request. And the Swiss Government today announced that it will agree to accept released Guantanamo ...
The beginning of the end of Gitmo?
The Reaction —
... Make sure to read Greenwald: "This is a very good and important step," albeit "only a first step and a temporary one at that. Subsequent actions that the Obama administration is clearly considering could severely undermine both the symbolic and substantive value of this act... Still, this order clearly signals that Obama -- even for one day -- did not want his name anywhere near the grotesque mockery of justice known as the "Guantanamo military commissions," tribunals that were created when his own political party, in the weeks before the 2006 mid-term elections, helped to ...
Credit is due!
Unqualified Offerings —
By Thoreau Obama has suspended the military trials at Guantanamo for 120 days while the mess is sorted out. As Greenwald cautions, there’s no guarantee that the fix offered 120 days from now will be a good one. However, Greenwald also notes ...
What Would Real--Rather Than Rhetorical--Change in U.S. Foreign Policy Look Like?
The Belgravia Dispatch —
... Guantanamo within the first 100 days of his new Administration, it is understandable that there are several complexities and challenges to accomplishing same, some of which Matthew Waxman touches on here. This said all best efforts must be made to close Guantanamo within the first year of the new Administration, so that at least when the new decade is ushered in this gross stain on America’s repute will be no more. Indeed, and as has been vividly pointed out (hat tip:
Glenn Greenwald), this is Obama’s penitentiary now, alas, every day it remains open ...
The NYT Calls Iranian Interrogation Tactics "Torture"
Commondreams.org Views —
Today is the ideal day to celebrate America's specialness, and America's paper of record inspirationally leads the ritual: Clark Hoyt, New York Times Public Editor, April 26, 2009 : A LINGUISTIC shift took place in this newspaper as it reported the details of how the Central Intelligence Agency was allowed to strip Al Qaeda prisoners naked, bash them against walls, keep them awake for up to 11 straight days, sometimes with their arms chained to the ceiling, confine them in dark boxes and make them feel as if they were drowning. Until this month, what the Bush administration called "enhanced" interrogation techniques were "harsh" techniques ...
The U.S. Media’s Moral Relativity on Torture
The Moderate Voice —
I’m beyond expecting any kind of self-awareness from major news organizations like the New York Times, but that does not mean I cannot still marvel that reporters can write, and newpaper editors can publish, descriptions like this, in an article about confessions obtained by the Iranian government in connection with the recent post-election street demonstrations (emphasis is mine):
Iranian leaders say they have obtained confessions from top reformist officials that they plotted to bring down the government with a “velvet” revolution. Such confessions, almost always extracted under duress, are part ...
