No nooodz but you probably shouldn’t view this at work.
Author Archive for Buckymclachlan
From The Washington Post…
Memo: Laws Didn’t Apply to Interrogators
Justice Dept. Official in 2003 Said President’s Wartime Authority Trumped Many Statutes
The Justice Department sent a legal memorandum to the Pentagon in 2003 asserting that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators who questioned al-Qaeda captives because the president’s ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes.
The 81-page memo, which was declassified and released publicly yesterday, argues that poking, slapping or shoving detainees would not give rise to criminal liability. The document also appears to defend the use of mind-altering drugs that do not produce “an extreme effect” calculated to “cause a profound disruption of the senses or personality.”
“If a government defendant were to harm an enemy combatant during an interrogation in a manner that might arguably violate a criminal prohibition, he would be doing so in order to prevent further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist network,” Yoo wrote. “In that case, we believe that he could argue that the executive branch’s constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack justified his actions.”
Interrogators who harmed a prisoner would be protected by a “national and international version of the right to self-defense,” Yoo wrote. He also articulated a definition of illegal conduct in interrogations — that it must “shock the conscience” — that the Bush administration advocated for years.
“Whether conduct is conscience-shocking turns in part on whether it is without any justification,” Yoo wrote, explaining, for example, that it would have to be inspired by malice or sadism before it could be prosecuted.
More sickness at the link.
In other words, as long as our interregators didn’t get hard-ons during the torture, it’s all good, and if the President of the United States thinks that a suspect might be al-Qaeda, then of course any and all torture is perfectly, absolutely legal.
If we didn’t live in Bizzarro World, Yoo would be put on trial in the Hague for war crimes.
I’m really getting sick and tired of being ashamed of my country.
Patton Oswalt made a joke about how living in Bush’s America made him think that he was living in the bizarro-world version of our country. What does it say that this memo was finally released on April Fool’s Day? Keep in mind this wasn’t a joke, this actually happened.
Speaking of interrogators and hardon’s, this is from an article in the latest issue of Vanity Fair.
Sands reports that [Lt. Colonel Diane] Beaver, who was charged with writing a document providing legal authority for harsh interrogation, confirms new details of the crucial meeting that took place at Guantánamo, and she tells Sands she “kept minutes” at other brainstorming sessions in which new techniques were discussed. The younger men would get particularly excited, she says: “You could almost see their dicks getting hard as they got new ideas.” Beaver also notes that ideas arose from other sources, such as the television show 24. Jack Bauer, the main character, had many friends at Guantánamo, says Beaver: “He gave people lots of ideas.” It was clear to Sands that Beaver believed that Washington was directly involved in the interrogations, and her account confirms what others tell Sands—that Washington’s views were being fed into the process by people physically present at Guantánamo.
Read all about it here.
“Are you telling me that 200 of our men against your boy is a no-win situation for us?” “?? ??????????? ???, ??? ??????, ?? ???????? ????.” “What?” “??????? ????????? ????????? ?????!”
A heavily armed recluse nicknamed Russia’s Rambo of the Forest has been gunned down in a shoot-out with police.
Alexander Bichkov, had lived a semi-feral existence in the woods for 20 years, terrorising locals and the police if they ventured near him.
A giant at 6ft 7in with a wild straggly beard, the man lived in an old shack and self-made camps, hunted animals for food and only ventured out of the forest in summer when he wouldn’t leave footprints leading back to where he lived.
Russian police said he descended from a family of criminals who were exiled by Stalin to the Kostroma region 450 miles east of Moscow, in the 1940s.
At the end of Soviet times nearly 20 years ago he disappeared from his home in a village in the region after refusing a court order to pay alimony to his ex-wife following an acrimonious divorce.
He was declared dead by his family in 1997 because he had been missing for so long.
But now it is known the former forestry worker had fled into the dense Kologriv woods near his village, which were designated as a nature reserve a few years ago.
Terrified local police refused to go into the woods to hunt him down ever since he captured a local commander while out hunting and held him at gunpoint for hours before freeing him and then disappearing into the trees.
Even after he burned down 30 holiday homes in the area belonging to rich Muscovites, police refused to pursue the man they dubbed “Rambo”, after the popular action-film hero played by Sylvester Stallone, who was skilled in weaponry and survival.
They did not know - until killing him on March 14 - his true identity, which was obtained from documents they found and through checks with his family.
He was finally shot after the head of the Department of Natural Reserves in Moscow, angered by the inaction of local police, ordered a surveillance operation on him.
After finding out where he lived, six specialist policemen - including Afghan war veterans - from outside the local police and four armed Park rangers went into the forest on snowmobiles to hunt him down and try to arrest him.
But the hermit, who carried two shotguns and a home-made pistol, ambushed them and wounded two.
He then set alight a swathe of forest as a diversion, tracked behind the men and was apparently preparing to start firing on them again.
But a police sniper managed to shoot him in the head, killing him instantly.
One of the policemen, Andrei Potemkin, said: “He ambushed us and I told him to surrender and that we wouldn’t hurt him.
“He yelled ‘I’ve nothing to lose’ and opened fire.
“He hit two of the others and fired at me. My bullet-proof vest saved my life. He then set his place on fire, and everything was covered with smoke.
“He’s a real professional. While we were helping the wounded, he made a circle around us, hiding in the smoke, and cut us off.
“It was pure chance the sniper suddenly saw his figure in the trees and pulled the trigger. He shot him right in the head and he died in a flash.”
Police later found in his semi-destroyed lair more weapons, dozens of furs, hundreds of traps and books about hunting and survival.
Locals told of their relief that the man who had haunted the region for so long was dead.
Maria Muzhalova said: “Parents would not let their children go to school without dogs going with them.
“He would steal boots from outside people’s homes and steal potatoes from the fields. If you came across him in the summer, he was way too scary-looking to confront him.”
Director of the Kologriv nature reserve, Maxim Sinitzin said; “We were all sick and tired of him. He kept leaving traps for animals everywhere.
“We’d break them and he’d make more. Once he trapped three of our inspectors and told them he’d kill them if he ever saw them in the woods again.”
Police said that the man used to be a forestry worker.
After his wife left him and the court order against him, he turned into a recluse, cutting himself off from society.
He lived at an abandoned forestry station, miles from the nearest village.
Police sources said: “At the time the forest had not been designated as a nature reserve so no one bothered him for years.
“Then his parents died and his sister and her husband had him declared legally dead - as they had not seen him for so long - and sold his house.
“We think this may have enraged him, making him angry at anybody who moved into the region to build a house, so much that he would burn down their homes because he had none of his own.”
When the forest was later made into a nature reserve, hunting was banned, leading to violent clashes between Bichkov and park rangers who would remove his traps, police said.
“He felt he was the king of the forest,” one said.
“He had his house, a shed, and his hunting traps. When we went after him he fought to the end. “It was all he had left. He had nowhere to go.”
I feel fairly confident in saying this was the greatest Russian that ever lived. Erect a solid gold statue of this man, stat!
Drive Someone Insane with Postcards!
THIS is the most brilliant thing I have ever laid witness to. So I have an idea I’d like to propose to the fellow authors here at Buriedplanet. We should all volunteer to do this (or something similar, and cheaper, like emails). It would have to be insane enough, yet nonthreatening enough to not be legally actionable. But if anyone can toe that line, it’s us! Right? Guys…? This could lead to some fantastic stories. Anyone else have an interest?
I wouldn’t even really want to be threatening. I’d want to be pleasantly crazy. Something to the effect of:
Dear Thomas,
How are you! Bavaria is fantastic! Did you know they ride their bicycles backwards hear! It’s quiet a sight! I’ve been thinking about your problems with Terry at IBM, because my Bavarian friend Manuel has been having a very similar problem. I hope it all works itself out. Manuel will be released in 6-8 years…I don’t think his situation worked itself out very well at all.
You should “C” the sites in this country. They invented the right angle here and you can see that angel is used everywhere. I hope this e-mail finds you well. Tell Bradley and Mona that I hope they win states in soccer next year.
Many Kisses (and “Scrotal Sembula!” - traditional Bavarian goodbye!)
atyheya
or
Hey, Michael!
Was walking down the beach and stopped in some random bar to grab a drink. Go figure, it ended up being a karaoke joint! As I was about to leave, a guy got up to sing “Pink Houses” and it totally reminded me of you. So, I ordered a Yuengling in your honor and stayed to give him a round of applause.
Went for a swim, after, and all I could think about were all the sharks that were probably in the water. And then I felt guilty about being worried, because it’s not really the sharks fault that they live in the ocean. Or that they have to eat. Because we’re invading their habitat, you know?
I wonder if sharks like John Mellencamp? That’s something to think about…
Tootles,
Francis
Come on, whose in?
The short version is that Don Siegelman, Democratic governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, ran for reelection against Republican challenger Bob Riley. When the polls officially closed, Siegelman was ahead by something like 1500 votes. In the night, after the polls had closed, after the press and the bipartisan poll watchers had gone home, a small group of Republicans recounted the vote in one county. While this closed-door recount didn’t affect any of the other issues on the ballot, something like 3000 votes were “discovered” that tipped the election to the Republican. And the ballots were sealed such that it would take a court order to open them.
When Siegelman woke up the next morning, Bob Riley was governor of Alabama, and while he didn’t challenge the decision, he spoke publicly about his doubts about the authenticity of the election, thus becoming targeted with a campaign by the politically connected Republican prosecutors, Republican judges and none other than Karl Rove for investigations and charges, most of which got thrown out of court or for which he was absolved.
But they managed to make one stick — that Siegelman appointed a political donor to a post on a medical panel … except that the donations didn’t go to him but to an education fund, and previous Governors had appointed the same person to the same position.
So now Siegelman is in Federal prison, and has a gag order that prevents him from speaking publicly about his case.
The best (and almost only reporting) on this is at RawStory.com and is a must-read. It’s much more involved than what’s in this post and it’s very real and pretty scary. Part one can be found here.
This is a vastly disgusting misapplication of justice for partisan purposes. And just to add to the fire, I’d feel the same way if it were a Republican politician under similar circumstances.
Isn’t it nice to live in the land of the free?
From CNN.com
A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying “Happy Hanukkah,” a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.Friday’s altercation on the Q train began when somebody yelled out “Merry Christmas,” to which rider Walter Adler responded, “Happy Hanukkah,” said Toba Hellerstein.”Almost immediately, you see the look in this guy’s face like I’ve called his mother something,” Adler told CNN affiliate WABC.Two women who were with a group of 10 rowdy people then began to verbally assault Adler’s companions with anti-Semitic language, Hellerstein said.One member of the group allegedly yelled, “Oh, Hanukkah. That’s the day that the Jews killed Jesus,” she said.
When Adler tried to intercede, a male member of the group punched him, she said.
Another passenger, Hassan Askari — a Muslim student from Bangladesh — came to Adler’s aid, and the group began physically and verbally assaulting him, Hellerstein said.
“A Muslim-American saved us when our own people were on the train and didn’t do anything,” Adler said.
So…Muslim saves Jews from rage-fueled Christians. The spin from the right-wingers on this is going to be AWESOME. But seriously, what the hell is with all the violence this month (two shootings, an old woman apparently planned on shooting up Disney World, and what else)? Oh, there’s more!
A creationist and an evolutionist got into an argument over the origins of mankind. Guess which one fatally stabbed the other?
Said it better than I could’ve ever hoped to.
From the Ap.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.”
As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies.
Huckabee said Saturday that his comments came at a time when “the AIDS crisis was just that _ a crisis. We didn’t know exactly all the details of how extensive it was going to be. There was just a real panic in this country. If I were making those same comments today, I might make them a little differently.”
In 1992, Huckabee wrote, “If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.”
“It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents.”
The AP submitted the questionnaire to both candidates in the 1992 senate race; only Huckabee responded. Incumbent Sen. Dale Bumpers won his fourth term; Huckabee was elected lieutenant governor the next year and became governor in 1996.
When asked about AIDS research in 1992, Huckabee complained that AIDS research received an unfair share of federal dollars when compared to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
“In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified,” Huckabee wrote. “An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research.”
At a news conference in Asheville, N.C., on Saturday, Huckabee said he wanted at the time to follow traditional medical practices used for dealing with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
“Medical protocol typically says that if you have a disease for which there is no cure, and you are uncertain about the transmission of it, then the first thing you do is that you quarantine or isolate carriers,” Huckabee said.
When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.
The nation had an increased awareness of AIDS at the time because pro basketball star Magic Johnson had recently disclosed he carried the virus responsible for it. Johnson retired but returned to the NBA briefly during the 1995-96 season.
Since becoming a presidential candidate this year, Huckabee has supported increased federal funding for AIDS research through the National Institutes of Health.
“My administration will be the first to have an overarching strategy for dealing with HIV and AIDS here in the United States, with a partnership between the public and private sectors that will provide necessary financing and a realistic path toward our goals,” Huckabee said in a statement posted on his campaign Web site last month.
Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, “I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk.”
A Southern Baptist preacher, Huckabee has been a favorite among social conservatives for his vocal opposition to gay marriage. In 2003, Huckabee said that the U.S. Supreme Court was probably right to strike down anti-sodomy laws, but that states still should be able to restrict things such as gay marriage or domestic partner benefits.
“What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business,” Huckabee said. “If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse.”
And Chuck Norris has endorsed this man. We’re doomed.
So the CIA erased a bunch of tapes showing the torture of prisoners, which was supposed to presented as evidence to the 9/11 Commission….so what’s one more total affront to everything the country stands for? We’ve let him get away with everything else. Why would we actually start doing something now?
Because this is just too much! Because there is only so much we can stand! Because while constitutional minutiae don’t hold our attention, cover-ups are easy to grasp! Because torture is–
Bush claims “not to remember.” Meanwhile, millions of white house emails have been destroyed. Hmmm, think it’s a cover-up?
Staff members of the Sept. 11 commission, which completed its work in 2004, expressed surprise when they were told that interrogation videotapes existed until 2005.
“The commission did formally request material of this kind from all relevant agencies, and the commission was assured that we had received all the material responsive to our request,” said Philip D. Zelikow, who served as executive director of the Sept. 11 commission and later as a senior counselor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.“No tapes were acknowledged or turned over, nor was the commission provided with any transcript prepared from recordings,” he said.
Daniel Marcus, a law professor at American University who served as general counsel for the Sept. 11 commission and was involved in the discussions about interviews with Al Qaeda leaders, said he had heard nothing about any tapes being destroyed.
If tapes were destroyed, he said, “it’s a big deal, it’s a very big deal,” because it could amount to obstruction of justice to withhold evidence being sought in criminal or fact-finding investigations.
…
Representative Rush Holt of New Jersey, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, has been pushing legislation in Congress to have all detainee interrogations videotaped so officials can refer to the tapes multiple times to glean better information.
Mr. Holt said he had been told many times that the C.I.A. does not record the interrogation of detainees. “When I would ask them whether they had reviewed the tapes to better understand the intelligence, they said ‘What tapes?’,” he said.
Fresh Cracks...