Intelligence officials claim that releasing the Senate’s torture report will cost American lives.
This is simply an attempt at CYA … no different from the NSA’s claim that revealing the extent of its mass surveillance would hurt national security.
Trying to Cover Up the Crime
American law – and top government officials – have said that the type of torture the U.S. engaged in is a crime.
People speaking out against releasing the torture report are simply trying to cover up the crime …
Matthew Alexander – a former top Air Force interrogator who led the team that tracked down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – notes that government officials knew they are vulnerable for war crime prosecution:
They have, from the beginning, been trying to prevent an investigation into war crimes.
Why Releasing the Torture Report Will SAVE American Lives
Releasing the Senate torture report will actually save American lives.
Specifically, a top American counter-terrorism expert – former Chairman of the Department of International Studies at the National War College, number 2 counter-terror official at the State Department, and author of numerous books on terrorism (Terry Arnold) – told Washington’s Blog that prosecuting those who created the American torture program will REDUCE attacks against the U.S. and American troops.
How could this be? Well, top experts say that torture doesn’t produce any actionable intelligence … the only thing it produces is more terrorists.
Arnold explains that terrorists already know all about the torture. So it’s the American people – not the terrorists – who will be shocked by what’s in the torture report.
But publishing the report will demonstrate that America is actually backing away from its previous torture policy … which will have a huge impact on reducing terrorism. (Similarly, Arnold says that closing Guantanamo and releasing the majority of detainees who American government officials say are completely innocent would help reduce terrorism).
Similarly, Darrel Vandeveld – former prosecutor in the Guantanamo military commissions, and current Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve – wrote:
Torture is a crime and the United States engaged in it. Those are two indisputable facts…
The process of self-examination and accountability has been, and remains, the only way to move forward and regain our moral and legal grounding…
We have a Department of Justice for a reason, and now it’s up to Attorney General Holder, the nation’s top law enforcement officer, to do his job and appoint an independent prosecutor to follow the evidence where it may lead…
It is critical that we hold accountable those who authorized, those who legally sanctioned and those who implemented the torture policies of one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history. What is at stake is nothing less than our democracy.
General Ricardo Sanchez, the former top coalition commander in Iraq, called for a Truth Commission so we might fully understand the failure of the military and civilian command to honor the pledge of our constitution.
Sanchez . . .stressed that the outcome must embrace a variety of solutions, including prosecution.
Sanchez stated, “When the president made the declaration that the Geneva Conventions no longer apply, we unleashed the hounds of hell and eliminated all the foundations for the training, ethics and structure we had built into our soldiers and our leaders for how to conduct these kinds of operations.”
Sanchez stated many problems could be traced to loyalties to individuals and political parties.
Former President Jimmy Carter is also calling for a truth commission with the possibility of prosecution:
“[I] like to see is a complete examination of what did happen, the identification of any perpetrators of crimes against our own laws or against international law,” said Carter. “And then after all that’s done, decide whether or not there should be any prosecutions.”
So – while the folks involved in the torture program are trying to stay out of jail – the reality is that releasing the report will save American lives.
The Big Foreign Policy Lie: The War Party Couldn’t Rule Without It http://davidstockmanscontracorner.com/the-big-foreign-policy-lie-the-war...
What gets me are the lies. Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction” – Iran’s (nonexistent) nuclear weapons program – the Vietnamese “attack” in the Gulf of Tonkin – Germans bayoneting Belgium babies – the sinking of the USS Maine: over the long and bloody history of US imperialism, these are just a few of the fabrications US policymakers have seized on to justify Washington’s aggression. It’s quite a record, isn’t it? Not only that, but there’s been little if any acknowledgment by the American political elites that they’ve ever lied about anything: it’s all been thrown down the Memory Hole, along with whatever sense of shame these people ever had....
"In my humble opinion, and like everything else, the quality and transparency of police work is dropping and the violence is increasing. So too is their immunity."
This is true. The reason is the black gang culture is *far worse* then the media will report and that effects the police who have to deal with it. You *have* to get right in the face of gang bangers to have even the slightest chance of controlling a situation and cops can't easily switch in and out of that mode when dealing with non gang bangers.
The solution - if there is one - is for the media to tell the truth for the first time in 50 years so there's enough pressure to do something about the black gang culture (which among other things would involve stopping mass immigration and mass black unemployment).
WOW, my buddy HH, who I respect, got Pwned by Skateboarder.
As for Falcon flight, he should take off his USAF wings.
Garner got rolled onto his stomach, arms in back, and suffocated and died ofhear attack. For selling loosies
All For selling loosies
When sheeple realize that the zionist Jews are not Gods chosen people and are in command and control of everything relevant in the west, then history could repeat once again.
The topic is bombing within 240km of their airbase. Why you decided to slander everyone I do not know. Perhaps an example of intellectual dysfuction that permeates this site.
"Air Force for ISIS" = call the waaaambulance.
It is clear that this "George Washington" is just a front for some rag-head islamic cult worshiper. DIgital garbage.
GW
Your headline is wrong, misleading and incidiary, you will use anything to garner clicks I presume.
Just to expose your patented misrepresentation of facts, you report the air strikes targeted agricultural facilities and warehouse..yet you provide a link to a report that clearly states :
"Speculation in the immediate aftermath suggested that the target of the strikes might have been advanced Russian-made S300 surface-to-air missiles."
And:
"The Observatory said around 10 explosions could be heard outside a military area near Dimas."
Then you foolishly add: "As we’ve asked for years, why are we and our allies fighting on the same side as terrorists?"
Whereas the link YOU provided clarifies : "Israel has carried out several air strikes in Syria since the revolt against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011. Binyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Syria from transferring sophisticated weapons to its ally Hezbollah."
Newsflash GW : Hezbollah is a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION which has targeted Israel and declared it will continue to do so.
Moving sophisticated weapons procured through Iran and Russia via Syria to Hezbollah will trigger these kinds of strikes to AVERT terrorism.
You could post your opinion no problem, I am all for free speech but make a minimal effort to at least be consistent with the links and facts you yourself provide.
ZERO CREDIBILITY GW..ZERO
"Newsflash GW : Hezbollah is a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION which has targeted Israel and declared it will continue to do so."
The U.S. and Israeli governments are terrorist organizations, too...what's your point?
Israel Bombs Syria … Again: Hits Agricultural Centers, Warehouses
where is the link to that? Because that is not what is being reported. If you got no source and no link, then it is bull crap.
israel's mo always includes attacking food stores to starve civilians. anti aircraft batteries really don't make sense. syria is not interested in aircraft flying over israel. anti aircraft batteries are always defensive....and there is no sign syria was willing to use any of its capabilities because the israeli aircraft are bait. if one is downed isarael would send in the usa marines.
I googled up an article about the bombing. It said the targets are anti-aircraft missiles. I don't claim to know anything special about what is going on over there. But blowing up anti-aircraft missiles that can reach into your own airspace and blanket your own airfields seems rather defensive to me. I call bull crap on George Washington's post.
Using that reasoning, would it be defensive action for Syria to try to destroy Israel's nuclear weapon arsenal?
Israel's comand of its airspace is not negotiable. So focus on the original post. GW was off track.
no. not until israel is branded as an official ttttuuuurrrrriiiisssstttt .org. until then israel is free to break any international law it wants, like the usa policy they direct in the region.
Oh, that's right, I forgot.
so since the usa has icbms pointed at russia, russia has the right to preemptively nuke the usa? try again.....the same goes for hezbollah. since israel has initiated unproviked attacks upon hezbollah in the near past, hezbollah has the right to defend itself as a representative of lebanon.
bad logic is not a defense. try again.
Hezbollah is a terrorist organization hijacking Lebanon and not representing it in any way, for that, Lebanon has its army.
I am not going to bother with educating you in historcal facts that are irrefutable, google Hezbollah and find out who started the conflict between them and Israel.
Russia is not a branded terrorist organization, Hezbolla is.
Fix YOUR logic/facts and Try again
When it comes to Israel, hearsay works for me. They don't deserve to be judged on the facts...
Why would Israel want to bomb "agricultural buildings?" If they wanted war, they would attack more than a few "agricultural buildings." Why doesn't GW report that they were bombing missile and munitions that were on their way to Hezzbollah and eventually to being fired at Israel. Israel warned Assad not to be an arms conduit to Hezz and Hamas, but they want to be. So, tough shit if they have to pay for it. Israel will soon be fighting ISIS, Al Quaeda and more. They made the same mistakes the US continues to make. They support their enemies and potential enemies to gain a short term advantage and end up paying a long term price for it. That's the history of the world. Get used to it.
"So, tough shit if they have to pay for it."
And tough shit if the U.S. had to pay for its crimes with 9/11...
Because GW can't handle the truth and manipulates it to fit his agenda.
Interesting article, but... well, it's the Middle East. Whoever you are bombing (while not asking why you are bombing at all) has an extremist enemy you might be helping by that
sounds callous because it is callous. that's the reality of at least 17 "fronts", with all major and local powers with "a finger in the pie"
Israhell is al queda and ISIS and anyone who gets in the way of their shitty little world empire. Actually let's call Israhell by its right name - Mordor.
Mr Washington
A week ago 4 Israeli -American Jews( 3 of them American citizens)
were slaughtered in a synagogue in Jerusalem ...did i hear your voice George- did you condemn
They were Muslims that were influenced from Isis
Only writing bad and stupid things (conspiracy ahhh)about the Jews and israel....
they are all israeli, only. no real american needs a second citizenship.
Israel is not the ISIS air force. This is a case of the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy. Mortal enemies that want to slaughter each other are also Israel's enemy (and ours). Israel has always been very consistent - Israel strikes against the more immediate threats and lets the longer term ones slide. They always act tactically, not strategically. Since Israel's most immediate threat is Hezbollah and the Palestinians, they will act against weapons transfers to those groups, and are not really concerned if they are in some small way contributing to Assad's downfall. And Assad's regime itself is a more immediate threat to them than ISIS.
ISIS has also been pretty consistent. They act both tactically and strategically. They have long term goals of a vast empire, and are relentlessly pursuing those goals. Eventually Israel will go to war with ISIS. Just not now.
Two things:
1. We are not any more responsible for what the government that claims power over us does than they are actual in fact servants of the people. If they were servants of the people then they would not be involved in all of the wars and corruption.
2. Who are the actual allies in all of the conflicts around the world? They do not appear to be random acts of violence, but more so integral parts of a strategy planned by someone ... but who? Someone is coordinating the allied governments. Who arranges for Mr. lighteningfromonhigh to receive a Nobel peace prize?
Must know "facts" about the Garner case Georgie?
Bad analogy. The same GWB that ALLOWED the bankster bailouts chiming in on it?
Fuck me naked. I HIGHLY doubt Bush even read the findings in total. Was briefed on it most likely.
Nappy boy is going by the LETTER of the law, and applying it linear. He's omitting Garners; KNOWN criminal background, his resisting and attitude went too far that day.
Dimon and Squidfein deserve to be mucking out Hitler's toilet for eternity, but Garner was a numerous time arrested felon, and he was breaking the fucking law - AND - resisting arrest for it.
Fuck him - and FUCK these celebrity douchebags for their asinine TwitterTwatting, Fartbooking, T-shirt wearing stupidity.
Until Americans get rid of the Dual-Passport holders, our Nation will always be at Risk.
No, Israel was doing Obama's job - bombing Syria. OBAMA has placated Muslim fanatics so much that he thought he would put Syria in its place for the sake of the jihadist rebels - not Israel. Alas Obama did not follow through with his Red Line threat.
They chop off heads and we waterboarded the poor jihad babies and so they are going to hate us and western civilization all the more. ?Nothing will appease Isis et al. They would not have been kinder and gentler had there been no Gitmo or waterboarding.
There is no such thing as killing them with kindness.I think there is a video of Sean Hannity getting waterboarded. A towel is placed over your head as water runs over mouth and nose. You count to ten and its over. No its not pleasant but its not cutting heads off, crucifying Christians, killing babies and raping women. Oh waterboarding is "against our national morality." All for the hate of Israel suckers will welcome jihad with open arms and lopped off heads.
"All for the hate of Israel suckers will welcome jihad with open arms and lopped off heads."
LOL...must suck to be Israel...
isis = isil = al qaeda = cia = mossad = bush crime syndicate = rothschild satanists = british royalists = ziocons
veterans today has done an excellent job documenting the identity of isil, isis, and israel, meaning that they are one and the same
for those of you waiting for the clue phone to ring, study the above identity. soros, mccain, nuland, and other assorted rothschild toadies are creating the war. isil/isis are langley/mossad projects. mossad owns the cia lock stock and barrel. the jews hate everyone but themselves and the rothschild colony is doing all it can to wipe out the world to make it safe for ziocon hate mongers.
Israel, Netanyoohoo and the Knesset are insane.
Of course, this is an act of outright warfare by Israel against Syria. Israel must think Syria is really weak.
Hmmm, why did Vlad not install the S-400?
“IS is intended to be a provocative agent, which gives the West the justification to enter countries that are considered a threat to Israel in order to destroy them. This would then give Israel the opening it needs to take over a large swath of the Middle East and establish the Zionist dream of 'Greater Israel' from the Nile to the Euphrates.” -- Pete Papaherakles
More from Papaherakles:
Is ‘IS’ a CIA-Mossad Creation? | AFP
August 28, 2014
The leader of the radical Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been reputed to be a Mossad-trained operative whose real name is Elliot Shimon, the son of Jewish parents.
This information is said to have originated from 1.7 million pages of top-secret documents recently released by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and made public by Iranian intelligence. Arabic Internet radio website “Ajyal.com” and the Arabic news website “Egy-press” were also early sources before the news went viral. Although it cannot be conclusively verified at this point, evidence points in that direction.
IS remains an enigma, as it seems to change names every week....
The official story about al-Baghdadi is that he was born near Samara, Iraq, in 1971. He is reputed to have earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from the University of Baghdad and was a cleric at a major mosque in Samara during the U.S. led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
He was given the title of Emir Daash and went by the false name of Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim Al Al Badri Arradoui Hoseini.
The leaked documents purportedly revealed that al-Baghdadi took intensive military training for a year from Mossad as well as courses in theology and Arabic speech.
Al-Baghdadi was reportedly a “civilian internee” at Camp Bucca, a United States military detention facility near Umm Qasr, Iraq. Key members of IS were also trained by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Special Forces command at a secret camp in Jordan in 2012, near the Syrian and Iraqi border, according to Jordanian officials…
Nabil Na’eem, the founder of the Islamic Democratic Jihad Party and former top al-Qaeda commander has said that all current al-Qaeda affiliates, including ISIS, work for the CIA.
A recently released photograph shows al-Baghdadi along with half a dozen others, including Syrian rebel General Salim Idris, attending a secret meeting with neocon Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Syria in June 2013. A second photo shows al-Baghdadi posing with McCain and another “rebel.” McCain was instrumental in supporting terrorist forces fighting the Syrian government.
The Snowden documents supposedly reveal that British, American and Israeli intelligence worked together to create IS, “a terrorist organization capable of centralizing all extremist actions across the world,” using a strategy called Hornet’s Nest designed to “protect Israel.” According to the documents, “The only solution for the protection of the Jewish state is to create an enemy near its borders.” …
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=19176#sthash.EzJAv1Du.dpuf
The Israeli Plan is to create as much fratricidal war between the Arab states so as to take over Lebanon, then Syria, and establish a larger Jewish State.
Their ultimate move is towards the Tigris-Euphrates valley.
They also intend to move upon their ancestral Khazar lands.
you're either with us or against us.... "well, we don't call em 'is' bitchezzz, or isis, or isil.... we call 'em daesh."
watdayoo call 'em punk? ...... (said in his best clint eastwood talkin' to a stool accent)
Well Good Night George, I in fact do appreciate the give and take in which you've engaged even if we can't seem to get at the nut - vis a vis - who benefits by ISIS/ISIL successfully forming their so called Caliphate.
Who benefits is the right question as it almost always exposes who is behind a situation. It is clear Israel benefits through having a friendly force on its borders. It is also clear that the US benefits as by keeping the middle east divided and in conflict, the danger of it unifying and America losing its control of the area is neutralised. It is also clear the banksters benefit as they neutralise the danger of Islamic banking loosening their stranglehold on the world's finances.
Goodnight, Falcon. Thank you for engaging, as well ...
Enlighten me:
Why does it matter who bombs those vermin or why ????
I have always noticed that when you kill a fly , a hundred magically appear for a funeral procession. In our What started off with a few thousand is now hundred fold.
Something similar happened to me with an untrustworthy exterminator, noting the results for the last visit quadrupled those vermin. He was either using the wrong poison or he was feeding them vitamins. Pretty much the same scenario here, when it only took a few days to take down Iraq with shock and awe, and suddenly we return for a visit at which the exterminators for our vermin in this case are responsible for feeding, paying, and arming these vermin and are told it will be a long drawn out affair to stamp them out.
And this is only one of the superbugs we created and set in the wild. Those are other matters however.
I don't like paying for poor services rendered, much less being a partner in the extermination and bug breeding business. That is why I care.
Cheers.
Vermin?
Welcome:
I can see from your soooooo relevant response that you are a power thinker !
Do your parents know what you are doing online ?
Lots of new posters of late, regardless of the topic.