TresSugar

Life's Mysteries: Daily Show Roundup of Pundits on Torture

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0700

"Sometimes in life you've gotta just keep walking," croons conservative commentator Peggy Noonan on the release of US torture data. "Some of life has to be mysterious." An odd response indeed to data that revealed not only specific techniques but also shocking details about specific tortures: one detainee was waterboarded 183 times in a month. While President Obama announced today that he's open to prosecuting Bush administration officials for using harsh interrogation, Jon Stewart rounded up reactions of commentators who believe US torture techniques "are ruined" (Karl Rove!). Check out the clip below.

Obama Won't Charge CIA Employees For Torture - Good Call?

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Individual CIA employees who carried out waterboarding (aka simulated drowning) will not be prosecuted for torture. The Obama administration announced the decision yesterday, while also releasing four "torture" memos from top legal officials in the Bush administration.

Many people are upset by President Obama's decision. Since waterboarding is widely considered to be torture, they think the perpetrators should be brought to justice. By releasing the memos, Obama hopes to at least get the facts out there, so the same thing will not happen again. He said: "This is a time for reflection not retribution."

Would you like to see the individuals who actually tortured suspects put in jail, or did Obama make the right call?

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Should Spain Move Forward With Indicting the "Bush Six?"

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:00:26 -0700

Top officials from the Bush administration might not want to travel to Spain any time soon.

A high-level Spanish court has moved toward indicting six former officials, including former Attorney General Roberto Gonzales, for authorizing the torture of five Spanish citizens at Guantanamo Bay prison.

Every country has a right to enforce international law, and this case involves the alleged torture of Spanish citizens. In fact, countries party to 1984 Convention Against Torture (which includes the US and Spain) are obliged to investigate torture cases, especially when a citizen has been abused.

Still, some say the Spanish court is intruding into American affairs. What do you think?

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Front Page: Guantanamo Abuses May Be Worse Under Obama

CitizenSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:54:10 -0800

Abuse at Guantanamo Bay prison has worsened since Obama took office because guards want to "get their kicks in" before the camp closes, according to a lawyer representing detainees. - Reuters
President Obama is set to unveil his $3 trillion budget to the public today. - ABC News
General Motors reported a $9.6 billion loss for the fourth quarter. Its executives will lobby the US government for more aid. - CNN
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will promise more than $900 million in aid to Gaza as she prepares to dive into the Arab-Israeli conflict. - Reuters

The governor of Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province believes reconciliation with the Taliban is possible. - BBC News
Senator Roland Burris's son got a job from ex Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to new revelations. - Chicago Sun Times

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Spotless Mind: Interrogation Tactics Can Rewrite Memory

CitizenSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:30:08 -0800

Never forget a face? Chances are you would forget your torturer's. Or, depending on your definition, intense interrogator's.

Data from a mock interrogation study, performed by the US military, shows that 85 percent of soldiers not only identified the wrong man as their interrogator but chose someone who wasn't involved at all. And, they were asked only hours after the questions (and, possibly, physically demanding tasks and light violence) ended.

The finding supports the theory that human memory is unreliable (witnesses in Buffalo said the plane nose-dived when we now know it landed flat) and highly susceptible to suggestion, particularly when presented with misinformation or leading questions. It not only calls into question interrogation techniques but also the entire eyewitness method our legal system is based on.

Psychologists at University of California Irvine believe they are close to discovering the recipe for creating false memories. Good news for smart people, though! The lead psychologist there said that while all are susceptible to memory manipulation, smarter people have an easier time resisting it.

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Day Two: Obama Tackles Gitmo, Military Trials, & Interrogation

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:05:05 -0800

An executive order signed by Barack Obama today orders the closing of Guantanamo Bay within a year. The order, along with two others calling for the reviewing of military trials of terror suspects and the banning of harsh interrogation methods, mark a sharp break from Bush administration policies unpopular around the world and among many Americans.

After the signing, the president said:

The message we are sending around the world is that the US intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly, we are going to do so effectively, and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals . . . We intend to win this fight, and we intend to win it on our terms.

The Guantanamo Bay order requires the closure of the prison no later than one year from today, but also sets up a review process for figuring out what to do with the prisoners. The order on military trials creates a task force to review detainee policy. The interrogation order revokes a previous Bush order and forbids harsh tactics, while requiring all agencies to grant the Red Cross access to detainees. It also creates a special task force to look into rendition policies, and CIA interrogation practices. Are you happy with these executive orders?

View 5 Photos ›

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Briefing Book! Eric Holder Calls Waterboarding Torture

LibertySugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:16:17 -0800

Attorney General: Obama's appointee Eric Holder calls waterboarding torture at confirmation hearing. - Huffington Post
Terrorism: British foreign secretary says terrorism is a deadly tactic, not an institution or ideology. - Donklephant
Sports: Great moments in presidential athletics. - 23/6
No More Early-to-Bed White House: Barack Obama is bringing back the night-owl presidency, filled with late nights and long hours. - Politico
Parenting: Do parents have the right to name their kids anything? Child named Adolph Hitler taken from parents. -lilsugar

View 5 Photos ›

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Art Mimics Life: Obama Holding Jack Bauer Hostage?

LibertySugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:00:08 -0800

When the new season of 24 kicked off last night, hero Jack Bauer was the subject of a congressional investigation looking into his hasty executions and use of torture. The Telegraph quotes Bauer, who said:

We've done so many things in the name of protecting this country, we've created two worlds. Ours and the people's we've promised to protect. They deserve to hear the truth and decide how far they want to let us go.

Bauer's sharp turn left is now torturing conservatives, who appreciated 24 as a beacon of Hollywood hope in a sea of liberal films, actors, and TV shows. Vocal conservatives say that before Obama, the show took seriously the threat of terrorism, along with the necessity of using extreme measures to protect innocent Americans.

Do you think the show is kowtowing to liberal bullies, or is the plot just trying to stay relevant?

Photos courtesy of Fox

Music Is the New Torture: 8 Songs to Break Detainees Down To

CitizenSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:30:43 -0800

If simulated drowning isn't enough, you can add music to America's weapons of mass degradation. Amped-up tunes are used as "sonic bludgeons" at US military prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.

Songs such as Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time" are turned up and set to repeat to create fear, disorientation, and a prolonged capture shock. It can cause long-term psychiatric problems if blasted for extended periods of time. And it is!

Prisoners, who grew up in Afghanistan under the music-banning Taliban, are hypersensitive. The blasted music leads some to scream and smash their heads against walls. "Plenty," one former prisoner said, "lost their mind."

A Guantanamo interrogator bragged in an FBI memo that he only needed "four days to 'break' someone by alternating 16 hours of loud music with just four hours of silence." So, mission accomplished?

What's Guantanamo breaking down to? To see the top eight songs, read more.

"Born in the USA," Bruce Springsteen
"Babylon," David Gray
"We Are the Champions," Queen
"American Pie," Don McLean
"Stayin' Alive," Bee Gees
"Dirrty," Christina Aguilera
Theme song from Sesame Street
"I Love You" from Barney and Friends

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Just Torturing Yourself? Interrogator Calls Brutality Ineffective

LibertySugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:30:29 -0800

Matthew Alexander, if that's his real name (it's not), says that the qualities that make a good terrorist interrogator are the same things that make a good American, and those qualities don't include a knack for physical torture. He should know, because he served as a US military interrogator in Iraq, and wrote a book all about how to break a terrorist.

Last night on the Daily Show, Alexander explained that it's counterproductive to torture terrorists even in ticking time-bomb scenarios. Alexander says psychology, not brutality, more effectively extracts crucial information.

He also learned that a sense of humor aids interrogation, because it helps build a relationship of trust with the suspect. Hey! Maybe we should send Jon Stewart over to Guantanamo Bay to joke (not choke) some information out of detainees! Check out the interview, and tell me what you think about his thoughts torture.