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May 20, 2013
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The Presidents Right to Poke Out EyesPosted on Apr 7, 2008More shocking details are emerging from the 2003 81-page memo by former Justice Department senior lawyer John Yoo, who determined that the commander in chief can order poking out of eyes, slitting of body parts and throwing acid at prisoners, and none of that would constitute torture because it would not result in “death, organ failure or serious impairment of bodily functions.”
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By purplewolf, April 9, 2008 at 9:43 am Link to this comment
This does happen, Bushco just outsourced it like most of the other jobs that have left the country in the last 7+ years. So, according to George, we don’t torture, we have others do it and that way we can say that, “America does not torture”, and not really be lying, but they are not being truthful about it either. Egypt is one of the more violent places we sent the POW’s or persons of interest to for this treatment.
Hitler would be proud of G.W. After all he is folling in his grandfathers footsteps with torture techniques strait out of Nazi Germany. His parents must be so proud of their depraved progeny.
Maybe we should let George and don’t forget the twins, to be the guinea pig for these forms of torture and then lets see if he still thinks it is okay.
Report thisBy cyrena, April 8, 2008 at 10:53 pm Link to this comment
OVER 1000 prisoners have been ‘processed’ through Guantanamo since 2001, when the thugs first started capturing them.
You don’t seem to have any citations for your numbers, and I have crates and crates full.
Go away…
Report thisBy Expat, April 8, 2008 at 8:26 pm Link to this comment
^ I made the right choice. Thanks for your support. I’m just devastated to see where weve come to as a country. And to see such apathy and ignorance. Even though Im outa there, Im still an American and worry about my friends; who sadly are either in denial or not in a position to do anything because of finances.
Report thisBy purplewolf, April 8, 2008 at 7:52 pm Link to this comment
JonannG, George Jr. has talked about making America into a dictatorship since before 1996. Well documented. His grandfather, Preston Bush helped fund Hitler for over 2 years before a stop was put to it. Yet his son George Bush Sr. worked for the CIA before becoming president. Now along comes Jr. with his wet dreams of Nazi America and torture, but not called torture, war devastation and destruction of the rights and freedoms we once had in America.
It sure is a sorry state we find ourselves in when these so called, above the law deciders dole out what they think is humane treatment and what is torture.
Report thisBy TC, April 8, 2008 at 3:53 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
i’d like to poke yoo’s & bush’s eyes out!
Report thisBy purplewolf, April 8, 2008 at 3:05 pm Link to this comment
God bless America… the land of the free(?) AND THE HOME OF THE DEPRAVED!
Report thisBy jimmyjam, April 8, 2008 at 2:35 pm Link to this comment
Of the approximately 760 prisoners brought to Guantanamo since 2002, the military has released 180 and transferred 76 to the custody of other countries.
Not quite thousands.
Report thisBy Spike, April 8, 2008 at 12:35 pm Link to this comment
Ridiculous subject. It really boils down to this:
Too many frogs
Report thisToo little time
Not enough firecrackers
By a warren, April 8, 2008 at 8:38 am Link to this comment
A link would probably help.
http://thesacredmoment.blogspot.com/2006/01/on-torture.html
Report thisBy a warren, April 8, 2008 at 8:36 am Link to this comment
Torture does not work.
So why would a government use it? The following link is to a series of essays by Arthur Silber. I believe we have been linked to them before. If you haven’t checked them out, you should.
Report thisBy Jim Yell, April 8, 2008 at 7:41 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
How our government could have fallen into the hands of gangsters whose moral posturing, while behaving like Nazi’s is giving a lie to our pretense in Nuremberg of being different from our enemies. A spoiled lazy brat, a lying and greedy egotist, who finds it well for others to die for their wealth, but not themselves.
Bush proves that Fundamentalist religion needs to be controled and should never be in position to dictate to the rest of us. Time and again this path has lead to torture, murder and theft.
Report thisBy Aegrus, April 8, 2008 at 5:29 am Link to this comment
Well, before everyone gets all hot and bothered, do realize this statement doesn’t mean it happened yet. I think in these times we must keep objective when discussing these crazy ideas. Part of the perversion of the media is saying outrageous statements and testing how public reacts. Because Americans are so jaded (and many upon many are indifferent to politics)it is difficult to expect anyone to have a serious reaction to such kinds of torture being discussed as legitimate tactics.
It’s precisely this apathy which allows Bush to continue his horrible reign. Most people are too busy trying to work three jobs to support their kids while our economy spins out of control. Everything is planned. Don’t blame the American people.
Report thisBy jackpine savage, April 8, 2008 at 5:16 am Link to this comment
You have to find yourself more and more convinced, every day, that you made the right choice to get the hell out of Dodge.
Report thisBy cyrena, April 8, 2008 at 3:55 am Link to this comment
So THAT’S why I’m a tad bit on the depressed side, eh?
I’ve been studying this stuff up close and personal like for nearly 4 years now, since the fuckers wrote that memo.
No, actually before that. It started with the kidnapping of thousands of folks that were shipped off to Guantanamo, and this gang of thugs decided they were just going to IGNORE every damn law of the land dating back to the Magna Carta.
It’s been downhill ever since, but we hit bottom (hell) long, long, ago. Surpassed Hitler long ago too.
Report thisBy Expat, April 8, 2008 at 3:32 am Link to this comment
^ hard time with this stuff. I’m having a harder time with the lack of outrage (not you dude) from my fellow Americans. We’re really losing it aren’t we? I mean we’re really gone; Jackpine said we’ve crossed a line we likely won’t go back across and I think he’s right. Damn, we’ve finally done it!
Report thisBy Kiwi, April 7, 2008 at 11:32 pm Link to this comment
http://nearingzero.net
Report thisGo to Subject Index then Politics then scroll to NZ370 POX AMERICANA
Not all americans, not even the majority, -just ones who can justify that type of thinking
By Outraged, April 7, 2008 at 10:26 pm Link to this comment
Great Posts All.
As to that “organ” issue. The SKIN is the largest organ of the body and is the body’s first and foremost defense system against ALL germs, viruses and bacteria. Maybe there’s something that could be argued in that regard. It is LIFE THREATENING to not have the protection of the skin. Burn victims many times die for this reason.
Report thisBy jackpine savage, April 7, 2008 at 9:09 pm Link to this comment
I couldn’t agree more. And the partisans lining up on both sides of the aisle will defend the politicians who are defending (and doing) the indefensible. If history is any guide, it will get much worse. We’ve crossed moral and philosophical thresholds that are difficult to recross.
It is long past time for libertarians from the center, left, and right to shake themselves free of the two parties. We have more in common with each other than with Democrats or Republicans. The libertarians may be America’s only hope now.
Report thisBy cyrena, April 7, 2008 at 9:03 pm Link to this comment
On this…the organ issue. I’m going from memory as I don’t have access to the stuff right now, (because it fills nearly a dozen crates…
But first, on what Yoo says here: (he’s such a bastard)
“The specific prohibitions, he said, depended on the circumstances or which body part the statute specifies.
Depends on which body part the STATUTE specifies.
Without looking at ‘the statue’ I think I remember specific references to kidneys, the liver, and possibly the heart, lungs, etc. What they reference somewhere in all of this drivel as MAJOR organs.
(like it makes a difference).
The other part that is a bit more memorable, (but that I’m still not quoting directly) is that is has to be of the type of ‘organ failure’ THAT COULD LEAD TO DEATH! So, while poking out the eyes could and would lead to the failure of THAT organ, and the loss of vision, the debased and twisted bastards that came up with this would suggest that the failure of the (eyes) would not lead to death.
Report thisBy JohannG, April 7, 2008 at 7:28 pm Link to this comment
We do not torture. Only, maybe, if we have to. It only happens for “national security” reasons and we do not enjoy doing it. Well, maybe sometimes. But rest assured that only the “worst of the worst” get tortured. And, of course, we have to do it in secret and destroy any tapes of the “proceedings”. We also listen to your phone conversations and read your e-mails and bank records as we please.
What has happened to this country? One more terror attack and we’ll wake up in Nazi Germany anno 1938. What fun that will be. Sieg Heil!
Report thisBy Petrichoriny, April 7, 2008 at 7:27 pm Link to this comment
That was my question. I thought eyes were organs, too. The skin is an organ as well. The heaviest one, in fact.
Report thisBy Mary, April 7, 2008 at 6:59 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I am so glad to see your post. That eyes are sense organs was my first thought on reading this too.
Report thisBy Paolo, April 7, 2008 at 6:07 pm Link to this comment
As a libertarian, I’ve grown used to our bloated, gargantuan, imperial government grabbing more and more power with each succeeding election. But the sudden use of torture—and the bald-faced attempts to rationalize it—were the first developments in a long time that really shocked me.
That anyone, in America, has to go to the effort to EXPLAIN WHY TORTURE IS MORALLY WRONG, is in itself shocking.
That government operatives, schooled in the finest universities in the land, write book-length memos tortuously explaining what cruel and unusual punishments are allowable according to new standards pulled fresh from their noses, is shocking.
That democrats will not begin impeachment proceedings based on these revelations, is shocking. What else does one have to do to have illegal, immoral acts “rise to the level” of an impeachable offense? If torture is not an impeachable offense, what is?
Many decades ago, if such monstrous abuses came to light, scores of government workers—even if their connection were only tangential—would have resigned in shame and disgust. But not today—we’ve crossed the line into total imperial decadence.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better, I’m afraid.
Report thisBy jackpine savage, April 7, 2008 at 5:43 pm Link to this comment
Um, if you’re eye gets poked out, wouldn’t that interfere with the bodily function of seeing?
Aren’t the eyes and nose considered ‘sense organs’? Having one poked out would then constitute ‘organ failure’, wouldn’t it?
God Bless America…the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Report thisBy JW, April 7, 2008 at 3:55 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Eye-poking, body-part slitting, acid throwing, the president gets to be “Mr. Blonde” from Reservoir Dogs.
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