Obama will soon sign into law a new measure which authorizes the US military to kidnap and detain indefinitely any person (American citizen or other, in the US or outside it) who it considers a threat to American security. The threat is so vaguely defined, it could mean anything, including even normal criticism of the government. There will be no need for charge, trial, lawyers - just the opinion of somebody in the military.
There's a site I often use to get leads on international news stories. It's one-sided - though only in the sense it relays news, usually from reputable papers, and passes it on to us who think our news media tell us the truth.
So see it, google Information Clearing House
Today's, Oct. 26, is particularly chilling. I contain secret American army records from Wikkieleaks. You thought Williams was gruesome? Take a look at the sort of company we keep.
Eight months ago, it was close to blasphemy in these threads to suggest that Obama might not be the great hope for the future. One reads daily of spreading disillusionment of the constant watering down of his health care proposal - and the probability that even that will not pass. An American army of 130,000 is still in Iraq with little sign of leaving. The war in Afghanistan goes on, with troop figures increased, with the war spreading to Pakistan, and no end in sight. The American economy shows no sign of recovering. The use of detention camps has not ceased.
To be honest the stupidity of talk show hosts rarely surprises me, but to give this guy credit he did go through with his hyperbole and retracted his previous statements that waterboarding was not torture....
A new survey is out on torture, from Pew Research Centre. The group most likely to support torture is white evangelicals(60%+ pro torture). The group most likely to say torture is never justified is mainline protestants (30%), followed closely by non religious (25%).
I found myself in strong disagreement with others on radio this morning - a disagreement that went beyond simply disagreeing to seeing the question itself in different ways.
The topic was the tightening of border and flight safety, coupled with the US director of homeland security's assertion that the 9/11 attackers came in through Canada.
I don't think her statement was due to ignorance. I don't think airline and border safety have anything to do with the tightening measures. I think the reality is much scarier - and it's not new.
Oh sure, now that some democrats are pushing for a war-crimes commission on whether or not Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfield and George Bush abused their power with respect to "detainees" - now, a Pentagon official decides she'd better www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303372.html get on the band-wagon of growing anti-Gitmo protests. Where was her voice two years ago when she was appointed? Waiting to see w
Sets out the evidence, including 2008 and 2007 case law, FBI witness reports, autopsy reports, NY Times special reports and much more, to show that Stephen Harper is thinking only of his own political career in his refusal to repatriate Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay prison. Gives complete and free online access info to every article of evidence.
