How will the American people react to this latest revelation about torture at Guantanamo Bay ?
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February 22nd, 2010 |
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“Interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay were based on Chinese communist methods which obtained false confessions from captured US pilots in the Korean War. ”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2236257/Guantanamo-Bay-interrogations-based-on-faulty-Chinese-communist-methods.html
Yawn.
Yawn……………………………………………………….
Don’t you guys ever get tired of attacking the US military?
Yet you think of yourself as an American.
I don’t think of you that way.
If King George lV said it was OK, then it’s OK.
The fact that it was against the law, means nothing.
Well it won’t matter soon because both canidates have been against Gitmo since the getgo.
it just goes to show you there are actual chinese imports of some use after all!
Sadly..most will yawn…and hit the remote over to NASCAR or American Idol….then yell ” Honey bring me a beer!”
Fine with me as long as it works. But Rather than waste time and have to listen to bleeding hearts, it would be better to just kill terrorists. That’s all they understand is death so we should accommodate them.
Don’t really care. If our interrogators can get any information to save the lives of the U.S. soldier, they have my blessing.
Passive conformity in the name of Nationalist patriotic acts and subservience to the “authorities” as represented by the Department of Justice perpetuating a single rendition of American values through their hiring values and decisions.
Further, they obstructed Justice in regard to fraud claims by referring systematic fraud charges back to a court that refused to hear a case.
Fraud is a felony–the country needs ‘change’.
p.s.; the point is, the USA is supposed to be the example of Human Rights, and individual inallienable rights–should the government lower the standards to meet the so called ‘terrorists’, at their level, then the USA has compromised the Constitutional ethic.
It’s completely convenient when considering the level of Justice provided to the USA in the world community.
The USA government needs to clean up their act.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNdEu9s5qUU
They will rationalize. I do not think many of them realize the implications. Amongst them they can no longer have the moral high ground when US forces captured by an enemy are tortured. That is their sons and their daughters. I notice that many answerers are bored by the question, They should remember that what goes round comes round. oerhaps they should wake up. information extracted bytorture has often proved misleading. any informationed gained now or when they first reached Guantanomo Bay will be useless exceept perhaps as a background perhaps. And if intelligence services were up to the mark that information will have ben available a long time. I was qquite amused by the comment about the Telegraph. I was told when on a course recently that it was a right wing tory rag. Ho! Ho! what different perceptions. it is sad that so many Americans ccite anyone who differs from them a as Left Wing Bleading Heart Liberal.
We allowed them to have the Koran, let them pray and fed them. How did they treat the 3,000 innocent people on 9/11?
Old story, old news equals little to no reaction. Both the candidates running now want to close Gitmo and are against torture. I think the American people are basically done caring about this.
I would expect them to react as you have already seen with a level of apathy which is slightly repugnant.
In a time where we are facing an election and having a candidate who was detained and tortured during the Veitnam war you would like to think that we would be taking a stronger stance against such techniques, however instead we react with with indifference.
We signed onto the Geneva conventions, we should abide by them. Nothing positive comes of torture.
Unfortunately, many people don’t care that much about t0rture at Guantanamo Bay. I’m not saying that all of them feel that way, but many Americans are apathetic to the issues at hand. I worry about the t0rture techniques. I have read so many articles about people who were d and were inn0cent civilians. I think we need to find more effective ways of getting information than t0rture. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what that would be and I would agree that t0rture does help at times. But tons of false information has come from it. I’m not sure how I feel about t0rture. It’s a very touchy issue. I think that it’s sometimes necessary, but way too many people are t0rtured when they have no information and are not involved in any shady business.
Why should they care? They don’t care that Democrats support FARC and they kidnap and torture thousands of people per year.
Obama is not only connected to Middle East terrorists; he is also connected to South American Communist Terrorists.
His name was found on a FARC computer. Pelosi and the Dems say the FIX is in; tell FARC not to worry. Then give CHAVEZ and CITGO tax break while raising taxes on American oil companies and shooting down Columbian Free Trade Agreement.
Chavez has teamed up with communist FARC terrorists in an attempt overthrow democratically elected government of Columbia.
“FARC is the oldest and largest group among Colombia’s left-wing rebels – and is one of the world’s richest guerrilla armies.”
“Many documents retrieved from the rebel computers discuss Venezuelan efforts to help the FARC obtain weapons, including rockets.”
“In March 2007, a rebel commander known as Timochenko wrote that “intelligence officials from our neighboring navy” say it’s very difficult to obtain “rockets,” but that “they’re disposed to help us get all the parts to build them.”
“In a January 2007 note, Ivan Marquez, the rebel’s main go-between with the Chavez government, mentions “the possibility of taking advantage of Venezuela’s purchase of arms from Russia to include some containers destined for the FARC.”
“Another message from Marquez, dated Aug. 20, 2006, describes a visit to an anti-aircraft missile factory in China by a Venezuelan official who is said to have returned with a catalog for the FARC.”
“In a Feb. 28 letter, FARC chieftain Raul Reyes cheerily reported to his inner circle that he met “two gringos” who assured him “the new president of their country will be Obama and that they are interested in your compatriots. Obama will not support ‘Plan Colombia’ nor will he sign the TLC (Free Trade Agreement).”
FARC documents: they’re real, and they’re spectacular.
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/16/farc-documents-theyre-real-and-theyre-fabulous/
“FARC is the oldest and largest group among Colombia’s left-wing rebels – and is one of the world’s richest guerrilla armies.”
Chavez: Take FARC off terror list:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/01/11/chavez.farc/index.html
“The FARC have killed an estimated 100,000 people in Colombia, most of them civilians, and caused the displacement of over two million Colombians from their normal places of residence.”
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24455
They will just shrug their shoulders as they are completely disconnected from everything their government does in their name. They are more worried about gas prices than this.
Old news. “Last Updated: 7:47AM BST 03/07/2008″
Both Presidential candidates oppose this.
Why rehash an old story?
God Bless America and Her People!
God Bless Our Brave Troops!
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
-Samuel Adams
America is slowly turning into Nazi state. Do you know what did happen to Nazi Germany ? It was destroyed by just world.
I am a US citizen. If people got tortured at Gitmo, it is fine with me.
We have left wing liberal loony rags (newspapers) which are not quite as far left as the Telegraph. Yours is not the perfect source.
I think Frank Zappa said it best.
It can’t happen here.
wow what a load of heartless answers. Torture is never right, no matter the circumstances. America claims to stand for democracy and freedom and justice – You cant have your cake and eat it too! You can’t claim to stand for these principles and then back torture when it suits you. I mean America got rid of Saddam partially (so they claim) for this exact sort of behaviour towards HIS enemies.
I think this little extract from a man for all seasons sums it up nicely.
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I’d cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake!
I think the jury is already out on this facility and extraordinary rendition as well. IMO, the American polity has already made up its mind one way or another and this will have little impact. Some believe the benefits of torture outway the costs, others believe the opposite… I don’t think there remains a large group in the middle.
Personally I’m against it, not because torture may or may not be moral, but because the issue has already been framed domestically and importantly internationally as largely immoral. As in most cases of policy, perception trumps reality. The fact that operations continue at this base under the cloak of opacity gives militant extremists a daily propaganda tool.
RESPONSE to Major Upgrade: Having spent thousands of hours researching the drug war, specifically in Colombia, I can tell you that your argument is absurd. Wellstone was against aerial eradication, he did not support FARC. I know of zero politicians that directly support FARC. I know of about 537 federal politicians who indirectly support FARC by not championing drug war reform. FARC gets 50% of its revenue from the cocaine and heroine trades. Ask politicians and policy analysts (as I have) how the drug war can be won and after they see their flowery rhetoric is insufficient, they’ll admit that it likely cannot be won (especially on the supply side), but that we can strategically push or pull the trade by increasing the cost. This means that we can choose who gets the 3000 civilian deaths annually due to terror financed by the drug trade, but cannot long-term eliminate the trafficking.
But hey, you watched the news this weekend and I’m proud of you.
Another thing for Consideration: That Liberal Lefty the Ragin’ Cajun helped get Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada elected in Bolivia (see: Our Brand is Crisis), when Gonny went to Bush pleading for more military and humanitarian assistance a la Plan Colombia, stating that without it, he would likely be visiting the US again in a year, this time for asylum, Bush told him that everyone’s has problems and dismissed him. Sure enough, he stepped down, evenutally so did his veep and after the ensuing emergency elections, enter Evo Morales, the world-renowned cocalero and Chavista.
So, who supports the Boliviarian Revolution?
you think waterboarding, cold and sleep dep is torture? alot of people do 2 of those 3 everyday for half the year. why don’t you ask McCain and his brothers-in-arms what torture really is!
MCCAIN 2008
PHUCK HIPPIES
As they cut off my head at least I don’t think I’m drowning, boy are these thugs humane!
Sadly, I don’t think they’ll have much reaction (I see your first two answers were, “yawn”).
When America surrenders its allegience to the law and the Constitution, when this great nation compromises its morality, then the foundation of our nation begins to crumble. And by inducing us to act like them, the terrorist fringe has won a major victory.
American and international law prohibit torture. But then, when did George W. Bush or Dick Cheney ever care about the law? And what a shame that many Americans don’t care that much about the law either – let the President break the law, let America become a rogue nation on the world stage, one that does whatever it wants (I mean, whatever its President wants) regardless of laws or morality.
ADDED: Major Update – everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not to spread lies. Fortunately, your accusations are so absurd that even most conservatives will find them unbelievable. I don’t like to get personal, but that is the stupidest, most ridiculous thing I have read here or elsewhere for a very long time.
I can’t believe some of the answers to this question, so nonchalant at justifying the use of torture.
Apparently these people have never heard of American principles such as
–”innocent until proven guilty”
–”certain unalienable rights”
–”no cruel and unusual punishment”
It does seem as if some Americans are becoming fascists in all but name, while other Americans just click the remote and watch something more interesting.
Meanwhile, posse comitatus has been overturned, the constitutional requirements for search and seizure are ignored, and free speech is chilled as American citizens aren’t even allowed to protest within several hundred yards of a president in hidden “free speech zones”.
The imperial presidency, bloated with “signing statements” that overturn the will of Congress and deny the very bills the president signs, seems to have gained the fanatical devotion of many uncritical patriots.
I am deeply ashamed that this nation — against repeated rulings of the Supreme Court — continues to use torture against uncharged prisoners in political limbo. Such evil practices are not superior to the terrorist tactics we claim to oppose.
The Armed Services Committee’s hearings last week on interrogation and torture displayed the horrible truths on how torture was taught at the Naval Prison at Git-mo. I read somewhere that the U.S. military SERE training is designed to inoculate elite soldiers, sailors, and airmen to torture, in the event of their capture, by an enemy that would violate the Geneva Conventions. It was revealed that those service members are subjected to forced nudity, stress positions, hooding, slapping, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and, yes, in some cases, waterboarding (STILL). The sad part about this whole ordeal is that Americans do not and will not have sympathy towards the inhumane treatment of the detainees at Git-mo. Americans believe that criminals have NO rights and are rightfully subjected to any sort of punishment as a consequence to their crime. In my personal opinion, I find that very disturbing. I believe Americans are the biggest hypocrites. We invade countries under false pre-tenses and claim that our mission is stabilization yet in the process we torture other humans under cruel and unusual punishments. Also, it’s disturbing how Americans make the torture ordeal into a liberal Democrat or Conservative Republican issue. When in reality, political ideologies/parties are irrelevant when it comes to torture. America as a whole is guilty of it.
Not only will Americans ignore American torture, but they will justify it and place the focus on Al Qaeda and the Taliban and their crimes against humanity.
Ending the use of torture would be wonderful but realistically speaking, it’s not going to happen. Many Americans believe we are saints compared to what has been done by others to our men. The U.S. doesn’t want to be blamed or take responsibility for any wrong doing they have done. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to make the U.S. out to be an evil empire… but I believe that the U.S. or any country who practices inhumane treatments on detainees at Git-mo or any reformatories, should be held accountable.
(Sorry for ranting, but the reactions of Americans to torture disturbs me a great deal)
Unfortunately as demonstrated by some of the comments here a lot of Americans do not give a damn. They think the inmates are all terrorists and were caught out red handed, when in fact none of them have been charged so can’t be called terrorists. Some Americans have been so heavily brainwashed they’ll believe anything about the false war on terror. They have little disregard for other human lives.
The world is numb to this news.They heard it so many times before.It is unfortunate but true.I am glad others read the web in other countries and not take our policticans word for everything.
In Korea American’s qualify for pow status. The terrorists at guantanamo bay are do not. They are not protected under the Geneva Convention. The Geneva convention would allow us to hang them or shoot them. So they should be happy.