The UK’s Guardian today published an interesting, detailed list of Barack Obama’s activities during his first 100 hours in office. It’s a good read; I have to admire the man who actually lived through it, doing everything on the list. Among the items I most enjoyed: 4 Then the words: “We reject as false the … Continue reading Determined Obama hits the ground running
On the off chance that you missed it, I want to repeat yesterday’s news from the Washington Post. A Bush administration official finally has said yes, terror suspects were tortured: ‘We tortured [Mohammed al-]Qahtani,’ said Susan J. Crawford, in her first interview since being named convening authority of military commissions by Defense Secretary Robert M. … Continue reading Torture: Will no one be held accountable?
The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to pursue a full criminal investigation into the destruction of the CIA interrogation tapes, according to Fox News. Disappointing news, to say the least. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey is a recent Bush appointee. Looks like he’s moving fast to preempt the Congressional and very public investigation of … Continue reading Mukasey moving to protect Bush on CIA tapes
The U.S. Senate voted today not to extend the Patriot Act beyond the end of the year, when its sunset provisions kick in. The act has been controversial since its inception soon after 9/11. Its provisions were designed to give law enforcement and investigative agencies more power to gather information on Americans suspected of having … Continue reading Sun sets on Patriot Act
PBS’s Frontline documentary “The Torture Question” last night explored at length the U.S. policy on the abuse and torture of prisoners. No amount of euphemism (e.g: “coercive interrogation,” “enemy combatant,” “detainee”) or protestation by our government officials can convince me that we, the United States, should be engaging in such activities. What we saw at … Continue reading Torture by any name…
