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The Torture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Others


Jane Mayer in The New Yorker Magazine today exposes the torturous interrogation practices the C.I.A. used on its prize detainee, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, during his not-so secret stay in an overseas prison.

Author Jane Mayer, on the CBS Evening News, said:

"The Red Cross went in and got to interview these people for the first time," said Mayer on the CBS Evening News. "What these people described was hanging from the ceilings by their arms and being water-boarded, partially drowned, put on leashes and knocked into walls and basically deprived of all kinds of sensory imagery for years."

The article also puts the lie to President Bush's continuous insistence that the U.S. does not engage in torture.

Mayer's article further described the CIA program of physical and psychological abuse as completely regimented and deliberate.

"There have always been mistakes made in the past when prisoners have been abused in wars," Mayer told Mitchell. "But this is the first time it's been done on purpose."

More...

Mayer's 9 page article is a must read. I'll be writing more about it after I've read it in its entirety, but for now let me skip to the part about where the illegal practices now stand:

The program was effectively suspended last fall, when President Bush announced that he was emptying the C.I.A.’s prisons and transferring the detainees to military custody in Guantánamo. This move followed a Supreme Court ruling, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which found that all detainees—including those held by the C.I.A.—had to be treated in a manner consistent with the Geneva Conventions. These treaties, adopted in 1949, bar cruel treatment, degradation, and torture.

In late July, the White House issued an executive order promising that the C.I.A. would adjust its methods in order to meet the Geneva standards. At the same time, Bush’s order pointedly did not disavow the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” that would likely be found illegal if used by officials inside the United States.

The executive order means that the agency can once again hold foreign terror suspects indefinitely, and without charges, in black sites, without notifying their families or local authorities, or offering access to legal counsel.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Doesn't the Red Cross watch '24?' (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Geekesque on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 11:39:36 AM EST
    How can we take them seriously?

    Look... (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Edger on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 11:59:24 AM EST
    There are hordes, literally millions if not billions of Red Cross workers around the world.

    If they are not stopped they'll swarm the beaches, overrun the land, kill everyone in their beds, and replace the constitution with Sharia Law.

    Only George and Rudy can save the world.

    Parent

    Controls (5.00 / 0) (#3)
    by Al on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 12:55:15 PM EST
    Obviously, without any controls, the government's assurances that there is no torture are completely meaningless.

    To too (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by jondee on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:37:44 PM EST
    long ago stooges like you were calling it frat house hazing and smearing the Red Cross (what have they done for us lately?), when they made an issue of these things.

    Not to be picky.

    You've come a long way, troll boy.

    jondee (1.00 / 1) (#6)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:33:58 PM EST
    In see that you have become one with squeaky.

    1. I have never been negative towards the Red Cross and have never referred to any act as "hazing."

    2. I have asked for someone to tell me that placing women's panties on the head of a prisoner is torture, and to define torture.

    In the meantime you smear without facts, and offer no proof that what the man who planned 9/11 claims is true.

    Why you want to take his word I will let the audience decide.

    Parent

    every human being (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Jen M on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 07:02:52 AM EST
    knows torture when they feel it.

    Decent Human beings know it when they see it.

    You sure you want to keep insisting on a definition?

    "give us a definition" = "give us a list so we can do what isn't on it to extremes that equal torture"

    • Do you want it done unto you?  no?
    • Would you give up your friends and family to make it stop?  yes?

    well then

    As for ladie's underwear on the head, thats the kind of thing that might be less humiliating in our culture than another. (which, of course, you've been to enough of the world to know)

    Parent

    Jen M (1.00 / 1) (#8)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 09:18:34 AM EST
    You are the ones who keep claiming that these people have been tortured, with, best I can tell, no proof beyond their claims.

    Absent of other proof, I base my acceptance of what people tell me on their past actions. These people have demonstrated their hatred  of us, our culture and their desire to kill and terrorize us into bending to their will and accepting their demands that we accept Shari law.

    I have very little sympathy for them.

    Much of what has been described can best be described as humilation and threats designed to break their will. I refer to the "panties on the head," "dog collars," etc.

    You ask that I define torture.

    Standing in a window hundreds of feet above the street in a WTC tower trying to decide if I want to be burned to death or jump to my death.

    Watching a Flight Attendant having her throat cut with a box cutter.

    Calling my wife and telling her to remember I love her as the airplane dives towards the ground.

    Being stoned to death because I am accused of adultery.

    Knowing that I am to be hung for the crime of rape while the man who raped me is going to be set me.

    Your turn.

    Parent

    here's a few (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Sailor on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 12:30:13 PM EST
    murdering innocent civilians
    raping women and murdering their families
    dropping bombs on civilians
    mercenaries shooting civilians at will
    committing fratricide and lying about it from the WH on down
    invading a country that had no WMDs and no ability to harm the US
    destroying the infrastructure of a whole nation and then stealing the $$ meant for rebuilding it.
    Losing track of 30% of the arms meant for iraqi military and police
    torture in gitmo and abu ghraib
    kidnapping
    secret prisons

    Parent
    sailor loves strawmen (1.00 / 1) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:04:11 PM EST
    What you have provided is a grab bag of nonsense, repeating unproven charges and mixing them in with criminal acts that we condemn and punish and acts of war.

    The acts I described are acts that are approved of by the society in which they were made and/or done by what is acknowledged as acts of terror by radical Moslems, with no framework of declared war and done so as admitted acts of terror to force people to bend to their will.

    There is no anti-terrorist group in Iran, SA, Palestibe, Lebannon or other predominatlt Islamic countries.

    Your failure to understand is understood. Your complaints speak volumes.

    Parent

    ppj loves him some strawmen (5.00 / 0) (#16)
    by Sailor on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 05:02:32 PM EST
    The acts I described are acts that are approved of by the society in which they were made
    wrong, they are approved by YOU, but then you approved of saddam and the taliban so we know where your sensibilities lie.

    Your constant endorsement of humiliation, torturers, kidnapping, spying on Americans reveal you for the America hater you are.

    Parent

    I love it when you go over the edge. (1.00 / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 04:34:03 PM EST
    wrong, they are approved by YOU, but then you approved of saddam and the taliban so we know where your sensibilities lie.

    Got links????

    Parent

    Are you denying you approved of ... (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Sailor on Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 05:03:52 PM EST
    ... supporting the Taliban and Saddam?

    Parent
    [crickets] from ppj (none / 0) (#22)
    by Sailor on Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 11:39:08 AM EST
    In short: (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by jondee on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:06:21 PM EST
    My Country Tis of Thee can never torture or committ murder even if it does; not as long as the ends justify the means and people like Jim keep their eyes shut and their ears plugged.

    Parent
    Did you miss this?? (1.00 / 1) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 04:37:49 PM EST
    What you have provided is a grab bag of nonsense, repeating unproven charges and mixing them in with criminal acts that we condemn and punish and acts of war.

    The acts I described are acts that are approved of by the society in which they were made and/or done by what is acknowledged as acts of terror by radical Moslems, with no framework of declared war and done so as admitted acts of terror to force people to bend to their will.

    There is no anti-terrorist group in Iran, SA, Palestibe, Lebannon or other predominatlt Islamic countries.

    Your failure to understand is understood. Your complaints speak volumes.



    Parent
    How does this justify torture (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Molly Bloom on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:24:26 PM EST
    committed in our names by Dear Leader George?

    Really, the issue is living up to our standards of conduct, not living down to theirs. Experts have testified repeatedly that torture doesn't work. Links have ben provided on this website more than once to the issues of this post.

    Why do you hate American values?

    Didn't your momma raise your right so you know that 2 wrongs don't make a right?

    Did you forget the Christ's commandment, do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

    Really Jim, I hope you are better than this.  



    Parent

    MB (1.00 / 0) (#18)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 04:35:09 PM EST
    I never discuss how I was raised.

    In your case, you don't have to.

    Parent

    Why? Are you ashamed of it? (none / 0) (#23)
    by Molly Bloom on Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 01:32:51 PM EST
    People beaten to death (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by jondee on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:00:12 PM EST
    Halogen tubes up the rectum..all verified. In other words, the substance of the mans testimony conforms to a pattern that everyone but you is already aware of; just as your pathetic denials and outright lies conform to a pattern.

    Parent
    Jone also loves strawmen (1.00 / 1) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 01:09:29 PM EST
    Not to be nasty, but there is something called "links" by which you can prove a point.

    And when you do, if you can, you will see that we did not condone theseb acts, and punished those that did.

    As I just noted. There are no anti-war groups in the predominatly Moslem ME.

    That should tell you this. The moderate Moslems have been silenced by the radical Moslems.

    In the meantime, tell me why I should believe the good and gracious Khalid Sheikh Mohammed about anything except his desire to destroy me.

    Parent

    There is also something (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by jondee on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 03:57:33 PM EST
    called reality, which you ignore as completely as you ignore other peoples links.

    If "these acts" are part of official procedure, then they're already condoned; what people like you "dont condone" is those who get caught with no plausible deniability.

    In the meantime, please carry on with the cowardly, dishonest "define torture" and "panties on the head" tap dance, so everyone can see how much mmore morally advanced you are than the terrorists.

    Parent

    Did you miss this?? (1.00 / 1) (#19)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Aug 08, 2007 at 04:35:57 PM EST
    In the meantime, tell me why I should believe the good and gracious Khalid Sheikh Mohammed about anything except his desire to destroy me.


    Parent
    Proof that (5.00 / 0) (#24)
    by jondee on Thu Aug 09, 2007 at 01:47:27 PM EST
    even terrorists can be right some of the time.

    Parent
    Not to to be picky, (1.00 / 1) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:26:35 PM EST
    but do we have any real proof?

    I mean asking a prisoner who has sworn to destroy you strikes me as a bit naive..