Letters to the Editor
Jim White
Published Letters: 1093 Editor's Choice: 15
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Okay, Festus, I finished my beer.
[Read the article: Mukasey's nomination and the sudden opposition to "waterboarding"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Is one man's comfort or even sanity more important than trying to preserve other lives?
The answer is that every person is worthy of being treated with respect for their inherent human rights.
Coercion may give you an answer, but in the time that it takes to determine the validity of the answer given, independent intelligence work will always give a more reliable answer. No matter how many times you repeat it, the ticking time bomb scenario is a work of fiction and has absolutely no bearing on interrogation in real life.
Torture, on the other hand, only and always will serve to produce more enemies. In your enthusiasm to torture those who are different than you, you are only assuring that every soldier of ours who happens to fall into enemy hands is much more likely to be tortured. Why do you hate our troops and want to see them tortured?
Treatment with dignity and respect, on the other hand, defuses the spiral of hatred. Sadly, today, that spiral has accelerated to a sickening pace.
Now buzz off and play with your putter like a good little warperv fascist.
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More fun while fighting back
[Read the article: Mukasey's nomination and the sudden opposition to "waterboarding"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis, the fascists ascend to power through use of a campaign song set to the tune of Yankee Doodle. I think it's time to fight back against the fascists who have taken over our country with just the same tactic. I invite Arne, Kitt or anyone else here with musical ability to grab your voice, your instrument and your video camera to get this on YouTube as soon as possible.
Georgie Pordgie took our rights
And locked them in a drawer.
He told us lies about Saddam
And marched us off to wa-ar.
Georgie Pordgie give it up,
Georgie Pordgie and Cheney,
You're on your way to Camp Gitmo
To be another detainee.
Georgie Pordgie spied on us
And did not get a warrant.
Now he says no one should pay
And that is just abhorrent.
Georgie Pordgie give it up,
Georgie Pordgie and Cheney,
You're on your way to Camp Gitmo
To be another detainee.
Georgie Pordgie says it's okay
To use a waterbo-oard.
He won't pay until the day
He goes to meet his Lo-ord.
Georgie Pordgie give it up,
Georgie Pordgie and Cheney,
You're on your way to Camp Gitmo
To be another detainee.
Have fun. Anyone want to propose another verse?
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@RMP
[Read the article: Mukasey's nomination and the sudden opposition to "waterboarding"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sure, that would be great if the Raging Grannies want the song. As Frankly has pointed out, "Camp Xray" works better than "Camp Gitmo". I think "Gitmo Bay" also works and would be more recognizable.
Enjoy.
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Process for filing international charges of war crimes
[Read the article: Mukasey's nomination and the sudden opposition to "waterboarding"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What is the formal process for filing charges of war crimes in the International Court? It seems quite clear to me from the information that has been posted by ondelette and others in this thread that we now have confirmation by the Bush Administration that it engages in waterboarding. There is simply no escaping that this constitutes a war crime.
I would like to see the "law firm" of Fein, Comey, Goldsmith, Greenwald and Dodd (would we dare include Specter?) come together to write and submit the appropriate brief.
Defendants: Bush, Cheney, Addington, Yoo, Gonzales, Lieberman, Feinstein and Schumer (in somewhat descending order of guilt).
How do we make this happen? And yes, I am serious and not just venting. From the list of defendants (and the attorneys I propose) it is clear that both the crime and any effort to overcome it are truly bipartisan.
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One more point about the waterboard
[Read the article: When waterboarding was a crime]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Do you wonder why the prisoner's head is in the lower position on the waterboard? That is simple. As long as the shoulders are below the hips, the water poured into the prisoner and inhaled into the lungs will drain out of the lungs by gravity. Asphyxia is still possible if the cloth or plastic wrap over the mouth and nose don't allow enough oxygen to enter.
If the hips were below the shoulders, the lungs would quickly fill with water and the drowning would be completed very quickly. Drowning is not a function of the body being underwater, it is a function of the lungs filling with water and preventing oxygen exchange.