Site Presented By
Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I've uploaded an updated Wog.
You'll find the definition of a "concern troll" on page 2. I would suggest that there may be a couple running around here.
link at sig
On January 9 and 10, 2009, Human Rights Watch researchers in Israel observed multiple air-bursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over what appeared to be the Gaza City/Jabaliya area.[…]
Human Rights Watch believes that the use of white phosphorus in densely populated areas of Gaza violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.
[…]
Since the beginning of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza on January 3, 2009, there have been numerous media reports about the possible use of white phosphorous by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF told both Human Rights Watch and news reporters that it is not using white phosphorus in Gaza. On January 7, an IDF spokesman told CNN, “I can tell you with certainty that white phosphorus is absolutely not being used.”
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2009/01/13/mena-israel-and-the-use-of-white-phosphorous-in-gaza/
the key difference with Obama is that he appears to listen
this is no way to get invited into/onto the inner circle of super crapspactacular congressional/presidential cocktail weenie parties, dontchya know.
I'm sure I'll be accused of being a GG psychophant or sockpuppet, but YOU ARE THE MAN. Keep up the good work, keep edumacating the masses, and maybe, just maybe, my over the top cynicism will be proven wrong and we just might work ourselves out of some of the serious messes fear, lemming-like inside the beltway thought, and propoganda have given rise to.
There is only one golden rule of politics from the perspective of the masses: constant political pressure may yield accountability, but no pressure is certain to yield none.
I respectfully submit, that if all you took from El Cid's citation was teh march, you may have missed this point. To wit:
...these leaders represented organizations whose members were all overwhelmingly loyal allies and fervent electoral supporters of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Those who had been strong supporters of FDR were prepared to organize against him on issues of particular importance. I find it gives the notion of "loyal opposition" a new meaning. It's also fully consistent with the theme of Glenn's column.
For those of you not familiar with my use of RWNM (Right Wing Noise Machine), the LWNM (Left Wing Noise Machine)is the counterpart for the RWNM. The difference is, of course, the "Left Wing" is actually the mainstream, and bases its arguments on facts and truth, not fiction, as is so often true with the RWNM. I still predict that Bush will pre-emptively pardon himself, Cheney and others for the various illegalities of his presidency. We need to make as much noise as possible following such a pardon, in order to insure that Bob Fertik's wonderful idea of appointment of a Special Prosecutor will become reality.
Good question. Some of these people have been kidnapped and tortured by us. If they were not nuts before, then they could very well be now. What do we do with them? Maybe we just let them go. Maybe we owe them reources to help them get back to some semblance of sanity. Maybe we owe them nothing but a "bummer dude" here is $50 and a plane ticket back home to Pakistan (or detroit in some cases). Whether they are guilty or not, many (maybe most or all) simply cannot be effectively tried under US law because we kidnapped and tortured them.
Actually, a treaty signed and ratified by the United States, formally known as the Convention Against Torture, and Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment (CATCIDT), specifies that we owe them investigations, prosecutions, punishments, and reparations. It's pretty darn specific.
And we can't just get by with "resources to help them get back to some semblance of sanity." They have the right to sue us: to pay for this and get out of their lives. One does not ask a torturer for psychoanalysis, one goes to a different shrink.
This is why we owe them the investigations, prosecutions, and punishments. Because, like most international law treaties, this one is not "self-implementing" in the U.S., and requires suits to be filed under the Torture Victims Protection Act, which, of course, requires that the crime of torture be established, doesn't it?
Barack Obama has come a few steps in our direction. But, as Glenn cited Anthony Romero, the devil is still in the details, and the refusal to commit to investigations when there have been both formal accusations and informal admissions of torture is, unless rectified, a shredding of international law, and our Constitution with it: We assert, as a nation, that the CIDT part of the treaty is amply covered by our Constitution, so if that part of the treaty is violated with impunity, our written and signed assertion implies that our Constitution has been so violated as well.
What Mr. Obama needs to be made to realize is that failure to investigate is actually a breach of our international committments -- it's a cover-up -- no matter how politically awful the consequences of meeting those obligations are. We will breed Chuckie Taylors that way, just as much as the Iraq War has bred terrorists.
Have you noticed how much weaker the Geneva Conventions are in Gaza, after 8 years of Bush? That's our fault, and our problem, our new president's problem, to correct. Impunity breeds impunity, and pretty soon you have the Mai Mai or the Janjaweed because of an American who didn't want a heavy political fight.
You are so full of shit sometimes it amazes me ... and I share your views on most things. Could it be that Obama was bullshitting Steph because Georgie is a sniveling little shit? No ... it must have been the righteous critics! Hey Glenn -- write something today about how Obama has not yet given Salon reader Tangerine a million dollars from the bailout fund! I need the dough!
Cuba and Isreal constitute the best examples of irrational results that occur when the vast majority of Americans have no interest in a particular subject, but a very vocal minority does. No rational, unbias person could make sense of our policies toward Cuba -- our boycott of Cuba is just plain nuts. The policy remains unchanged, however, because most people could care less about it, while a very small group in Florida care very much. And .. Florida is a very important state to both parties.
Over the past weeks, many have questioned why the US policy toward Isreal is so one-sided. In my view, it is because only a very vocal minority expresses any real opinion. A group of Jewish voters actively lobby, speak, write, advocate, etc. for a "support Isreal no matter what it does" position. None of the rest of us express any public opinion whatsoever. We do not vote based on U.S. policy toward Isreal, we do not write letters, demonstrate, give money, give support, etc. based on U.S. policy toward Isreal. Given the complete ambivalence everyone other than the pro-Isreal lobby expresses toward U.S. Isreal policy, any logical politian would adopt the pro-Isreal position. The only solution is for the rest of us to step up and vote, write, lobby, etc. based on U.S. Isreal policy. I'm guessing it just isn't a big enough deal to most Americans for anything to change.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
