White House Wants to Promote ~ To Cover Torture Tracks
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: And Flanigan Wanted a Promotion
Topic: Torture & Abuse
Concerning the nomination of Timothy Flanigan for Deputy Attorney General, a June 21, 2004 Newsweek article quotes Flanigan as he explains the interest of the CIA in obtaining legal advice on permissible interrogation techniques. The same article describes White House meetings chaired by then-White House Counsel Gonzales in which Administration lawyers found acceptable: water-boarding, or dripping water into a wet cloth over a suspects face, which can feel like drowning; and threatening to bring in more-brutal interrogators from other nations.?? Saying if we used these techniques, it would save American lives.

He also says when asked about if using questionable techniques was inhumane. Flanigan responded that inhumane treatment is not susceptible to a succinct definition. He also stated that whether any of these practices would be lawful would depend on the facts and circumstances surrounding its use, and that it would be inappropriate for me to speculate about whether such techniques are lawful or humane.
Get a load of this shit this guy is selling. He is spinning around the legal terms of being inhumane as he runs for the 2nd highest Law Enforcement position in the Country

It seems there reportedly is a withheld second August 2002 memorandum from the Justice Department to the CIA that approves a long list of interrogation techniques that reportedly include practices that go beyond not only prior Justice Department and Defense Department practices, but also prior CIA practices. A June 27, 2004 USA Today article reported that a current Justice official who knows the memos contents said it specifically authorized the CIA to use waterboarding, in which a prisoner is made to believe he is drowning. According to a June 28, 2004 Washington Post article, other approved techniques include refusal of pain medication for injuries, and stress positions, light and noise bombardment, sleep deprivation, and making captives think they are being interrogated by another government.
The first memorandum was withdrawn and replaced by the Justice Department less than a week before the confirmation hearing, but Gonzales defended the faulty legal reasoning in the memorandum.
During the confirmation hearing for Attorney General Gonzales, members of the Judiciary Committee closely questioned Gonzales on the August 1, 2002 Bybee memorandum that narrowly defined torture.


Now this get interesting?..On September 19, 2005, the Justice Department refused the request of Senators Kennedy, Feingold, and Durbin for this memorandum. The Justice Department explained in a letter that [t]here are substantial confidentiality interests associated with any such opinion, which would consist of confidential legal advice for the consideration of senior Administration decision-makers . . . its disclosure outside the Executive Branch would harm the deliberative processes of the Department and the Executive Branch and disrupt attorney-client relationships.?? Meaning they are gonna cover their own asses by some stupid substantial confidentially interest considerations for (burp!) senior Administration blah blah blah..,

Which brings me to Todays spin by Bush and the White House Crime Gang... that with the Senate overwhelming passage of a prisoner treatment policy amendment it was OBJECTED by the White House? ...Well excuse me Boss! But we don't appreciate your twisted-ass-covering torture policies and youre making the world hate us and our Fascist sick attitude that are violating the War Act Policy and Human Rights Violations.

Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, who sponsored the amendment that would bar cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees, says this is not what the United States is about. He hits this point straight on. But when he tries to get answers on this subject from Military Officials ..he gets nothing, Same as the troops that are in these prisons, trying to run these mad houses for the Pentagone, and when they ask for guidance or policy!!...They too get nothing ! Youre not surprised? This is The USA The Bush Crime Family Way!

White House officials say that legislation would limit the president's ability to carry out the war on terrorism. Ya I bet?KHis terrorism His war that he has illegally waged.

Ya see for months, the White House has threatened to veto such an amendment, now attached to the $445.5 billion Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006. The amendment was initially attached to the 2006 Defense Authorization bill, but was pulled from the Senate floor by Senate majority leader (What-A-JERK!-First) Bill Frist, after the White House threatened a veto. Now the part that sickens me is the ?? White House Threatens Veto line! Are they out of their minds? Or are we for allowing this torturing sick thought process?
I say allowing because you dont have to sit here accepting this. I am outraged. I am in the streets over this.
All this McCain's amendment establishes is that the Army Field Manual is the uniform standard for interrogation of detainees and it prohibits "cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment of prisoners in the detention of the government." Is that something to veto? Cant we all agree here in the Land of The Free to this amendment? For Pete??s sake People. Is Anybody Awake? Are there any other average Joe Anybodys out there that can see this for the simple request for dignity that it is? Stop Torturing period!

Now let me repeat what the amendment does All this McCain's amendment establishes is that the Army Field Manual is the uniform standard for interrogation of detainees and it prohibits "cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment of prisoners in the detention of the government See if we cant even promise that much, we have become some pretty worthless saps.

One SERIOUS disturbing fact of this provision is it would not cover the Central Intelligence Agency or curb the process of moving detainees (rendition) to other countries where torture is allowed, limiting its impact. As we get fucked again by the Above The Law CIA. The damn Government is spitting in our faces. And I hate being spit in my face.

A report by Maj. Gen. George R. Fay about the abuses at Abu Ghraib said the conduct of C.I.A. personnel at the prison was perceived by military officials there as more aggressive than that allowed by the military. The report said the C.I.A.'s conduct had a corrupting influence on military interrogators and contributed to a view among them that it was permissible to exceed strict guidelines for interrogations.

I want Tortured stopped and when Congress enacts laws the CIA skip around them like a bald faced liar would.
We work so hard to pass an amendment that just says the basic right of life "To treat these prisoners as Humans" and then the damn CIA sneaks around anyway hahahahahahaha (with White House Approval)

...this is just great....

This is a quote from an ACLU site which explains what needs to happen. In the absence of an appointed outside special counsel, the only government agency that can prosecute civilians--including contractors, CIA employees, or other civilian government employees--is the Justice Department. Within the Justice Department, the only prosecutors who can prosecute violations of criminal laws against torture or abuse are either in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department or in the various Justice Department offices of U.S. Attorneys for specific districts around the country. Thus, the only way for civilians to be held responsible for criminal acts is for the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute.
Although Attorney General Gonzales has refused thus far to appoint an outside special counsel for the investigation and prosecution of violations of federal laws against torture and abuse, the standard for an appointment has clearly been met, and the need is only reinforced if Flanigan is confirmed. Unless an outside special counsel is appointed before the confirmation of Flanigan, the Senate will not have any Executive Branch commitment to full accountability and responsibility for criminal wrongdoing by civilians??.(end quote)

And in closing a quote below is also from the ACLU to the Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding the Nomination of Timothy Flanigan to Deputy Attorney General. Thank God at least this Civil Rights group has put enough heat on the testimony and has stood up to these sick bastards to make them accountable and face the srinking music they wrote.
(quote)The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges you to oppose moving forward on the nomination of Timothy Flanigan to be Deputy Attorney General until the Justice Department takes two necessary steps: (i) publicly releases an August 2002 memorandum from the Justice Department to the Central Intelligence Agency that authorizes specific interrogation techniques, including waterboarding (simulated drowning); and (ii) appoints an outside special counsel for the investigation and prosecution of criminal violations of federal laws against the torture or abuse of detainees There is an urgent public interest in investigating and prosecuting all civilians committing torture or abuse or conspiring to commit those crimes against persons being held by the United States as the best way to ensure that the government complies with the rule of law, and forever stops the use of torture and abuse. A small number of enlisted men and women and a few lower-ranking military officers should not be the only persons prosecuted for crimes, if top officials and other civilians also engaged in criminal wrongdoing. Given the clear evidence of deliberate and widespread use of torture and abuse, and that such conduct was the predictable result of policy changes made at the highest levels of government, an outside special counsel is certainly in the public interest. Although the ACLU does not take positions on Executive Branch nominations, we urge you to oppose moving forward on this nomination until the Justice Department takes these two important steps toward accountability.(end quote)

Much of this page was derived from or quoted from the ACLU link
HERE http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=19180&c=206

And more info copied from
HEREhttp://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1007/p01s01-uspo.html

Zebra 3 Reports is 100% concerned in stopping Prison Abuse and Torture Here in the USA and in Foreign Countries.
It is with great disheartenment that in these Foreign Countries where abuse is happening in prisons, that it is the USA that is blatantly abusing captive citizens of all ages, boldly in the name of Terrorism while the Average Joe Anybody sits at home thinking our Leaders are better men than they really are. (burp) man this makes me sick!

Stay tune to see if the confirmation of Timothy Flanigan to the Deputy position sickens our Justice System.