Published on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 byThe New York Timesby Scott Shane WASHINGTON – The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of “coercive management techniques” for possible use on prisoners, including “sleep deprivation,” “prolonged constraint,” and “exposure.” What the [...]
Archive for July 3rd, 2008
3 Jul
Believe Me, It’s Torture
VANITY FAIR TERROR TACTICS The author catches his breath after undergoing his first waterboarding session. Photographs by Gasper Tringale. Believe Me, It’s Torture What more can be added to the debate over U.S. interrogation methods, and whether waterboarding is torture? Try firsthand experience. The author undergoes the controversial drowning technique, at the hands of men who [...]
3 Jul
All In The Same Sinking Boat
By Bill Scher July 3rd, 2008 – 10:10am ET A disturbing but sadly predictable jobs report was released today by the Department of Labor: 62,000 jobs lost in June, 438,000 jobs lost during the past 6 months. This is no limited recession. The New York Times observed that: “June?s job losses affected a range of [...]
3 Jul
Iraqis Want the U.S. Out; This is How it Should Happe
By Adil E. Shamoo, Foreign Policy in Focus. Posted July 2, 2008. Instead of negotiating a long-term presence in Iraq, the United States should be negotiating a withdrawal. The Iraqis have reached a consensus: the U.S. should leave Iraq. Regardless of whether they are Kurds, Sunni, or Shi’a; regardless of political party, there is a [...]
3 Jul
Congress’s ‘Virtual Iran War Resolution’
By Rep. Ron Paul, Source Statement on House Congressional Resolution 362 before the US House of Representatives, June 28, 2008 Today the Dow Jones Average was down 350-some points, gold was up $32, and oil was up another $5. There is a lot of chaos out there and everyone is worried about $4 gasoline. But [...]
3 Jul
Webb: Bush “Blew It” on the GI Bill
A couple of days ago, I wrote about how appalling it was for President Bush to credit himself, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham for the GI Bill, considering how they did everything they could to block its passage. Well, Jim Webb shared that sentiment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Webb laughed, “I think it’s safe [...]
3 Jul
White House Suppresses Key Global Warming Document
americanprogressaction.or ENERGY A ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that details both the threat of global warming and our ability to address the problem has been suppressed by the White House since December. This document, produced in response to a “monumental” Supreme Court mandate, includes a “multimillion-dollar study conducted over two years” that finds [...]
3 Jul
A Shortage Of Troops in Afghanistan
Iraq War Limits U.S. Options, Says Chairman of Joint Chiefs Adm. Michael Mullen is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. (Luis Alvarez – AP) By Josh White Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 3, 2008; Page A01 The nation’s top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to tamp [...]
3 Jul
Not So Quiet on the Third Front
Adm. Mike Mullen, predicting neither war nor peace in Iran. (By Luis Alvarez — Associated Press) By Dana Milbank Thursday, July 3, 2008; Washington Post,Page A03 At this rate, the October Surprise won’t be very surprising. The threats, counterthreats, and counter-counterthreats between Israel, Iran and the United States have reached new levels of hysteria in [...]
3 Jul
When a Flip Isn’t a Flop
By Ruth Marcus Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Washington Post, Page A15 In footwear, flip-flops are what you slip on when you want something comfortable and easy. In politics, flip-flops are the sloppy intellectual equivalent: what you talk about when you’re looking for a comfortable and easy way to attack the opposition. It’s summer, it’s hot. [...]
3 Jul
Conservatives Filibuster Medicare Patients
americanprogressaction.org HEALTH CARE On Thursday, Senate conservatives blocked a bill that would have averted a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors. The bill, which would have canceled a reduction in Medicare fees and increased doctor pay by 1.1 percent, passed the House last week 355-59. But the Senate failed to invoke cloture [...]
