Comments on: Sen. Graham may oppose Mukasey’s nomination.

By: JosephW

JosephW — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:41:11 +0000

I think the Senate should subject Mukasey to a little “waterboarding” session before they even schedule a vote on his nomination. And, anyone in the Senate planning to vote on the nomination who doesn’t think it’s a form of torture should ALSO be subjected to a, let’s say, 30-minute session and see if they *really* think it doesn’t qualify as torture.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:35:02 +0000

Thanks, Marie!

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:02:06 +0000

Ret. Col Jack Ripper -
You certainly have boiled it down to the basics. I enjoy reading your posts, always.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:25:47 +0000

Come on, trolls. As post #32 points out, we have executed people for waterboarding. We have also tried and convicted an American military officer for waterboarding.

Almost all of your repub candidates have spoken out forcefully in support of this procedure FOR WHICH WE HAVE EXECUTED SOMEONE! Can any of you explain your presidential candidates’ shocking position on torture? How can something for which we have imprisoned a American military officer and executed a Japanese military officer be acceptable today?

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:55:35 +0000

But, as I pointed out, an American Officer was tried and convicted for waterboarding during the Phillipine Insurrection in 1902. Still, I know what you mean. These days it’s evidently because god is on our side, though I think we thought he was in 1902 as well.

By: texaslady

texaslady — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:51:32 +0000

It depends on who is doing the water boarding, if Americans are doing it it is justified but if another nation does it…IT IS TORTURE!

Really, we should be able to understand Bushology by now.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:50:30 +0000

Regarding Post #32, above, I’m still wondering if there are any conservatives around here who can explain why some of your elected representatives have been publically arguing that waterboarding is not torture? Many of them have been pretty clear on this. Rudy certainly doesn’t think it’s anything to fret about. Do any of you Rudy-supporters have an explanation for this? Let me help you out: at best, this corporatist a-hole you support didn’t even know about executed Japanese soldiers or the Phillipine insurrection and at worst, he does know, and is a dirty liar.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:45:03 +0000

Point taken, desaparecido. If I can laugh about nuclear annilation with Stanley Kubrik, I’m in no position to judge your taste in tragicomedy.

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:31:50 +0000

Lindsey Graham will vote with Bush – he always does. Disregard what he says now. Check his vote later; I am betting he will say “aye.”

By: desaparecido

desaparecido — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:23:45 +0000

“desaparecido, for the life of me, I canâ€™t think of anything funny about the fact that people are torturing in our name. Itâ€™s a disgrace. Weâ€™re disgraced.

Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper â€” October 29, 2007 @ 12:46 pm”

It’s not funny in a “hahaha” way. It’s funny in a this makes me sick to my stomach way. Hey.. dark humor isn’t for everyone, but it is the only way I’m able to deal with this world and not throw up every ten minutes.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:14:42 +0000

Veritas: “Itâ€™s taken directly from George Orwellâ€™s playbook (1984) coupled with the sick minded fascist doctrines of Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol.”

Yes! People really need to know what we’re dealing with here. Read the central philosophies of Leo Strauss, the “father of modern neoconservatism.” Read about his concepts of “special gentlemen,” an elite class of rulers, who use “noble lies” to fool the majority, which doesn’t know what’s good for it. This is where the neocon elite is coming from and we all need to be clear on that.

By: Veritas

Veritas — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:08:28 +0000

Unless the american people wake up (anyone see “Zeitgiest” yesterday – a must see for all!) and begin to recognize precisely whom our real enemies are within, there will be no chance for democracy.

“When the power of love replaces the love of power, only then will we know true peace”…Jimmy Hendrix

By: Veritas

Veritas — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:06:44 +0000

Nanlichi: Yes – we have met the enemy and the enemy is “us”.

This group of thugs has squelched our voices in exchange for the illusion of freedom. They’ve ratcheted up the “fear agenda” to provide the appearance that there are “real threats” as opposed to false flag operations, military game stunts, and inside jobs. It’s taken directly from George Orwell’s playbook (1984) coupled with the sick minded fascist doctrines of Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol.

By: Veritas

Veritas — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:04:45 +0000

Wasn’t it Mukasy who, in the first place, approved the very narrow definition of “torture” when Rummy and Gonzo were trying to bastardize the Geneva Conventions definition of torture?

By: Veritas

Veritas — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:02:56 +0000

Waterboarding is illegal according to the Geneva Conventions on Torture no matter how you dice it. The conversation now should be: How this administration is getting away with torturing while espousing the ridiculous mantra of “We don’t torture, we don’t torture, we don’t torture”. Remember how asynchronous George Tenet’s words were regarding torture. I believe that George was making a point in this Orwellian world of GWB’s – and that is – unless you ask the specific question, you get a canned answer.

Sure, “we” may not be doing the actual torturing; we’re outsourding it to our hired mercenaries. The bottom line is that both the one contracting the outsourcing and the one actually committing the crime are both “culpable” under the law.

We have been torturing which is illegal according to the Geneva Conventions. Wonder where the Red Cross is on this one? I’ve read that they’re preparing a “war crimes tribunal” for the Bush administration for the moment they step out of office.

By: Veritas

Veritas — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:59:42 +0000

Since Mukasey can’t seem to make up his flipflopping mind about waterboarding, he does not deserve to get the nod.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:50:18 +0000

nanlici: “If we now admit that waterboarding is torture, wellâ€¦shit. I guess we do torture after all.”

The sad thing is that it is and always has been torture whether or not we want to admit it. We punished our own military for using it in the Phillipine Insurection and imprisoned and/or executed members of the Japanese military for using it during WWII.

Our corporate media has deliberately obfuscated the issue. It should have been obvious. This is what we get with an unregulated corporate-fascist media.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:46:21 +0000

desaparecido, for the life of me, I can’t think of anything funny about the fact that people are torturing in our name. It’s a disgrace. We’re disgraced.

By: nanlichi

nanlichi — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:45:42 +0000

Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper â€” October 29, 2007 @ 12:38 pm

Thanks for that post. I think it’s clear what’s going on here, it’s retroactive cover for the waterboarding that has been going on. Just like the retroactive immunity for the phone companies for participation in illegal spying, these guys can’t admit that waterboarding is torture, because as the ChimpinChief says, “This is America and Americans don’t torture.”

If we now admit that waterboarding is torture, well…shit. I guess we do torture after all.

And spy on our citizens illegally, and hold prisoners with no due process, and start preemptive wars, and torture prisoners, and shoot innocent civilians, and hire mercenaries, and….

We have met the enemy.

By: Ret. Col. Jack Ripper

Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:43:52 +0000

In 1902, following a series of Senate hearings led by Massachusetts Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, the Army tried Maj. Edwin Glenn in a court-martial in the Philippine province of Samar for misconduct and breach of discipline, including “infliction of the water cure” on suspected Filipino insurgents. The “water cure” was their name for water boarding.