Issa dismisses torture: ‘We treated our hospital patients worse.’
Issa dismisses torture: ‘We treated our hospital patients worse.’
Today, during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) dismissed the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo and other U.S. detention facilities. According to Issa, “we treated our hospital patients worse” than we treat al Qaeda detainees. Former attorney general John Ashcroft chimed in, joking that doctors “were poking needles into me”:
ISSA: It is sort of amazing that as a member of the permanent Select Intelligence Committee, I’ve never heard any allegation of any detainee being denied food or water for a week. It’s clear that we treated our hospital patients at times worse than al Qaeda.
ASCHROFT: What’s more, they were poking needles into me all the time time.
The torture tactics used in U.S. detention are far harsher than the “poking with needles” that Ashcroft underwent at the hospital. They include, as the Center for Constitutional Rights has observed, severe sleep deprivation, “forced nudity, sexual humiliation, religious humiliation, physical force, prolonged stress positions and prolonged sensory overstimulation, and threats with military dogs.” Some interrogations have resulted in “severe physical and mental pain and suffering.”
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Only if he's talking about the VA.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:08 pmJihad Darrell is one of the biggest clowns in the Congress.
Who cares what this joker says anymore?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pmHalf-witted republicans need to lower the bar on every issue in America in order to appeal to their base. In order to avoid investigation. In order to appear patriotic when in fact they are idiotic. This man is a fool.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:11 pmGawd, these stupid wingnuts are ugly, aren't they? I'll bet they all torture small animals just for the fun of it.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pmWar crimes? In the words of our Chimp in Chief, "Bring it on!"
July 17th, 2008 at 3:13 pmWell, the next time Issa needs to have his head surgically removed from his arse, I hope that he will check into an al-Qaeda facility.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pmTry being a hospital patient when you're not a US Senator. But it's still better than being tortured at Gitmo.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:16 pmAre the stars lined up in some unusual way? It seems that joking about unfunny and hurtful things is the order of the day. First, we have McCain joking about rape (as if that's funny and trivial), then we have Bill O'Reilly joking about waterboarding (as if that's funny and trivial), and now we have Issa comparing getting "poked" with needles in a hospital to torture (as if that's funny and trivial).
All we need now is a reprise of Giuliani comparing campaigning to torture.
Since these Repubs seem to think that rape and torture are just regular laugh riots, they shouldn't mind being on the receiving end of either one, right?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:19 pmI have one simple question and one follow-up which our torture pals refuse to answer.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:21 pmI think he means we treat our hospital patients worse than al Qaeda would treat them. No?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pmWell, sure, dbadass. They may be stupid, but the trolls can sense danger. They're like rodents that way.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:25 pmNext, Isshole will be comparing waterboading with his nurse-spongebath fantasy.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:25 pmDoesn't Issa look a lot like the 'Ernest goes to...' movies?
Is he a reincarnation of a comedian? Some in Congress think so.
Is Darrel really Daryl, the parody troll?
So many questions, so few brains left to pick...
July 17th, 2008 at 3:33 pm"It’s clear we treat our hospital patients worse than al-Qaeda. I know, they were poking me with needles the whole time."
I tend to agree with the statement literally and not with the sarcasm. I just endured a stay at a local hospital here in Arizona. The treatment was damn close to criminal malpractice and will be pursued as such.
We need to take a close look at the entire health infrastructure in this Country as that industry, as all other for-porfit corporations are driven by one thing only-GREED.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pmI'm sure our soldiers at Walter Reed can vouch for that!
July 17th, 2008 at 3:40 pmGosh Darrell, maybe Tony Snow would still be alive if he had checked in at Gitmo, eh?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pmdoes he understand the argument he's making about our health care?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pmOne sort of major difference, DumbAssDarrell.
After your needle poking visit, they let you go home.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:45 pmEven if I give Issa a pass that hospitals are poking people all the time and the blinking lights and alarms keep one sleep deprived (which does have a grain of truth in it):
Gitmo is involuntary. Gitmo is not on the plan that you are in discomfort in order to reap the reward of being better. etc. etc. etc.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:46 pm"we treat our hospital patients worse than Al Qaeda..."
Well that's good to know!
The question now is; who will be most qualified to treat hospital patients even worser--Obama or McCain?
I'm pretty sure McCain wins on this issue.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pmThis man ISSA idiot. Did he even stop to think about that statement. It is wrong on so many fronts.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:54 pm1. If we do treat our patients worse than how we treat the prisoners, then waht does that say about our vaunted healthcare system?
2. Since we know we actuall ytorture the prisoners, is this idiot actually saying that our treatment of our own citizenry is even worser?
Good lawdy, good lawdy!
Issa Accuses Valerie Plame of Perjury (07/07)
A California congressman drew the fury of New York lawmakers yesterday - after he said the feds shouldn't pay another dime to help the 9/11 emergency responders who became ill after working at Ground Zero. (Issa 04/08)
Issa Calls 9/11 Attacks in New York a Plane Crash
"It simply was an aircraft, residue of the aircraft and residue of the materials used to build this building," Issa said. (06l7/08)
Issa Attacks Families of Killed Blackwater Contractors
During February 2007 Blackwater hearings of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa attacked four women whose family members were killed by Iraqi insurgents and dragged through the streets of Fallujah:
"Although I don't think your testimony today is particularly germane to the oversight of this committee, I am deeply sorry for the losses that you've had...One question I have is, the opening statement, who wrote it?"
Just a small sample of Issa's shameful behavior and callous disregard. Hopefully the citizens of California are planning to make sure this nefarious jerk isn't re-elected.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:02 pmjudyinnm Says:
I think he means we treat our hospital patients worse than al Qaeda would treat them. No?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
______
I'm not so sure about that. They are headed by a qualified surgeon.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:03 pmI trust Rep. Issa (R-Idiot) will seek medical care at Gitmo General next time he's in need. Right, Congressman?
(h/t Badmoodman)
July 17th, 2008 at 4:04 pmTruly an idiot However, after a stay in a Florida hospital one may wonder if some of the staff had training in
July 17th, 2008 at 4:06 pmGitmo.
So will Isasne(?) stop telling us we have the best medical system in the world now
tony and lido
To Rep Issa:
I just had surgery a couple weeks ago. I was in pain, had four or five strangers poking around my groin, I threw up, I got some really good drugs, I talked with some very pleasant and professional people, they laid me out on the operating table and then I was out. I woke up two hours or so later, felt a little hung over. Got some more good drugs and was on my way home by 7 that night.
uh, you might note that I did not have electrodes anywhere near my groin and I got to go home.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:33 pmIf this were not so sick, it would be comical.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pmISSA is-a piss-a
He-a does-a not-a know-a the-a difference-a between-a voluntary-a and involuntary-a. #1 Schmuck-A
July 17th, 2008 at 5:02 pmralph the wonder llama Says:
I trust Rep. Issa (R-Idiot) will seek medical care at Gitmo General next time he’s in need.
that didn't work for michaek moore, did it?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:09 pmOK, so it was Ashcroft who was complaining about the needles.
But if Issa thinks that hospitals are, at times, worse than Gitmo, what kind of hospitals do they have in his district? Sexual humiliation? Religious humiliation? Threats with military dogs? Just to name a few things?
I don't think I want to get sick in San Diego...
July 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pmIssa's fortune, having come from his Car Alarm business, is very acquainted with the torture technique of sleep deprivation.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:14 pm"We treat our hospital patients worse."
Then we need to stop torturing hospital patients too.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pmWould someone stuff a rag into his piehole and waterboard him, please?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:58 pmThe man is a disgusting POS -- the other day at the hearing with Feith he was childish, obstructive and typically Repugnant.
His arrogance will be his downfall and I hope we see it soon.
The faster these hateful ignorant creeps are out of power & out of business, the better.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pmWell, thank god you don't have to waste precious time proofreading your blog comments.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:30 pmI didn't know that hospitals in this country offer 'waterboarding' service.
May be we all do not know what Issa knows.!!
July 17th, 2008 at 6:57 pmLinking health care to interrogation and prison practices helps Repugnicants in at least two ways. The obvious minimization of detainee treatment, a.k.a. torture, has been pointed out by many already. However, most patients get some form of anesthesia before a feeding tube is inserted.
Secondly, our elected leaders have nefarious plans for "non-private" healthcare. That includes publicly supported hospitals and governmental insurance programs. Bush & Company have to drive your local, nonprofit community hospital to brink of financial ruin so their for-profit hospital campaign contributers can buy those prime assets on the cheap. Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts owns HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain. Henry Kravis runs with the super rich crowd, which usually wants more wealth, at any cost. So what if the little people suffer along the way.
Courtesy of our Congress and Executive, millions more Americans suffer every year from lack of access to affordable health care. They plan on doing very little about it. Just ask the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Business clearly rules the day and they want very badly to shed that pesky health insurance benefit.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:01 pm.
... Because it's not TORTURE when America does it.
.
July 18th, 2008 at 1:27 amhttp://www.light-to-dark.com/erosion_along_the_tigris.html
July 20th, 2008 at 4:45 pmThe statement tells more than some of us might know.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:35 am1. The V.A. uses vets as living cadavers to teach medical students. Unnecessary procedures exams and surgeries are done on vets just to teach students. When female vets are put under anesthesia docs students are residents line up to perform breast, rectal, and pelvic exams. Women who request females care will be sedated and then teams of men will come in from docs, residents, techs, students, nurses. After you suffer medical rape in the name of education, you may well be left in the care of male techs and nurses. Some of whom are allowed to work in spite of previous complaints or even convictions for sex related offenses. Women are being raped in V.A. facilities by docs, nurses, techs, janitors, even fellow patients. Nothing is done.
2. Vets are lab rats, subjected to having every new drug the docs can think of tried out on the vets.