6/26 - International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
~~ Torture is Wrong
BUT, let us not be hasty. It is, per se wrong, but that needn't mean that we should stop doing it and stop supporting other governments that do it. We must do what we must do, keeping in mind the wisdom of Saint Madeleine Albright that:
If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future.
Whether it is slowly killing great numbers of innocent children via sanctions, torturing one person many, many times, or torturing many many "folks" however much we see fit to do so, droning an entire wedding based on an informant's bare assertions, or fomenting a coup by a brutal dictator, we must preserve our position as the indispensible nation, and continue to stand tall. If that requires that we torture people, well, it is worth it.
/snark
Meanwhile, I serendipitously ran across the linked article concerning the US' ongoing campaign to conceal torture and evidence of torture. My recollection is that it was linked in one of Joe Shickspack's
https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/30/blindmans-bluff/
On this day in history:
0004 – Augustus adopted Tiberius.
1409 – Petros Philargos was crowned Pope joining the two other Popes already holding that title - a trifecta
1541 – Francisco Pizarro, a sleazy imperialist assassin, was himself assassinated.
1843 – Treaty of Nanking went into effect ceding Hong Kong Island to the British in perpetuity.
1870 – Christmas was declared a federal holiday because Christians get special treatment in the US, all the massive whining to the contrary
1886 – Fluorine was isolated for the first time.
1917 – The AEF began to arrive in France
1918 – Allied Forces won the Battle of Belleau Wood.
1924 – The 8 year long US military occupation of the Dominican Republic ended.
1934 – FDR signed the Federal Credit Union Act, so ditch your predacious bank for a credit union already.
1936 – The first practical helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, made its first flight
1945 – The UN Charter was signed
1948 – Shockley filed for the patent for the first bipolar transistor
1948 – Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" was published
1955 – The South African Congress Alliance adopted the Freedom Charter
1974 - The first scan of a UPC code to sell a product
1975 – Two Feebs and a member of the American Indian Movement were killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Leonard Peltier was later convicted of murder in a horribly flawed trial.
1997 – The Supremes ruled that the Communications Decency Act violated the First Amendment
2003 – The Supremes ruled that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutinal (Lawrence v. Texas )
2013 – Terrorist attacks by Syrian Uighur mujahideen in Xinjiang, China killed 24
2013 – The Supremes ruled that Section 3 of the theocratic DOMA was unconstitutional
2015 – The Supremes ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage
Some people who were born on this day:
Only an organized and conscious people can bring about a different kind of society.
~~ Salvador Allende
1600 – Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, bishop and viceroy of the New Spain theocracy
1694 – Georg Brandt, chemist and mineralogist, discovered cobalt
1730 – Charles Messier, astronomer
1786 – Sunthorn Phu, poet
1824 – William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, physicist and engineer
1866 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, amateur egyptologist and archaeologist
1892 – Pearl S. Buck, author
1903 – Big Bill Broonzy,guitarist, singer, and songwriter
1908 – Salvador Allende, politician and victim of US war crimes and crimes against humanity
1909 – Colonel Tom Parker, talent manager
1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, athlete
1913 – Maurice Wilkes, computer scientist
1915 – Paul Castellano, businessman
1916 – Virginia Satir, shrink and social worker
1921 – Violette Szabo, WWII secret agent
1926 – Kenny Baker, fiddler
1937 – Robert Coleman Richardson, physicist
1937 – Reggie Workman, jazz bassist
1938 – Billy Davis Jr., pop & soul singer, 5th Dimeension
1942 – Gilberto Gil, singer, songwriter, guitarist, activist and politician
1943 – Georgie Fame, singer, pianist, and keyboard player
1944 – Arthur Doyle, multi instrumental jazz musician
1946 – Candace Pert, neuroscientist and pharmacologist
1952 – Olive Morris, civil rights activist
1955 – Mick Jones, guitarist, singer and songwriter
1956 – Chris Isaak, guitarist, singer, and songwriter
1957 – Patty Smyth, singer, songwriter, and musician
1961 – Greg LeMond, cyclist
1961 – Terri Nunn, singer, songwriter, and actress
1963 – Harriet Wheeler, singer and songwriter
1969 – Colin Greenwood, bassist and songwriter
1993 – Ariana Grande, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress
Here's to George Herbert, Earl Carnarvon, in memory of his greatest achievement
Some people who died on this day:
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.
~~ Nora Ephron
1274 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, polymath
1541 – Francisco Pizarro, serves him right
1810 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, co-inventor of the hot air balloon
1932 – Adelaide Ames, astronomer
1956 – Clifford Brown, trumpet player and composer, died in a car crash along with
1956 – Richie Powell, pianist, and fellow member of the Max Roach Quintet
1997 – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, singer, songwriter, and ukulele player
2003 – Strom Thurmond, noted racist & hypocrite
2012 – Nora Ephron, director, producer, and screenwriter
Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Caution, celebrations may be frowned upon in certain US towns and near some US military bases
Today's Tunes
Lord Kelvin
Big Bill Broonzy
Colonel Tom Parker
Reggie Workman
Mick Jones
Chris Isaak
Colin Greenwood
Ariana Grande
Clifford Brown
Richie Powell
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Bonus:
Big Bill Broonzey - Acoustic Chicago Blues
Bonus (Clifford Brown - Trumpet, Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone, Richard Powell - Piano, George Morrow - Bass, Max Roach - Percussion)
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com
Comments
Not to mention all those still in Guantanamo...
Held and tortured for years with no criminal charges. Then there's Julian's torture, and we can go on and on. Top to bottom.
DeSantis Says He Advised on Guantánamo Torture in Unearthed Video
No telling how many we torture in black sites around the world.
Hope you're doing well el. Thanks for the music and OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning LO, thanks for that excerpt. We now
focus on the events of the GWOT, seemingly in part to deny that our use of torture did not start there, or Viet Nam, or he Philippines, but goes back to day one, as I note below.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good morning, all.
Thank you for the OT, el, and for the music selections. Heat Wave got my toes tapping, and I think I am ready to start the day! Gonna be a hot one. 87F.
Good morning O'Linda, glad the music is working,
Hope you like/enjoy warmth, since you're in for some. High here today is supposed to be 67, but I'll believe it when I see it, cool, breezy and chilly here for weeks now.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Are you aware what is going on in Germany?
I hope I can get away from this hellhole.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Good morning mimi. Sadly, I've been mostly unaware of
most of everything going on everywhere. I hope that things over there improve markedly and rapidly, but I know that is probably wishful thinking.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I am just shocked how extreme right wing
in people in positions of the local government here are.
Sorry to learn it.
I don't want to learn more. It is just very destructive.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Unfortunately, US policy is not a supporter of human rights
Torture, pain, sanctions and murder are the tools of the trade for our
'intelligence' agencies. National security is used as an excuse to
attempt subversion on the deplorables.
Thanks for the OT. Hope you are on the mend.
question everything
Good morning QMS. You've definitely got that right.
I couldn't say it better myself, and hence won't try.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good morning, El, et. al.
Ya know, I just got a call from an attorney who has taken a family law case for a friend. It is in a county I just feel is too far away, and the entire drive to that courthouse is a speed trap.
His opposing counsel was just elected mayor of the city where the courthouse is located. She said, "From now on, address me as your honor." He said, "Congratulations, mayor. Not sure your honor is correct." The mayor was not in agreement to get a visitation schedule for the dad to see his child. The attorney said he would request a hearing asap. The mayor replied, "If a hearing is set within a month, I will shut down the town." That remark was overheard by 3 people. The attorney had his cell phone on speaker.
This is yet another example of why I think getting involved with local politics and elections can really back fire.
The attorney will take this straight to a local news reporter.
Some people are unfit to be a mayor.
Man, Mondays!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc, What can one say. It is good
that your friend had his phone on speaker. It is a cruel Irony of life that once the so-called work week became quasi-standardized in its current form, the word Monday was almost immediately transformed into an epithet. Hang in there.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
The Red Cross and Amnesty International
have long sought to end torture and other types of human rights abuse. Many times simply having access to prisoners enabling them to speak of their abuse and to have them listed amongst the living is a hindrance to further torture.
Good morning ban nock. Thanks for giving
recognition to the work of the Red Cross (an Red Crescent) and Amnesty. They do try to play a role in promoting civilization.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
We'll (the US, that is)
clearly have to use our position as World Thought Leader and Arbiter of All Things and The Final Authority Seated At The Right Hand Of Gawd Hisownself to simply redefine torture as *right*, then, won't we?
Language is malleable. We'll get the PR department right on that.
Tl;dr: Don't look to the US for anything resembling moral behavior.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Good morning UFS. Thanks for reading and for adding that
bit of wisdom. Sadly, it is already well under way.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Mick Jones is where I got my name from
My best friend in high school gave it to me because I played guitar and we both like the clash. It stuck. Decades later I tried to go back to my real name, but couldn't.
Good morning Mick - interesting how odd bits and pieces
of our youthful history follow us around. Thanks for reading.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
And that calls for
some Dropkick Murphys for this fine Monday morning...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Monday Monday
la da da, la da da
HI all, just a fly-by here...
methinks a bit overlooked... The Torture Never Stops - Frank Zappa (with Captain Beefheart vocals)
Hoping a Julian Assange photo gets inserted next to the entry for torture in the dictionary.
have good ones all!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Hola Dysto, good moening. Thanks for adding that, really
good and too greatly overlooked indeed.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Everytime I hear the word "torture" 2 arseholes come to mind
https://theintercept.com/2014/10/30/un-report-slams-obama-protecting-u-s...
a snippet
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Good morning gg. It is hard not to think of those two,
though they are just two of the most prominent of a long, long line. Perhaps because each was, in his own way, a bit smarmy and sanctimonious abut the whole matter and completely lacking in any regret or remorse.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good morning one and all. Despite our pretense, the US
has a history of being torturers going back to before we were a nation. Part of "our" lands came to us via Spain. The conquistadores tortured not merely the indigenous populations, but also each other. Even before unleashing Columbus et all on the amfericas, their "most catholic majesties" 9nstituted a little thing called the Spanish Inquisition, and inquisitors went wherever the empire did and practiced torture to ensure purity of belief and practice.
Not to be outdone by their catholic brethern, the prots tortured each other to investigate and punish not merely witchcraft, but other religious failings, and it was the stndard or investigation and punishment. Enslaved persons brought to these shores were routinely tortured and the indigenous populations too were subject to such treatment.
These were our beginnings, and, thereafter, these practices went where we went, following us across the country and throughout the world and down through history. To this day it is pat of our national heritage and is as inevitable as we are indispensible.
Be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
My wife and I
attended Pride again this year on Saturday. It's the third biggest Pride Fest in the country, after NY and SF, or so we're told.
We always make the annual pilgrimage to hang out with our gay and trans friends when they can finally allow themselves to simply be themselves. The vibe was wonderful, and it felt really good to just be out and about on a non-rainy day with a lot of happy people. Sip some wine, gnaw on some turkey legs, get sunburned... We stayed in town to attend the evening drag revue up at the Milk Market, which was run by our friend Shirley Delta Blow.
We walked by the yobbo with the bullhorn who had taken up his usual station by the corner of the fest, and was doing his usual haranguing of the attendees as godless heathens who were all going to hell (accompanied by the usual collection of bible quotes and whatnot), until his batteries went flat. But with that usual exception, it was its usual mellow and enjoyable thing.
One of the best things about it is that all the cops who drew the duty to handle security and crowd control were in good moods: Pride, and 4/20, are the two days when the Denver cops are at their least dour. A good time was had by all, as near as we could tell. Highly recommended, if you're ever in Denver at the right time of year.
It is so strange to me that some subset of keyboard warriors object to this sort of thing so strongly in some virtual spaces. Luckily, they were conspicuous by their absences in meat-space...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Sounds like a good time was had by most. Said
keyboard warriors are but a subset that also includes those fulminating verbally from pulpits and soadboxes. Sadly, they will prob ably always be with us, but we can hope that they refrain from violence.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Apparently it is OK if we do it.
Thanks Humphry. Most of our wars, of course, have
been wars of aggression.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Based on a lie
Thanks for bringing this up.
"We didn't know it was a lie at the time." Er, that's very hard to believe. First of all, it isn't a lie, if the perpetrators didn't know it was a lie. A lie is intentional. So the executive branch at a minimum, by Kerry's characterization knew it was a lie. And then presumably, without further investigation, Congress accepted the lie on its face. I don't believe for one minute, that old time Washington operators like Kerry and Clinton, didn't know it was lie. Look at his face, he looks like the cat who ate the canary.
I just read an account of the David Kelly affair in England. The position of UK politicians on their decision to go to war was "it was a mistake." The "sexed up" accounts of a being hit with a nuclear weapon from Iraq in 45 minutes, or Condoleezza Rice's "mushroom cloud" reference to inculcate public fear were deliberate misrepresentations, but the politician's didn't "own the report" someone else came up with the defective intelligence product. I don't believe for a moment that they didn't know exactly what was up at the time. I followed this closely, at the time it happened and I didn't believe they had any evidence at all for their claims, because when you got into the granular details of the reports by weapons inspectors, it was all equivocation. With sources like Chalabi and "Curveball" what's not to believe?
Here's a contemporaneous account of Scott Ritter's views before the Oct 2002 authorization to use military force by Congress against Iraq.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2002/09/former-weapons-inspector-...
語必忠信 行必正直
Good evening Soryang. Thanks for reading and for adding
that comment. I too followed the whole shooting match quite closely and it was not only obvious that they had no real evidence, it was also clear that they knew that they were lying, especially Condi Rice and GWB, and they knew that their sources were horseshit too.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
One of the reasons for removing Saddam was because
he used chemical weapons on his own people, but who gave him both the weapons and permission to do it? Plus how many weapons inspectors told Bush that Saddam didn’t have them anymore? Kerry is a big fat liar and he betrayed his younger self after he spoke at the winter soldier event and said what he did about the Vietnam war. As we know he was for the war before he was against it…good grief he flip flopped so many times during his run for president that people got whiplash.
But of course it wasn’t just Iraq that America invaded against universal law, but Libya, Syria and gawd only knows how many countries in Africa not to mention the terrorists that we created and armed. Too bad the guy didn’t ask him on what authority does America have for squatting in Syria and stealing the oil. Fcking American exceptionalism is just hypocrisy on steroids.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
wow, you hit that nail square on the head
thx
question everything
How’d I forget Afghanistan?
Maybe because we’ve invaded so many countries since 2000 that it’s hard to keep track. I want to know why Biden skeedadled from Afghanistan so quickly and left so much equipment behind. Trump had set it motion long enough for us to start evacuating it, but instead we gifted it to the Afghans and then China took control of Bahgram. Of course now all the equipment will need to be replaced and even more money transferred to the military congress industrial complex. Meanwhile here at home we are seeing trains derailing almost daily. Someone on naked capitalism has been keeping track of them and it really is almost daily. And most of them were carrying toxic chemicals. Hey has Pete been to East Palestine yet? Boy Trump sure has a lot of things to run against Biden on.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Well said Snoops. Thanks for reading an dropping in and
dropping that little truth bomb.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Hmm…
The video won’t load now, but Glenn's video below it does. Seems like someone doesn’t want it played. I want to watch it with the sound off to see how he reacts. If I click on it here it goes to Twitter. Kinda weird.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
a war is a form of aggression
no matter how Kerry wants to parse it
the idiocy of pretending their wars are
defensive or humanitarian neglects the
obvious fact of failed diplomacy
question everything