In 2007, 15-year CIA veteran John Kiriakou told an ABC News reporter that his agency had waterboarded an Al Qaeda detainee, Abu Zubaydah, whom Kiriakou was involved in capturing in 2002. His revelation confirmed to the American public the CIA’s torture program and helped spur a years-long Senate investigation and a damning, 6,000-page report, the abstract of which was released this week.
Kiriakou pleaded guilty in 2012 to disclosing classified information, including the name of a fellow CIA operative, to a New York Times reporter. In early 2013, he reported to the a federal prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, to begin serving a 30-month sentence. Kiriakou, along with supporters that include his congressman, Virginia Democrat Jim Moran, says the real point of his prosecution was to silence him and others from talking about torture.
To be clear, torturing detainees, many of who had no intelligence to share, is not an offense requiring imprisonment,
Ordering that practice, even though America is morally and legally against such practices, is not an offense requiring imprisonment.
However blowing the whistle on these illegal and immoral activities IS an offense requiring imprisonment.
Just so we are clear.
Just what exactly have we become?
We were never s good or as moral as we thought we were. We still aren't. It just makes us feel good to think we are superior.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile drone assassinations and probably torture are still going on.
Gryphen to answer your question we are an evil nation.
ReplyDeleteBeyond evil, especially for the so-called, self-professed "leaders of the free world."
DeleteIt a'int over until it is over. And this is not over. Why it has only just begun with the release of the extensive Senate report. The Fat Lady is waiting in the wings and she has not even warmed up her voice and is not ready to sing yet.
ReplyDeleteTake heart. There may yet be justice in this world.
Cheney is still defending all of this. I wish someone had the guts to go after him.
DeleteLOL it isn't going anywhere. All administrations have had their hands dirty including this one.
DeleteAnd you think that's funny, 3:35?
DeleteWhat have we become? The same uncivilized heathens from UK. Except. We don't have one entitled family. We have MANY. Yep we don't just bow to one we bow to all citizen united families. Its a man's world and it runs on money. We are the same as we were 200+ yrs ago. All remains the same. And if you want whatever we have now? Then all is fair in defending this country and war with enemies of ANYKIND. As much as I want to believe in fairytales I cannot. Miss USA must have backbone and fire. The USA is hated by some. And hated by the actions of certain families and war crimes. America cannot be brainless, spineless, gullible, peace makers. She must change with the wind.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a very hard time deciphering what you wrote.
DeleteOne thing, though. "Changing with the wind" is not a good thing. It means we would change with the smallest breeze, whichever way it blew. I doubt that's what you meant to write, but it's kind of hard to tell.
Team America: World Police
DeleteFuck Yea!
Is that what you want?
Sorry, but at this point I'd prefer a British monarchy to President Jeb, President Cruz, President Walker, President Rand, President Cheney, President Rove, President Koch, President Rmoney or any other candidate the Repub1%can'ts want to put forth.
DeleteBush legacy.
ReplyDeleteAnyone that plans on putting another Bush in the Whitehouse is a certifiable moron.
Likewise any idiot that wants the party responsible for all this, the Republican party, to be in charge of any branch of the government.
Cheney, Rove, Koch. They're all the same.
All they want to do is punish and inflict pain on anyone that is not part of their elite cadre. Mainly non-rich, non-white, non-Xian. Anyone not of the power elite in this country. They are all about protecting their positions and denying anyone admittance to their exclusive club.
Another term for this is Fascism.
While the Democrats have their issues too, at least their party platform and main focus for the last 40 years hasn't been to turn this country into a fascist state.
Cheney, Rove and the Kochs can't say the same. Well, they can, but they'd be LYING!
The Espionage Act has been used a total of eleven times to prosecute whistleblowers going back to 1945. Seven of those times have been under the Obama administration. That's the new gov't transparency - making sure it's no secret that if you reveal their crimes they will get you.
ReplyDeleteLike so many other things, that fact, while technically true, is much more complicated than it appears...
Deletehttp://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/jan/10/jake-tapper/cnns-tapper-obama-has-used-espionage-act-more-all-/
"Fascism will come to America wrapped up in the American flag, carrying a bible, and heralded as a plea for liberty and preservation of the constitution." James Waterman Wise, Jr., 1936, et al.
ReplyDeleteI'd add wrapped (literally) in a flag, a toothy smile and a big wink.
Anyone with any questions should watch "Hubris" again. Seriously, we've become exactly what we were fighting against, and it started WAY before Valerie Plume was exposed. GWBush would have created a 911 had it not happened, this was his war of revenge against Saddam for calling his daddy a bad name. No evidence? No problem. Make stuff up as you go along.
ReplyDeleteCheyney made the rounds saying he'd do the same thing again. No one asked his lawyer the same question,but my guess would be "hell no". The fact they have no shame is what bothers me the most.
Another glaring example is that a Grand Jury just indicted the man who filmed the murder of Garner. They wouldn't indict the murderers, just the man who used his camera to film the event - a legal action under any circumstances. We are so screwed.
ReplyDelete