Countdown's <I>Bushed!</i>: Torturous Information Edition
By Nicole Belle Monday Mar 31, 2008 11:00am
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Every day, even more scandals for the Bush administration. We blogged about the disgusting and criminal treatment of German citizen Murat Kurnaz yesterday. Keep in mind that the government extracted a "confession" that he knew Mohammed Atta from the completely innocent Kurnaz after five days of torturing him when you read about the terrorism trials of the six detainees at Gitmo. We also blogged about the departure amid ethics investigations and the biggest housing crisis in decades of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Joe Gandelman says that so many of the Bush administration cronies have left to allegedly "spend time with their families" that the Republicans might as well try to sell it as proof the GOP is all about family values, though I don't know how many would buy that now.
Finally, because, as Shakespeare said, the truth will out, we turn to statements made by Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the Commonwealth Club here in San Francisco last week. In his speech where he tried to make the case for passing the FISA bill with telecom immunity, he made a statement that should bring one pause (that is, if you're not a blindly partisan hack who is afraid of your own shadow):
Before 9/11, Mr. Mukasey said, "We knew that there had been a call from someplace that was known to be a safe house in Afghanistan and we knew that it came to the United States. We didn't know precisely where it went. We've got" – here the Attorney General paused with emotion – "we've got 3,000 people who went to work that day, and didn't come home, to show for that."
Attorney General say what? As Keith Olberman puts it:
The government knew about some phone call from a safe house in Afghanistan into the US about 9/11, before 9/11, and even though it had the same FISA courts and the same right to act against international targets in 2001 as it does now, you didn’t do anything about it? Well, this would seem to leave only two options. Either the Attorney General just admitted that the government for which he works is guilty of malfeasant complicity in the 9/11 attacks or he’s lying. I’m betting on lying. If not, somebody in Congress better put that man under oath right quick.
You could send him to Gitmo, I suppose.
Paging John Conyers and Henry Waxman. Oversight on the line.
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A harshly worded letter should teach em!
Foist?
john @ 1:
I was thinkin more along the lines of a VERY sternly worded letter. With LOTS of !!!!!!'s
Tow out of three of those warrant across-the-board impeachments of everyone in the current administration, trials and convictions. The Housing thing just warrants trials and convictions.
But, just like every other episode of "bushed" all will most likely go unpunished. Now I'm depressed and it's not even noon yet.
john @ 1:
I wonder if people would still think Timothy McVeigh was a crazy man if they really took the time to understand his purpose behind the bombing - taken into the context of what is currently going on in our country:
McVeigh in a letter to Gore Vidal stating his actions were "morally and strategically equivalent to the U.S. hitting a government building in Serbia, Iraq, or other nations. Based on observations of the policies of my own government, I viewed this action as an acceptable option……The bombing…was not personal no more than when Air Force, Army, Navy or Marine personnel bomb or launch cruise missiles against (foreign) government installations and their personnel."
I'm not condoning the use of terrorism of any kind. I personally abhor violence and wish humanity could mature beyond it's primitive desires to destroy all those it disagrees with. But the fact that the US tortured and innocent German man, and either lied about pre-9/11 knowledge or knowingly ignored evidence of it (and lied about that) definitely gives me the primal urge to blow shit up.
you forgot the part where keith calls him an idiot!
i love it.
Since the supremes appointed bush I have come to understand that every republican is a filthy lying sob!
Lying comes naturally to these goons. Why would Keith ponder a scenario in which they're actually telling the truth?
Stupid Git @ 5:
amen to that shit!
G*damn motherf*ckers should ALL be in jail.
Bush will be shaking hands with the Bowler, the Female Rocky, or the McDuke next January then waving to the camera thinking "Thanks Suckers".
Oversight? What's that?
Keith Olbermann is a blowhard.
theWalrus @ 10:
You'll be in jail before they will thats the ironic part of it.
Maybe Jack Abramoff can assist and refresh Attorney General Michael Mukasey's memory
to get to the bottom of this..
--> Abramoff Indicted in Casino Boat Purchase
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR200508...
We also recall the FBI reports and eyewitnesses that placed Atta
onboard a SunCruz Casino gambling boat on September 5, 2001.
I wonder what the Port of Palm Beach had to say about SunCruz....
http://www.portofpalmbeach.com/suncruz.htm
Port of Palm Beach are sad to see SunCruz leave the port. However, we understand that businesses must often make difficult decisions. We are indeed grateful that SunCruz operated at the port for a trial period, and they were a pleasure to work with.
Just who is "we" ?
BREAKING NEWS : TORTURE IS A CRIMINAL FELONY. Its illegal. I'll repeat; ILLEGAL. Hanging innocent people by their arms for 5 days? What? Plus we were told we don't torture? Plus it got a false confession? Prosecute George W. Bush already. The buck stops with him. How is he allowed to get away with this bullshit? Jeeeeeeezus....
I'm not expert but MuKasey's little sob story doesn't pass the sniff test. The only reason they would no about a call from the Afghani "safe house" is if they were monitoring communications to/from that safe house at the time.
If they knew the call was placed to America, then there's no reason they shouldn't have the complete phone number. At the very least, they had grounds for a FISA warrant to take to the telcos to determine what number received a call from the safe house.
This reeks.
The more I see and read going forward in time, the more it all starts to sound like back peddlin paperin over bullshit.... Murkaseys' latest spiel, EVERYTHING. All the pablum put out pertaining to prior 9/11. Everything post 9/11... All the lies leading us by our freakin noses to this war, all of it, just smoke and mirrors bullshit to what end?? To gain what?? To hide what??? Some PNAC wet dream? To hide war profiteering by high administration officials? WHAT GODDAMMIT is worth ruining this nation in order to cover it up! And even this site gets all squirlley about 9/11 discussions even in the face of mounting evidence that something just ain't right about the whole way it has been portrayed.... About the only thing real, ligitimate about the whole sad circumstance IS those 3000 dead people.
Ya know what? I'm fucking SICK OF IT!!!! I want the Godamned truth of it out in the open and I want the goddamned people responsible for this travesty held accountable...ACCOUNTABLE!!!!
IF that fucking means a sitting president and vice president has to go to prison for the first time in this nations history for criminal acts... If it means embarassment and shame and the end of careers to a generation of politicians, so be it! Fucking whatever the real truth means, I want it out there and delt with honestly... for a fuicking change! The whole last eight years feels like one long running lie propped up by an ever changing string of little lies...
It's fucking SICK!!!!! Embarassing and sick and I've had enough of it!!! JD
Power of blogging and griping on message boards.
Bush Co's sailing off into the sunset with trillions. Americans with their two second attention span will start complaining and whining about Prez Obama, Hillary, or Duke whoever it ends up being one week after they are in office.
I've about had it.
corrections: "no expert" and "would know"
is it Wednesday yet?
Did anyone ever expect Mucky to be anything less than another Bush bootlicking partisan hack ? Shame on you then.
THIS is the role that blogs can play. Of course, by next week, all will have forgotten about this and nothing will come of it, so is it really that big a role?
On a more positive note, Orrin Hatch was whining like a fucking 4 year old today for HOURS on the Senate floor about being mistreated by the Democrats, especially on judicial nominations.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this issue and assume that the Democrats are finally standing up for themselves and doing their jobs.
jack damage @ 18:
Go JD! Amen!
below_me @ 9:
I second that Amen! And I'll even throw in a Hell yeah!
"The government knew about some phone call from a safe house in Afghanistan into the US about 9/11, before 9/11, and even though it had the same FISA courts and the same right to act against international targets in 2001 as it does now, you didn’t do anything about it?"
How ummm, was this NOT on the 9-11 report ?
hmmmmmmm, interesting.
editor @ 16:
Sorry, but Nancy Pelosi is continuing to say, "No...not yet. Nope. Still not yet. No. Not enough "high crimes" and "misdemeanors" have been committed yet. Sorry. Still not enough."
It's incredible to think there are Democrats wringing their little hands over Cindy Sheehan's indy run against Pelosi. They are actually calling for Sheehan to get out of the race. I say Pelosi should get out!
Abbybwood @ 26:
If Sheehan wins against Pelosi...does that mean she could put impeachment back on the table?
Dr. Acula @ 23:
Preachin to the choir JD...preachin to the choir...
as i was watching this last night, the one thought that ran through my head was, "you know, maybe those crazyass conspiracy theory wackos were right- WE had involvement in an attack on OUR OWN PEOPLE." and keeping that in mind, the chain of events leading from september 11 to the war on iraq makes chillingly perfect sense.
plain and simple, not only do these people need to go, they need to be tried for TREASON for their blatant disreguard for not upholding their oaths of office as well as putting the people of the united states at risk.
Chico Hussein @ 25:
FYI to everyone: There is an international move on right now for the United Nations to launch a new investigation into the events of 9/11 considering that people from over 60 different countries were killed on that day:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2008/033108_un_investigation.htm
Torture is an invaluable tool for extracting unreliable information. Since Republicans love unreliable information it's no wonder they love torture.
Dr. Acula @ 23:
TESTIFY BROTHERS !!!
If it was in fact such a defining moment and there is obviously something wrong with that moment ? Wouldn't every other thing that has passed since also be bogus ?
BushCo lies --- science don't.
I feel a spanking coming on.
Looks like Mukasey slipped up!
Put him under oath, and when he refuses to testify or answer questions properly, hold him in contempt. Chuck Schumer, I'm looking at you particularly to fix the mess you helped create, redeem yourself!
Rusty America Shackleford @ 31:
Not too mention all those fetishes they must have....I bet Rove has a dungeon chock full of detainees to "torture"...
ctk hussein ky3 @ 29:
And it is that very TREASON, that leads me to believe there will be martial law declared before the elections...they are scared shitless of being found out as the traitorous fascists they are, and are willing to do whatever it takes to keep from being brought to justice, even if that means taking this country down the shitter with them...
jack damage @ 18:
I'm with ya, but unless you grab a peacemaker and are joined by 50 million of your closest friends, there's not a good goddamn thing you can do about the mobsters in power. Voting sure as hell doesn't work. The whole game is rigged against us.
solid @ 36:
50 mil?
I bet just one mil..marching on DC...4th of JULY might just cause a stir...
I understand the sites policy on that day that we cant talk about and all but the bitter irony seems to be that it is strongly connected to most of the articles on this site and other blogs.
Best way seems to be to help provide skeptics access to all of the information. Then just leave them be ,or answer any questions, and let them make up their own minds. Most all arrive at the same conclusion in the end anyways.
However, where does it all go ? where does it all end ?
I'm thinkin' maybe it's time to stop being depressed (I've certainly spent a few moments that way in light of what this country has become), drop the droopy cynicism, call a spade a spade, and get the hell out of dodge. Game over, man, game over. Find a nice quiet country (Canada is still maybe a decade or two from being just like us), and simply accept that this country is over, gone, damaged beyond repair. So, adios, Amerika, we hardly knew ye as it turns out.
I remember a while back that we learned that the NSA had interecepted a message from al Qaeda before 9/11 that said "Tomorrow is the day (af the attack)", but due to a lack of translators, was not translated "until the day after the attack".
That's didn't require expanded FISA powers and was far more specific than "a call from here to suspects there", yet they dropped the ball there too.
Most responsible for the deaths of 3,000 on 9/11: this Administration's incompetence.
Mukasey's admission is simply another log on the fire.
Noah Cross @ 39:
Defeatist...I ain't givin up yet...though I can't really blame people for wanting to leave...
Mugsy @ 40:
Nicely put there, Mugsy.
It is really very simple, 3000 people died on 9/11 because of the incompetence of the Bush Administration. Everything on that day happened on their watch.
Even worse, we've now had yet another 9/11 on the Bush Administration's watch: Iraq. Over 4000 Americans are now dead because of the Bush Administration's continued incompetence.
7000 dead so far and that's not even counting all the dead Iraqis. Why oh why do the people of America let this continue? Ultimately, it is we the people of the United States that are guilty. It is our government after all.
God help us.
is there video of this Mukasey speach?
How can we help Keith decide to GET RID of the annoying background drum solo as makes his rants?
I dunno, seemed appropriate at the time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO-kfrG4fwQ
jane @ 43:
Well...I think god's staying outta this one....it's up to us.
jack damage @ 18:
Jack, no need to sugarcoat -- just say what you really mean. By the way, I agree with you. May I suggest sentences of life in solitary confinement with no chance of parole.
Bush, et al., wanted the oil but they knew they needed a Pearl Harbor to get the ball rolling. So, they looked the other way when the indicators of attack appeared. A common technique in DC -- one's agenda must wait until conditions are right for implementation.
sellhouse @ 50:
Have I stepped into the twilight zone?
[One that made it through the spam filter! Site Monitor]
Condi Rice - "I think it said something about BinLaden determined to strike within the U.S."....
I understand that this is not the forum to talk about 9/11 inconsistencies but this revelation was just scratching the surface. Let me tell you there is a lot that this administration is not telling us and what they have told us have been lies.
More incessant whining about torturing someone whose life is not worth #*&@
BCIASB @ 53:
Yeah, clearly this guy wasn't completely white. He probably wasn't even Christian. He definitely deserved the "car battery to the genitals" treatment.
Is that where you are coming from, BCIASB? Or are you just a troll?
I we weren't allowed to post any indication, however fscked up, that there was government complicity in 9-11?
Keith throws a 70 yard TD pass to the end zone, runs to catch it himself, has perfect position...
...And the ball goes right through his fingers, incomplete pass.
If Bush knew about and deliberately allowed 9/11, an idea I consider nuts, then so did FDR with Pearl Harbor. The Empire of Japan had absolutely no choice but to hit the Army there, or otherwise vacate its position as a sovereign nation by giving the U.S. veto power over its foreign policies. FDR's embargo on their oil supplies gave them a small supply, and since they were engaged in a war of aggression against China at the time, they had no. option. but. to. hit. the U.S.A. That, and FDR was fighting an undeclared war against Hitler from at least 1940, placing U.S. ships under deliberate threat of harm from Nazi attacks, thereby ensuring that even if Pearl hadn't happened, the Nazis would have been doomed when something suitably horrific happened and the U.S. was ready to curbstomp them from the West as the Soviets did from the East.
Whereas on 9/11, the U.S. had given a Yemeni terrorist (Bin Laden) ample reason to hate them (frex, letting the Soviets tear the shit out of Afghanistan in a genocidal campaign and then not bothering to clean up afterwards), occupying Muslim holy sites like Mecca and Medina due to Saddam's bad decision to invade Kuwait to keep a grip on power in 1991, the U.S. had supported evil secular dictators in the Muslim world and was continuing to do so....
You have every bit as good a justification for 9/11 from a Middle Eastern Muslim perspective as you do for Pearl from an Imperial Japanese Army (Hirohito was powerless) perspective.
Make of that what you will.
History Quiz; Who were the prominent Democrats that folded and voted Mukasey in?
BCIASB @ 53:
Spoken like a true racist fucktard.
When you think about it...YOUR life ain't worth shit either asshole. Goddamn neandertals...go back to your fuckin cave, and raise a bunch of hateful, stupid kids.
Olbermann: the only journalist with a brain, a spine and a heart.
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