I know we’ve discussed torture at length, but I’m not done. The discussion of torture has not been carried out properly in the media or this little blog. Torture was not carried out by a few rogues. It was not highly regulated. And the debate should not be reduced to waterboarding. Much more and much worse was done (though waterboarding is still torture). Our “enhanced methods” killed people. We tortured people to death.

Torture resulted in deaths.

This video is interesting. The part I’m speaking of happens at about 6:20, when General Barry McCaffrey says we probably murdered dozens of prisoners.

This is another summary of some of pertinent information. Not only did we torture people to death, but there are several cases without accountability. Those cases in which charges were brought generally brought lenient punishments. The harshest sentence handed down for a torture-related death was five months in jail.

There have been rumors that the photos the Obama administration refuses to release show rape and other sexual abuse. Whether or not the photos come out, there is no denying this type of abuse happened. A report by Physicians for Human Rights (click on the Broken Laws, Broken Lives Executive Summary or Full Report to read it) tracked the stories of several prisoners. They found claims that prisoners were sodomized with various objects (broomsticks, rifle muzzles). The physicians indeed found scar tissue consistent with the stories. “Examination of the peri-anal area showed signs of rectal tearing that are highly consistent with his report of having been sodomized with a broomstick.” The men in the report were never charged with a crime.

I’m normally content to stay on a relatively philosophical ground when discussing torture, but enough is enough. We need to show that we are a better country than murder and sodomy with foreign objects by prosecuting those responsible.

Adam Feser

Courts have ruled for Franken in the Minnesota Senate race.

  Minnesota High Court Rules for Franken in Senate Battle

Now we will have a super majority in Washington.  One party, republican or democrat in charge of everything is never a good thing.  There are no checks and balances in place. 

The president have everything on his side.  When the country is in even worse shape that we are now he will have no one to blame but himself.

Arlen Specter now supports a public option for health care. Hopefully more members of the Senate hop on board with a public option (hop in, Nelson, the water’s fine).

Enjoy that summer heat, but enjoy it with a high SPF.

Adam Feser

People are finally starting to realize what they have done, they  are finally seeing the true man we elected as our president.

For President Obama, the honeymoon is officially over

But the fact the unemployment rates are continuing to rise, (past the White House estimates), the economy isnt getting any better, and his healthcare plan is going have trouble gaining support.  And his refusal to listen to bi-partisan efforts to make changes in the stimulus bill has gained attention also. 

His constant media blitzes shows that he is continue to compaign for his 2nd term, rather that work on the task at hand.

But his is Bush’s fault…Right?

In recent weeks there has been a small fued going on between Late Show Host David Letterman and Gov. Palin in regards to the children of the Palin family. 

It is in my opinion that candidates’ families are off limits to everyone including the media.  As the current President has said, it doesn’t affect the their ability as an elected official.  Children are off limits.

Do I think Palin has a right to be upset at Letterman, yes.  How about all the others that she has never gotten upset at.

I am in agreance with the following article.  Please read and tell me your thoughts

 Top 10 Reasons Sarah Palin’s “outrage” is misplaced and a little late.

Do I agree with Letterman in his options to ‘make fun’ of the daughter: No.  But Palin should have directed her anger at everyone and not him.

This post will be about the easier options from a comment made by hmm. I’ll save the more in depth options, such as health care, the newspaper industry, and tobacco regulations, for another time. They each deserve a full post.

Our Youth:

I like to think of youth as a frame of mind. Age doesn’t tell how far along a person is physically or mentally. So I say keep the zestfulness of youth in your mind, and you shall be young. But succumb to needless worry and your youth is over. If you’re lucky, you may be able to stave off your midlife crisis until your mid 70s.

Death:

Accept the tea and cake and you won’t need to worry about it. But all Eddie Izzard references aside, um… Make it quick?

Summer TV options:

First of all, do not watch any reality.

Weeds -
Season 5 of Weeds has just begun. If you haven’t ever watched the show, go back to Season 1 and get after it.

Entourage -
Entourage should be back with Season 6. It’s a pretty solid show with some stellar characters.

Merlin -
I’ve never seen this show, but it may be good. NBC bought the rights to it (it’s a British show) and will begin airing it June 21. Let’s all give it a shot.

The Goode Family -
The newest show from Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead, Office Space) is quite a flip from the Hill family. I haven’t watched it yet, but it appears to be about a group of well-meaning hippies that somehow find a way to do wrong in their attempts to do good. This is worth a look.

Hung -
This show is created by Dmitry Lipkin (creator of the awesome show The Riches [speaking of Eddie Izzard], which died too young). It is about a high school basketball coach who finds a way to use his, um, generous endowment.

Mad Men -

This isn’t coming back until August, but that’s still summer. Watch the first two seasons if you haven’t, then watch the third.

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report -

We all know they’re awesome.

Michael and Michael Have Issues -

Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black finally have another show. They’ve teamed up for shows such as Stella and The State, as well as amazing movies such as Wet Hot American Summer and The Baxter, and it’s about time they were together again. They will play fictionalized versions of themselves. Hey, it worked for Larry David.

New shows to catch up on before next season -
Fringe, which is a combination of X Files, Lost, and House, is amazing. Definitely check it out.
Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth, is a really cool show about a group that uses applied psychology, such as microexpressions, in investigations. It’s pretty good.
Friday Night Lights isn’t new, but it is awesome. Jump on the bandwagon if you aren’t already there.

Also, remember that if you don’t have the proper network to watch shows, the internet’s got your back.

Movie Recommendations:
Movies I’ve seen -
I’ve seen Up and would recommend it. Pixar just makes good movies.
The Hangover was a fun movie. It’s about time Helms and Galifianakis did a movie.
Star Trek was great if you haven’t seen it.

Movies I’m going to see -

I’m going to see Sugar this week, and you should do the same if you can. It’s a movie about a baseball player from the Dominican Republic and his journey to America.
Away We Go with John Krasinski (Jim Halpurt) and Maya Rudolph looks like a solid movie. They find out she is pregnant and go on an adventure or something. Jim smiled and I was done.
Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. Boom.
Ingloroius Basterds isn’t out until August, but it looks awesome. Brad Pitt looks badass in this Tarantino movie.
Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s title character, will be awesome. I can’t wait to see the “interview” with Ron Paul.
Whatever Works is the newest Woody Allen flick, but it stars Larry David. Both are neurotic, but I like David more. So this should be solid.
Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, looks to be the next hit from the Apatow train. Rogen’s character is an amateur comedian and fan of Sandler’s character, and they become friends as Sandler’s character finds he has a terminal disease. It may be a more serious movie than is normal for this crew, but I think that will make it better.

There are probably more than this, but I think this is enough for now.

The College World Series:

If you’ve never tailgated at the CWS, you definitely should.

It’s been hard for me to pay too much attention this year. Nebraska was horrible and didn’t even make a regional tournament. It looks like Texas is going to be tough to beat. I’d call them a slight favorite over LSU if they can shut down the Tar Heels. Also, Cal State Fullerton being done is awesome. Their crowd is always full of arrogant jerks.

The Red Sox:

People say they suck because they are jealous of how great the franchise is. We have a great farm system along with the ability to sign people to fill in holes. We have that ability because of an avid fan base that makes every game feel like a home game.

The Twins:

The Twins are great because they employ the same system from single A through the bigs. This makes their best players’ transitions easy and natural, leading to immediate production (think of Denard Span). They have finally started committing to their best players as opposed to letting them go, and they will always contend in the AL Central as a result. If only Liriano would return to his pre-surgery form, they’d be a lock.

Thanks for the ideas, hmm.

Enjoy the brief break from political talk.

Adam Feser

Letter

Finally some some sense may come out of Washington. 

A bill sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-SD that would limit the government’s interferrence and have set a reasonable time that they have to get out. 

The government can’t be wasting time in private business and wasting tax dollars.  This bill would protect the American taxpayer. 

As the letter states, and what congress and the administration needs to realize, the governments needs to prevent and oversight roll and not ownership.

I know I have a debate coming up, but I’d also like to hear from some of the readers who have been silent. If you tell me what you want, perhaps you’ll be more likely to participate. The numbers assure me that there are still readers, but I’m not sure I believe it. Here are a few questions you can answer to prove that you’re still reading.

What topics do you want to see on here? What interests you? What will you comment about? Where have you been? Pie or cake?

Enjoy writing long, thoughtful comments.

Adam Feser

“‘Our soldiers, working with the Bosnian government, seized terrorists who were plotting to bomb our embassy,’ Bush said in his address. To this day, officials of the Bush administration have provided no credible evidence to back up this administration.”

“I give you 2 years, no problem, but not 7 years.”

These quotes are from an article ABC news did about a former Guantanamo detainee named Lakhdar Boumediene. Bush trumpeted his arrest as a sign of progress in the War on Terror. In truth, it was the beginning of a nightmare for Boumediene.

Boumediene, his wife, and their two daughters lived in Bosnia. He worked for the Red Crescent Society providing help for orphans and other needs.

While there, he was arrested under suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. and British Embassies in the country. After searches provided no evidence of any wrongdoing, a Bosnian judge ordered Boumediene and five others be freed. But the Bush administration put pressure on the Bosnian government, which eventually turned the prisoners over to the American military. Instead of being freed after a court found no reason to hold him, he ended up at Guantanamo Bay.

Boumediene had faith that he would be exonerated and released. “I thought America, the big country, they have CIA, FBI. Maybe one week, two weeks, they know I am innocent. I can go back to my home, to my home,” he said. The two weeks turned into about 7 and 1/2 years.

The treatment for that time included being kept awake for 16 days and harsh physical treatment. “Boumediene described being pulled up from under his arms while sitting in a chair with his legs shackled, stretching him. He said that he was forced to run with the camp’s guards and if he could not keep up, he was dragged, bloody and bruised. He described what he called the “games” the guards would play after he began a hunger strike, putting his food IV up his nose and poking the hypodermic needle in the wrong part of his arm.”

“You think that’s not torture? What’s this? What can you call this? Torture or what?” he said, indicating the scars he bears from tight shackles. “I’m an animal? I’m not a human?”

In addition to the harsh physical treatment, Boumediene felt his religious beliefs were used against him. His beard was shaved, he could not read the Qu’ran, and he was not allowed to pray.

What was especially odd about his interrogations was that he was never asked about the plot to blow up the embassies. Instead, he was asked for information on Al Qaeda and bin Laden; information he did not have.

The interrogations did not always lead to truth. Admissions of guilt led to rewards and denials led to punishment. “If I tell my interrogator, I am from Al Qaeda, I saw Osama bin Laden, he was my boss, I help him, they will tell me, ‘Oh you are a good man,’” he said. “But if I refuse ? I tell them I’m innocent, never was I terrorist, never never, they tell me. ‘You are, you are not cooperating, I have to punch you.” What truth comes from this method?

Perhaps the hardest part of his detainment was being separated from his family. He now has stacks of letters from his wife that he never received. He bemoans how much he missed. “I cried, just cried. Because I don’t know my daughters,” he said. “The younger, when I moved from Bosnia to Gitmo, she had 18 months, only 18 months. Now 9 years. Now she’s big. Between 18 months, baby and 9 years, she walking, she’s talking, she play, she’s joking. It’s a big difference.”

The only good news Boumediene received in his time as a detainee was when he won the Supreme Court case Boumediene v Bush. The Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo detainees have right to challenge their detention in federal court.

Shortly after, Judge Leon recognized the lack of evidence and ordered Boumediene’s release. The Bush administration didn’t even charge him with the plot to blow up the embassies, which was why he was originally arrested. They instead said he was planning on going to Afghanistan to fight America.

Boumediene’s reaction to his imprisonment is somewhat mild. “The first month, okay, no problem, the building, the 11 of September, the people, they are scared, but not 7 years. They can know whose innocent, who’s not innocent, who’s terrorist, who’s not terrorist,” he said.

“I give you 2 years, no problem, but not 7 years.”

Boumediene’s feelings about Americans seems to be unaffected by his difficult time. “Boumediene stressed that he has no problem with the American people but could not hide his anger against Bush and other senior administration officials who he called ’stupid.’”

The Pentagon says they are taking Boumediene’s accusations seriously. They will be investigated and punishments given out if necessary.

I am glad this man is finally able to see his family, but it is a shame he missed 7 and 1/2 years of living with them when he was originally found innocent. It is a shame we refused to even check the evidence and see if he was innocent before we started interrogating him in an enhanced fashion.

Even if you don’t want to believe all of his claims, there is no disputing that this man lost 7 and 1/2 years of his life.

Enjoy a picnic.

Adam Feser

Obama on Clinton: A ‘Loose Cannon’ Who Tells ‘Bald-Faced Lies’

All I can say is Interesting.  Very well written article