Isn't THIS Precious

Because Terrorists Should Always Be Trusted

Guantanamo Detainee Makes Torture Claims

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Saudi terror suspect says U.S. interrogators tortured him for five years and he confessed to involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole just to satisfy them and "make the people happy," according to a Pentagon transcript of a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, is the second "high value" detainee to contend he was tortured while being held in secret CIA prisons prior to transfer to the detention site in Cuba last September.

In a transcript released Friday by the Pentagon, he said he made up the stories linking him to the Cole attack, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead and nearly sank the $1 billion destroyer in Aden harbor in 2000.

"From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me. It happened during interviews. One time they tortured me one way, and another time they tortured me in a different way," al-Nashiri said, according to the transcript of a hearing at the Guantanamo detention center on March 14. "I just said those things to make the people happy. They were very happy when I told them those things."

Interrogators do tend to be happy when you admit to being a scumbag murdering terrorist. Fancy that.

And how were they torturing him, exactly? Because specifics were redacted from the Pentagon press release, we don't know exactly, but the article does note this general discussion of torture allegations we've all heard before:

CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield wouldn't respond to al-Nashiri's allegations, but said Friday that the agency's interrogation program is conducted lawfully—"with great care and close review, producing vital information that has helped disrupt plots and save lives."

Soon after the capture of a key terror suspect in 2002, the CIA decided it should hold high-value captives for extended periods to extract information, using "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Those widely reported practices include openhanded slapping, cold, sleep deprivation and—perhaps most controversially—waterboarding. In that technique, a detainee is made to believe he is drowning.

Sounds like some of the best parties I attended in college.

Seriously, this is nothing worse than Navy SEAL BUD/S training. During Hell Week, which is 5 and 1/2 days of, um, Hell, they are allowed only 4 hours of sleep. Total. They have to endure hours of hypothermia endurance testing in the ~55° waters of the Pacific Ocean. Try that sometime and let me know how comfortable you are. All during this, they are getting alternatively yelled at and encouraged to quit with offers of nice hot coffee and donuts waiting for them, if they like. Hey, that's emotional abuse!

I suppose waterboarding doesn't happen on purpose, but I'd wager that it is not possible to go through 6 months of Navy SEAL training and never once feel like you are drowning due to fatigue. In fact, this picture is from the BUD/S site above. Doesn't look like a lot of fun.

And don't even get me started on the Christina Aguilera tunes played at brain-seizure-incuding levels.

But back to al-Nashiri. Try reading the charges against him, and his testimony before the tribunal. Go here and scroll to page 6 for the charges, and page 24 for the testimony. He allegedly supplied the passport to the guy, now convicted and serving time, who blew up the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. When he was arrested in 2002, he held "several forged passports, from several countries", using several identities. He just happens to know Osama Bin Laden, and receives money from him to fund "projects", which then conveniently turn into military (ie "terror") operations. He just happens to have supplied the boat that blew up the USS Cole, and to have purchased a vehicle used in support of that operation using one of his aliases. He just happens to have needed forged passports because the one he had was forged too, and he needed to travel quickly. He needed explosives because his friend Rub'i in Yemen was a fisherman and had a rich father who needed explosives. Via the black market. To "dig wells".

Oh, please. This is a big steaming pile of bullshit. He needs a big neon sign flashing "GUILTY" over his head, 24x7.

And if we had to waterboard him to get him to admit it, well, good.

Why would anybody have a problem with any of this? Anybody who wants us to win, that is?

Headlines You Just Have to Make Fun Of - A Series

Yesterday's banner in the Daily Herald:

Al-Qaida chief likely stretching truth

Involved? Perhaps. But not 'responsible' for all 31 plots he claims

Because, you know, a professional terrorist that plots only 10 or 15 terrorist attacks is just not to be taken seriously. In fact, this whole "terrorist threat" thing is probably made up. Terrorists are just lucky dumb bastards, except of course when they are evil geniuses.

Lance Briggs: "I'm A Huge Douche Tool"

Dear Lance,

So you didn't get the long-term deal for insane dollars that you really wanted. No, make that deserved.

Of course you deserved it. Every weak-side linebacker with no pass-rush skills and a fragile ego deserves to make huge bucks over the long haul.

But the Bears kept their word and instead offered you franchise player status, which guarantees you a salary next year of $7,000,000 plus, AND free agency after that year. Well. We all know how Lance Briggs, CEO of Lance Briggs, Inc., rolls! He won't stand for it! A slap in the face, is what that is!

That's right. Lance Briggs, CEO of Lance Briggs, Inc., you are being dis-respected with a crap-ola salary like that. I don't care if it is the average of the top 5 salaries at your position! You are Lance Briggs, NPRWLWPNBLAIBHF! (Non-Pass-Rushing Weakside Linebacker Who Plays Next to Brian Urlacher, And Is Intimidated By His Fame). And you will be respected.

Even if it means you sit on your butt all next season and everybody forgets who you are.

Yes, this strategy is flawless. Why, remember what happened with Todd Bell and Al Harris on the '85 Bears. Mmm, no, scratch that, not a good example. Well, never mind, I'm quite sure it will be a win/win for you, Lance!

After all, bottom line, we know what it's all about. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. No, not the kind of respect that comes with competing in the Super Bowl, as a team; what good is that, compared to the props from the boyzzz on SportsCenter! Or is it actually the greenbacks that you're after? FYI, either answer is the wrong one.

Speaking for fans everywhere, if I might, I'd like to thank you for finally giving us a glimpse into the real Lance Briggs, CEO of Lance Briggs, Inc. I believe I've seen enough now, can you turn off the light? Quickly, please?

Might also want to re-evaluate your agent. He's either making you look like a douche tool, in which case, fire his ass, or you already were one, and he's just helping you show that side to the world. In which case, please go away, both of you, now.

Sincerely,
Rufus M

Facts Are Your Friend

From time to time, we all encounter folks who hold opinions that strike us as a bit toward the under-informed side. This is quite understandable, really, because most of the news presented by the mainstream media is context-free, or more accurately, wrapped in a context defined by (1) politics and (2) a perpetual state of amoral, values-free conflict.

Propaganda, in other words. Which is just the way the news media likes it.

But for those of us who use facts and context -- a.k.a, reality -- to inform our world views, these encounters can be frustrating. There are few things worse than some fairly innocuous comment in a social setting leading to some emotion-charged, illogical, confrontational argument that goes in circles. So, many of us, perhaps wisely, tend to shy away from even bringing up these "radioactive" topics that we know are likely to lead us down that path.

But it is my contention that, even with all those potential downsides, we all lose out on valuable social interaction that could help us become wiser, better-informed citizens, and that we can use this new knowledge to inform public debates, and then to make better policy decisions.

Never going to happen, I realize. Too many people live in fantasy land - yesterday I saw a book by Neal Boortz where he says 50% of the population is too dumb to vote, or something like that, and I gotta tell ya, that is pretty hard to refute. One could make the case that paying any attention at all to the mainstream media should render one ineligible.

What good does it do me to watch the news, or read the front page of the paper any more? I can count both factual errors and contextual errors in nearly every article I read these days, and not just tiny insignificant ones either.

Yet, in social discourse, we are encouraged to "keep the peace" and avoid certain topics. Like, politics, and especially, the war.

It seems that some of us think we are all better off in our own little worlds, impervious to the power and meaning of the ideas we carry with us. Even if those ideas are factually, provably, wrong.

In other words, according to this view, we are better off being spoon-fed news, about transitory, mostly meaningless events, that lack factual and historical context. Mostly because we are too busy, probably, to pay enough attention, and to seek out the proper sources, to inform our world views.

Which, you know, makes me ask, what makes you think you need to hold opinions on things that you don't have enough time and energy to investigate in the first place? That's like asking a four year old what kind of car to buy.

Are such opinions, not grounded in factual knowledge about the subject at hand, worth holding? And if one is shown factual evidence that demonstrates beyond a doubt that those opinions are simply wrong, should we allow people to act as if none of that factual evidence carries any weight?

Wouldn't one be better off reserving judgment on matters that one is clearly not qualified to judge?

For instance, Iraq and the WMD issue.

How many people who raise questions about the lack of WMD found in Iraq can tell you how many United Nations Security Council resolutions were passed in the years after the Gulf War against Saddam Hussein, in a bid to nail down their biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons programs? The answer is 17. Seventeen times, the overfed diplomats met in New York City arriving via limousine at catered meetings to attempt to solve sticky issues halfway around the world. Is this any indication that "the process is working"?

How many people are aware that Iraq repeatedly chose confrontation over cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors, finally kicking them out in late 98? And that Iraq was free to do whatever it wanted after that time, until it relucatantly allowed inspectors back in in late 2002, and then only because of the threat of war led by President Bush?

How many people are aware that many of those suprise weapons inspections often resulted in having to wait at the front door for minutes or hours, only to encounter freshly scrubbed facilities smelling of bleach? Odd, isn't it? Does this suggest compliance, or deceit, to you?

How many people are aware that the official U.S. policy towards Iraq was one of regime change, well before Bush was elected?

How many people are aware that one of the weapons inspectors, Scott Ritter, completely changed his stance regarding Iraq from 1998 to 2003, from "hawk" to "dove", and in an amazing coincidence, was paid $400k to help promote a movie made to enhance Iraq's image in the West during that time?

How many people are aware that we were putting our forces at risk every day in the Northern and Southern No-Fly Zones, to protect the Kurds and Shiites who had been slaughtered repeatedly with helicopter gunships and bombers over a period of decades, and that this protection was by U.N. mandate? So we get to risk our personnel and equipment, in a perpetual state of tension and passivity.

How many people are aware that the Oil For Food Program, another feckless U.N. attempt to contribute somehow, was corrupt, and was providing off-the-books cash to Saddam Hussein, freeing him to do anything he wanted with it, such as restart weapons programs, since the inspectors were out of the country?

How many people are aware that many chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides are so close in chemical composition to chemical weapons that they are considered "dual use" and therefore can be manufactured legally even by a nation under U.N.S.C. watch? And that Iraq bought plenty of the raw materials to make these?

How many people are aware that numerous Iraqi defectors told U.S. de-briefers about a terrorist training camp in Salman Pak (near Baghdad) that was run by a combination of Iraqi Intelligence and Al-Qaeda, and trained terrorists for years, and that it included a parked Boeing passenger airliner for training to take control of an aircraft without guns or knives?

How many people are aware that nearly all of Iraq's weapons were supplied by Russia, China, and France? And that some of these were illegal because of the strict sanctions applied by the U.N.S.C.? Anybody remember who the biggest roadblocks on the Security Council were? Russia. China. And France.

How many people are aware that satellites spotted a massive movement of semi-trucks out of Iraq and into Syria just days before the U.S. launched war in Iraq, and that various sources claim that much of this was WMD contraband smuggled out of the country by Russia, since it would have proven Russian complicity in banned weapons? As for what might have become of this material, bet on the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, under Syrian or Hamas control. And later, in Iraq: "hey, look, no WMD stockpiles! Bush is a liar!"

And I am just starting to scratch the surface here. There is lots more, once you start digging.

So I would posit that it is readily apparent, to all those with an open mind, that after examining all this evidence, it is at least feasible that Saddam Hussein was gaming the system to enhance his own power in both the Middle East (always the primary objective in that region) and the world. And various others have taken this position well before me, it is hardly my idea. Yet it gets zero attention in the mainstream media.

One might wonder why.

No matter what your politics, the fact that none of this information is provided in any article, ever, about Bush or WMD or justifications for war is a very sad state of affairs. Knowledge is power, and conversely, ignorance is weakness.

It is easy to look back now and offer armchair criticism about the decision to go to war in Iraq. But the facts, as history will show, supported it, despite protestations by the Congress that it was misled, or that intel was cherry-picked, or that Bush flat out lied.

Here's what I think: The Left is just mad that Bush dared do anything about it at all, since doing nothing, while discussing it ad nauseum, is their preferred position.

It's always easier to sit in the darkened theatre and yell insults at the performers than to get up on the stage and take a risk. But when you're done, all you are is a spectator, instead of an actor. It takes guts to be an actor.

So there it is: my dangerous and scary opinions. Based on information. And analysis. And Eyes Wide Open.

Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? :-)

Remarkably Obtuse

Health reporters seem shocked that it isn't possible to rehabilitate perversion: Therapy’s Benefits for Sex Offenders Is Disputed.

“It has never been regarded as a legitimate and recognized topic for research by psychologists,” said Robert A. Prentky, director of research at the Justice Research Institute in Boston. “There is a very strong undercurrent of disrespect for this area of research and perhaps even skepticism, frankly.”

As recently as the 1970s, research on treating sex offenders was practically nonexistent. Barbara Schwartz, a psychologist with New England Forensic Associates in Arlington, Mass., said that when she wrote her first paper on rehabilitating sex offenders in 1971, “I read everything there was to read, and I had a half of one page of references.”

That is partly because sex offenders present major challenges as research subjects. There are far fewer convicted sex offenders than most other kinds of criminals, so sample groups are unreliably small. And sex offenders tend to be so secretive that “it’s really hard to get information from them that you can have confidence in,” said Ted Shaw, a forensic psychologist in Gainesville, Fla., who has treated offenders since 1982.

Manipulating liars are hard to trust? Imagine the odds.

I'll clear it up for them: child molesters are damaged people who can never be let loose in a free society.

Does that help any?

That will be $150, please.

What Could It BE ... ?

After the recent plot to bomb planes in mid-air was uncovered in Britain, I've read a few different stories, and seen one or two on the TV news, asking "where do these seemingly normal Muslim men get their radical politics?"

"We just don't understand it. They go to school, they have jobs, they don't drool openly. What is going ON here? Sure, they go to mosques that preach hatred and murder, but really, other than that, what could possibly be causing this radicalism and jihad? 'Tis a mystery!"

Oy.