Please join us for a presentation on torture in the United States

Jose Padilla update

A federal judge has recently ruled that Jose Padilla may be tried for terrorism despite his motion for dismissal of charges under the claim that he was tortured. His trial is now cleared to begin as early as next week. Read about it at CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/04/10/padilla.terror.ap/index.html

See the Young Turks discuss the Padilla case on Air America

Guantanamo - "Caged Animals" of the Bush Regime

This video gives some of the backstory of Gitmo. The Bush administration claims the right to hold detainees indefinitely and all are presumed guilty. The video includes audio from a BBC reporter who was given a tour of the facility, and opinions of legal experts who claim detainees are being deprived of rights guaranteed under international law.

"Amnesty International Trailer on Extraordinary Rendition"

This trailer on rendition provides a firsthand account of the physical and psychological torture suffered by Binyam Mohamed as he was apprehended from Karachi Airport while attempting to return home to Britain. Through Binyam Mohamed's diary entries he details the degrading and inhumane treatment he was subjected to while being interrogated.



Source: Amnesty International

Pro-war, Pro-torture?

In a world where (in Carl van Clauswitz’s words) war is a continuation of politics by any other means, by what other means may war continue? The torture of inmates at Abu Ghraib occurred, not out of spite, malice, or cruelty, but rather to ‘set the conditions’ for effective intelligence gathering for the war effort in Iraq. All it took was 2 bombs, one at the Red Cross, and one at the UN, to throw the post-invasion Iraqi reconstruction effort into a war (on terror) footing. As soon as the counter-insurgency ‘mop-up’ efforts of the willing coalition became an extension of the War on Terror, Major General Geoff Miller arrived at Abu Ghraib from Guantanamo Bay, interrogation guidelines in hand to ‘set the conditions’ for intel gathering.

The steps we are willing to take in the interrogation of prisoners are a function of the perceived need for rapid intelligence gathering from those prisoners. Torture is one available tool for rapid intelligence gathering, and perhaps the only tool available able to stop an urgent 'ticking time bomb scenario' for American troops or citizens. If we believe winning the next stage of the Global War on Terror to be vital to the survival of our nation, and the civilized world, we then have to ask: is it possible to be pro-war, but anti-torture?

Duncan
wordfight.blogspot.com

"A Tortured Debate"

The article "A Tortured Debate" addresses the conflicting opinions of the FBI and the CIA as the United States adopts harsher strategies of interrogation methods post 9/11. This debate sparked by the capture of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi draws attention to the interrogation methods the United States endorses as a result of authorization from the President, lawyers, and policymakers. For the complete story click the link below.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5197853/site/newsweek/

Source: Newsweek, Inc.

"A Culture of Abuse"

A Culture of Abuse briefly recaps the events surrounding the Abu Ghraib scandal. In addition, law professor John Yoo, formerly of the Justice Department and an author of several presidential memos rationalizing the use of torture and the expansion of executive power, gives his opinion on the scandal at Abu Ghraib and discusses the role he played in defining torture for the United States. For the complete interview please click the link below.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=f370f1c601793799be14dbe36d6d0ae65ff5a1dd

Source: NY Times video

From the Editor

Should the United States have a policy where torture is forbidden in any situation? In a “ticking time bomb” situation, where the mastermind is in custody, and thousands of lives are at stake, is it permissible to engage in torture? These questions have been debated by legal scholars, academics, and students currently enrolled in the UGA Speech Communication class “The Rhetoric of Torture.” Some legal scholars, like Alan Dershowitz, have argued that, like it or not, torture is happening. This being the case, it should be dragged out of the shadows and into judicial light and accountability through torture warrants. Other noted scholars, like Slavoj Zizek, have warned that normalizing torture through codification contributes to a collective desensitization process. Some have argued, purely on the basis of practicality, that information gained under torture is notoriously unreliable, so we shouldn’t do it. This is an unsatisfactory argument to us. It is tantamount to saying that if we could make torture reliable there would be no compelling reason not to do it.

There are no clear answers to these questions, and we offer them up for discussion to our readers. Are there convincing reasons to have a policy where torture is NEVER allowed, even if it would yield results, and even in a ticking time bomb scenario?

"Abu Ghraib Interrogator Speaks"

Amnesty Video

It's not only our government and military that are responsible for torture, but all of us.

Check out this video clip from Amnesty International to find out more...

http://www.amnestyusa.org/stoptorture/renditions/index.html