The Rude Pundit-Mainstreaming Torture, Part 1

[LiviaOlivia]

2/16/2005
Mainstreaming Torture, Part 1-- Why Bill O'Reilly Ought To Be Sodomized With a Broken Light Bulb:

~snip~

Last night, on his Fox "News" show (if by "show," you mean, "a horrid hour of hell-like suffering at the hands of an attention whore whose ego would make him suck out the eyes of old lady Alzheimer's patients if he thought it would get him another ratings point"), Bill O'Reilly devoted the first segment to criticizing those who write and talk about the allegations and confirmed reports of torture at the hands or desires of the United States. Apparently, see, the media must be liberal if it dares to say that torture is bad because, you know, reporting on torture hurts our soldiers and helps the enemy (most of whom would be, well, Iraqi citizens). No, no, if you think that the real problem is the act of torture, you'd be a "pinhead" in O'Reilly's world.

Spat O'Reilly, "Just the allegations alone hurt this country and shift emphasis from the real villains, terrorists, who routinely murder civilians. Day after day, the left-wing media pound stories about America's mistreating prisoners in Guantanamo, in Iraq, in Afghanistan. Those reports are picked up worldwide and are used to incite anti-American feeling and even to recruit more terrorists." Oh, yeah, O'Reilly offers the caveat that prisoners have been tortured and people have been prosecuted, but, "Any reasonable person knows that, in a vicious struggle, some rules will be broken." O'Reilly continues, "The trouble is the continuing reportage of the torture allegations is putting lives in danger. Hyping the situation to undermine the Bush administration is disgraceful and should be condemned." Then O'Reilly used the opportunity to slam Ted Kennedy before squinting his eyes as if he had just tasted bile.

Then O'Reilly had on two military guys to agree with him. For instance, Col. David Hunt said, "Torture is one tool" in interrogation. Later, he opined, "This is about political will. The fighting - - the war on terror is about political will and commitment, and torture is one small part of how this has to be approached. You can't hide about it." O'Reilly was almost giddy, like a Bangkok pimp at some village girl's school. He derided Kennedy and that undefinable "left wing media" throughout as his guests propped up his big damn head like the house slaves at the plantation home of a drunk master.

~snip~

O'Reilly and the right are part of the effort to mainstream torture, to make it seem rational and right to bloodthirsty America, the America that believes that if the "terrorists" are going to behead innocent people, then America has the perfect right to torture and "detain" anyone it sees fit, even if a "few innocent people" get caught in the fishing net (and isn't "detain" just the most polite fucking word? It's like you've been asked to stay a little longer at the cotillion in order to ensure the debutantes are escorted out properly, so you tell your party, "Sorry, I've been detained." Yeah, it's like that, but with more nuts-in-vices and fake menstrual blood smeared on your face- well, except for that one cotillion in Georgia, but that's another story).

If torture becomes just another "tool" in the interrogation box, a regular, regulated thing rather than an horrific abomination, then maybe the Christian right is correct: why bother believing that evolution exists?

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2005/02/mainstreaming-torture-part-1-why-bill.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bpilgrim]

3. spewing the pigman's lines i see...

we are raping, torturing and MURDERING POWS, even CHILDREN in front of their MOTHERS, hello...

welcome to DU ;->

peace

[LiviaOlivia]

5. He disrupted poorly

eom

[acmavm]

6. You reap what you SOW.

.

[LiviaOlivia]

2. Bush To American POWs Who Were Tortured: Tough

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Bush To American POWs Who Were Tortured: Tough
by Michael in New York - 2/15/2005 11:43:00 AM

This story abounds with so many ironies, I couldn't add them up with a calculator. During the 1991 Gulf War, some American soldiers -- pilots whose planes were downed -- were beaten and abused by Iraqis. It took place, of course, mainly in Abu Ghraib. Congress passed a law in 1996 saying any country that sponsors terrorism loses its sovereign immunity and can be sued. The quaint Geneva Convetion states that no country who signs on must ever absolve a country of any liability for torturing POWs. The soldiers banded together, sued Saddam Hussein's murderous regime and were awarded nearly $1 billion. Hurrah!

But according to the LA Times, Bush is now standing in the way of those 17 victims of torture to keep them from collecting, saying that the Iraqis are now the good guys and need the money. Of course, they're already well experienced on doing end-runs around the Geneva Convention. But really, trying to stop American soldiers who fought bravely for their country and suffered torture under Saddam Hussein from being compensated? Here's the money quote from Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan.

"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003, according to the LA Times.

And now that's exactly what Bush insists they receive: absolutely no money.

Maybe they're being prudent and thinking about the future? After all, how much money would the US lose if all those innnocent people we tortured could sue us?

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/bush-to-american-pows-who-_110848693125126495.html

[ElectroPrincess]

4. Thanks for the site reference - The Rude Pundit, Aye!

:wow: :hi:

[reprehensor]

7. Just another day at the rack, bump.

[LevelB]

8. WWJT

Who Would Jesus Torture?

I call bullshit.

B.

[LiviaOlivia]

9. You call BS in reference to The Rude Pundit or O'Reilly or ?

Please clarify. Thanks

[LevelB]

10. O'Reilly

I cannot understand how anyone who claims to be a Christian could support torture.

B.

[libodem]

11. man, I think torture is the lowest common denominator

if it's okay to do it to 'them' it will become okay, to eventually, do it to 'us.' As we quickly become a police state. There will be no difference between the CIA and the FBI, they will be able to spy on anybody, with no probable cause, no warrant, no search and seizure protection, no innocent before being prov-en guilty. Civil rights, human rights, constitutional rights, blah, blah,Miranda rights, blah,...What ever...we are givin' em up and they are taken 'em. Man, I thought our constitution would be the last bastion.