Building the new Congress: How requests get processed

[TayTay]

There is a http://www.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_11284370">column in the San Bernadino,CA paper The Sun that talks about toture and it's ramifications. The article recounts famous experiments in the past that have asked ordinary citizens to participate in experiments that pretended to inflict pain on others. The pain was illusory and the actual thing being tested was the willingness of human beings to inflict pain on others. Scary subject.

The column ties this research into America's experience in operating on what VP Cheney has called, "the dark side" of intelligence gathering. There are many people who want this swept aside because it is an ugly subject and very difficult to grasp. I recommend that read, depressing as it may be at this time of year.

There is a very interesting addition at the end of the article:

This just in: We are finally getting somewhere in Washington. U.S.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, (D-Calif.) has asked U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to "hold a hearing on the use of torture and its impact on U.S. moral standing in the world. The last eight years have been a dark chapter for U.S. global leadership and have left a deep stain on our moral authority."

The new Congress has not yet been sworn in and no one yets knows what the agenda of the various committees, including SFRC will be. (Breaking news, confirmation hearings and getting an overall picture of the current situation in known trouble spots of the world also command a lot of attention.) But, this is a very interesting development.

What say you?

[karynnj]

1. I can't imagine anything more intense than a hearing

that intelligently addresses the use of torture. The misguided logic that torture might sometimes be justified for some greater good - like the scenario the NY Daily News gave HRC - ignores the fact that in addition to being immoral andd a "stain on our moral authority", it doesn't work. Debunking those believes is one reason to have these hearings.

No one has been clearer in saying no to the use of torture than John Kerry. I would bet he never thought he would have to lead in speaking on this issue before the SFRC again - this time as its chair. I do expect that if the SFRC has these hearings they will be emotional and draining on everyone involved, but they might be needed - unless the Justice Department goes after the people who approved torture.

[beachmom]

2. Please God make it happen.

John Kerry was put on this Earth for work like this.

[Inuca]

5. Seconded n/t

[YvonneCa]

3. Several thoughts come to mind...

...on this.

First, I was a psych major before going back to school to get my teaching credential. That was a long time ago (20+years). But I remember those studies. They are not, however, common knowledge. They should be.

Second, the gaps in informational knowledge in the general public contributes to many of the 'hot topic' issues we grapple with...homophobia, stem cell research, the Terri Schiavo case, our country's history and our Constitution, etc. Torture. Education is the key to solutions, IMHO.

Third, thank you to my senator, Senator Boxer. I LOVE Barbara Boxer. She stands up when no one else will. I saw her speak with Senator Kerry when they came to Pasadena (scene of the botched joke incident). I thank her for this.

Fourth. IF hearings were to be held, I can think of no one more suited to chair than John Kerry. Everyone here knows why.:patriot:

Lastly, I want there to be hearings...for two reasons. The American people need to understand and believe what was done and who did it. AND there needs to be accountability. I think the difficulty lies in that second reason. Different people want different kinds of accountability...all the way from "GWB and his Administration was only trying to protect us, so it's all okay" to "GWB and his Administration planned this on purpose and we should try them for war crimes." Personally, I am somewhere in that vast middle ground.

[ProSense]

4. Very interesting

Posted here

How can anyone believe this liar? Sigh!

[sandnsea]

6. If we bug our Senators

Can they push to get this hearing. How can we make some of these hearings happen.

I have been reading JK here and JK there, as we all have. I've also been reading that JK is Obama's surrogate, sort of, taking Obama's message out there and being Obama's ears. How much truth is there in that and is there any authority that I could use to write something up.

[beachmom]

7. Barbara Boxer's letter in full:

http://boxer.senate.gov/news/outreach/2008/12/torture.cfm

Dear Senator Kerry:

I would like to extend my warm congratulations on your designation as the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I have enjoyed working with you on the Committee for the last decade and look forward to a challenging year ahead as we work with President-elect Obama to set a new course for our nation.

I write today to raise an issue of the utmost significance -- the Administration’s use of torture against detainees held in U.S. custody. Despite widespread condemnation from Members of Congress, policy experts, and human rights advocates, Vice President Richard Cheney stated in a recent interview with ABC News that the torture policies used against detainees were appropriate and admitted that he played a role in their authorization. In fact, when asked if any of the tactics -- including waterboarding -- went too far, he responded with a curt “I don’t.”

I find Vice President Cheney’s response deplorable, particularly in light of a recent report released by the Senate Armed Services Committee following an eighteen-month investigation. In sum, the bipartisan report found that “senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees.” The report, led by Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, concluded that “those efforts damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority.” I fully support Chairman Levin’s proposal for an outside Commission with subpoena power to investigate this matter further.

In light of this report and Vice President Cheney’s admission that torture was approved at the highest levels, I ask that you hold a hearing on the use of torture and its impact on U.S. moral standing in the world. The last eight years have been a dark chapter for U.S. global leadership and have left a deep stain on our moral authority. Now is the time to send a clear and unequivocal sign that we completely reject torture, that we respect the rule of law, and that America will once again lead on human rights through the power of our example.

Thank you for your consideration of this request..

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer, US Senator, California
United States Senator

[Muttocracy]

8. sounds good to me! Kerry, Boxer, Feingold...

love that Committee... Any guesses on who will join it in place of Biden and Obama?

[TayTay]

9. Just rumors for now

Perhaps Jeff Merkle of Oregon. His undergrad degree, according to the bio on his website, was in Intl Relations.

Maybe Al Franken. (For some reason or other I would love that.)

I have no idea if the committee will be 11-9 or 12-8 Dems to Repubs. That is yet to be determined.

[Muttocracy]

11. I wonder about Ted Kaufman (Biden's chief of staff and replacement)

Seems like he would be pretty well prepared for it.

[Muttocracy]

12. answered my own question a bit - Kaufman would like to be on SFRC

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081221/NEWS02/812210340

"...He expects his start date will be a week before the Jan. 20 inauguration. In the meantime, he's been talking with party officials, business people, labor and elected officials to get their input.

Kaufman is aiming for as much of a turnkey transition as possible.

He has asked to be on Biden's soon-to-be former committees -- Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary. He'll be pressing for passage of the International Violence Against Women Act, a Biden proposal targeting violence against women globally. He'll also push for funding more cops on the street, another Biden initiative but one that he cares about deeply.

He expects to retain the "vast majority" of Biden's Senate staff, hoping to avoid interruptions in constituent services. Though he's been gone from Biden's office for 13 years, there are still a handful of people working there that he hired...."

[ladym55]

10. These hearings need to happen

and as a nation, we NEED to own up and be accountable. So in addition to the hearings, the contents and findings of the hearings need to be covered in detail ... not spun.

This very ugly part of our history as a nation needs to be recognized publicly and acknowledged.

Hooray to Senator Boxer for pushing this forward. I'm grateful that JK will be the chair.