However, the most shocking detail to emerge from Maj. Montalvo’s visit to Afghanistan was his announcement that recent research indicated that Jawad was not 16 or 17 when seized (in contrast to the Pentagon’s claim that he was 18), but that he was in fact just 12 years old. Full article by Andy Worthington.
Month: July 2009
A Letter to Obama on Torture: Alice Walker
“If one keeps company with cruel people, one loses, bit by bit, one’s own compassion.” Alice Walker
Read Alice Walker’s letter to Obama.
US may create terror interrogation unit
The Obama administration is considering creating a special unit of professional interrogators to handle key terror suspects, focusing on intelligence-gathering rather than building criminal cases for prosecution. Full article.
Al Jazeera Journalist Imprisoned & Tortured at Gitmo to Sue Bush
Sami al-Haj, the al Jazeera journalist who spent seven years at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo is preparing to file a lawsuit against former president George W Bush and other top Bush administration officials. al-Haj was repeatedly interrogated by U.S. operatives attempting to falsely link al Jazeera to al Qaeda. al-Haj was also tortured. Full article.
Afghanistan War Resister to “Put the War on Trial”
[…] contrary to mainstream opinion that believes Afghanistan to be a “justified” war, the invasion and ongoing occupation are actually in violation of the US Constitution and international law. Full article.
a week at our lake house in canandaigua
Dick Cheney’s fantasy war
“Last week a report by inspectors general at five federal agencies offered more insights into the efforts of the National Security Agency and CIA on warrantless eavesdropping. It turns out there not just one, but an entire suite of secret efforts that the report helpfully labelled “the President’s Surveillance Programme” (PSP). Each new report makes it clearer that Cheney’s stated determination to “take the gloves off” resulted in the creation of a shadowy bureaucratic archipelago of highly secret anti-terror programmes accountable to virtually no one (except, theoretically anyway, Cheney himself).” Full article.
A War Crime in Iraq: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
an american army colonel’s clear sense of purpose to subdue violence with violence, to hunt down and kill insurgents, resulted in a massacre in iraq. how many more massacres are we willing to overlook as we expand our empire? synopsis of article.
The American People Must Demand Torture Accountability
Not only is torture illegal, but condoning it leads us down a slippery slope toward unfettered executive power and sets a dangerous precedent for prisoner treatment, both in the U.S. and abroad. What are the implications for the future of the United States, especially in terms of public faith, the rule of law, and global trust and respect, if our government refuses to investigate and prosecute torture? Full article.
Holder considering torture probe
Attorney General Eric Holder is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s interrogation practices, a controversial move that would run counter to President Barack Obama’s wishes to leave the issue in the past. Full article.
Arundhati Roy at the London Literature Festival – 2009
Another question was about “the fact that liberal, educated people are the ones who can listen and appreciate your arguments and books and not the poor.” Roy’s touchiness showed as she replied that, “strangely in India, the hierarchy of education and status has, like you, resulted in more narrow thoughts at the top rather then amongst the poor.” Arundhati Roy
read the full article.
The Expressive Arts Coach Blog
short interview on gabrielle javier cerulli’s blog, part of the “my creative life” interview series.
here is the interview.
Obama on Mt Rushmore? Greenpeace Banner Calls for Global Warming Leadership
Two Standards of Detention
Nonviolent activists and Muslims are held in draconian conditions, while the man charged with killing Dr. George Tiller trumpets from jail the extreme anti-abortion movement’s campaign of intimidation, vandalism, arson and murder. Full article.
Women: Know Your Limits! | BBC comedy
on the subject of men and women…