Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 04/23/09
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God please keep this girl safe. She has suffer too much being a little girl. She should not have to burn herself for her basic right, and she is still a kid. This has to stop.
why does the aclu care ? abu graib and gtmo arent even in the us
and the prisoners arent americans!!!
It is definitely frightening to know that the Taliban are so close to the controls of Pakistani nuclear weapons...
...My heart goes out to that young girl who burned herself to protest a marriage that she didn't want...I can't imagine being sold to and forced to marry
Are they threat on people right now?
as a vietnam veteran – i'm with mc cain – no to torture
@gail-you're absolutely right! When you're a soldier training for battle you know your torture will stop eventually.
The detainees never know when it will stop.
I have to say that everything is torture, it can be good or bad, but still torture...that's why this will never be fully solved, too many views on the subject....
Kathy, the reasons that torture makes the US LESS safe if two fold:
1) It can be used as propaganda to recruit violent members to organization that are anti-US
2) Any American prisoners ever taken can easily be "tortured" without the US having any moral ground on the issue whatever. All the captors have to say is "we don't consider it torture just like Cheney didn't consider waterboarding torture."
I remember hearing about how girls were treated in places occupied by the Taliban back in 5th grade. It horrified me then, and it terrifies me now. I can't believe everyone is still worrying so much about Iraq instead of Pakistan.
Pakistan has nukes and we've thought/known the Taliban was there for the longest time, why have we done close to nothing there compared to everywhere else our troops are?
What Bill Bennett left out of Blair's comments was that he believed that the torture was not worth it as it did more harm than good.
Also Robert Mueller, appointed FBI director by Bush in 2001 and continuing in the Obama administration said in 2008 that he did not believe that torture disrupted any planned attacks on America.
So...since the republicans do not think that any of the issues brought up in the "memos" amount to torture does that mean they would be OK with these same methods being merged into our legal system so cops can use them. Just think how much faster it would be to get convictions if everyone confessed.
Waterboarding is indeed torture... As Americans we like to say we did things in the interest of other lives but contrary to the evidence at hand this was a normal not advance torture method.
Proponents of water boarding, like Mr. Bennett will state "we subject our own soldiers to this training"–do we take individual US soldiers and water board them over 180 times in one month, following 11 days of sleep deprivation. It is one thing to experience water boarding one time (ala Sean Hannity's offer) it is another to be repeatedly water boarded, sleep deprived etc. It is torture, plain and simple. I suggest that anyone who says it is not torture should volunteer for a one week session of water boarding, under intense interrogation and sleep deprivation and then let us know whether or not it is torture.–Mr Bennett will you be the first to sign up?
Terrorists struck us on 9/11/01 and then the Bush Administration went beserk on Muslims torturing people, holding them without due process and invading Iraq. Anyone with common sense can figure out that created millions of more potential terrorists and made us less safe.
Good evening Anderson, Erica, and James. So sad to hear of another child's death due to desperation from bullying. God Bless Jaheem's family.
I pray for our troops and peace for Pakistan.
We pulled out of Afghanistan in 2002, for an invasion in Iraq. We left our mission. We were in pursuit of Osama bin Laden. We overthrew the Taliban. We are now diverting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. Will we be sending more soon?
Anderson, I agree with Bennett that Obama has waivered and it's politically motivated probably by Pelosi, and other Democrats.
Obama may be hanging his administration and prospects of another term if he continues pursuing this matter, after announcing it was water over the bridge.
@ Mike in Syracuse- So be it if the Dems go down if they knew about this and said nothing then they are just as guilty. This is not a political issue. The US does not Torture.
Releasing the pictures of prisoner abuses is a big mistake! It will only give the Taliban, and other extremists more resolve to harm westreners.
What nonsense and unacceptable thing
Bennet should listen closely to the president's statements, He only said "low level people would be exempt". All the conservatives tend to hear only what they want.
such a scary situation in Pakistan.
Hey Anderson, Erica, everyone. I think the investigation into this should go through congress, probably the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Waterboarding as well as other techniques, sleep deprivation, being confined to a cramped space, being forced to stand for long periods of time, etc are torture as far as I'm concerned, but in the having it out there will be serious arguments on both sides.
Is it just me, or does this whole torture scandal sound like the modern remake of the Milgram experiment? The only differences from the classic experiment is the outcome was real? What a scary thought, dont you think?!!!!
Poor lady!
As yourself the questions that if you could save your child's life by waterboarding a known terrorist, would you? I'd do it in a heartbeat.
There is a reason they are put through that for training. Its teaching them to RESIST torture! its not to test how long they can hold their breath.
@Laura-Va,
That is an interesting point, I read somewhere that these torture techniques can produce incorrect information in respect to corrolating a connection between Iran and AlQueda...
Dodie, yes waterboarding does violate the Geneva Convention Articles which is one reason that any rational person admits it is torture. The US SIGNED that agreement so the US government violated international law. Quite frankly, the people in the government who OKed these atrocities could easily be labeled "terrorists."
@ Isabel-the fear of dying can cause heart attacks. I've lived here during two major quakes and each time I recall at least one person who was thought to have died from a heart attack brought on by fear.
To get serious measure, isn't that torture? One certain can't just ask.
I suppose that somebody is going to have to legally define torture in order to get both sides to a compromise. As it is now, it seems like trying to define torture is like trying to define "how high is up".
It has yet to be established that waterboarding is torture. Carville is absolutely wrong about the Japanese soldiers in WWII. They did much, much more than waterboarding.
Agreed Heather! Bottom line, if any such thing was done to american soldiers by a hostile/enemy organization there would be something done about it. Guns blazing. Means do not Justify the ends. There's a reason why it is a war crime as defined in geneva.
Listen carefully to what Nancy Pelosi said. She said she was briefed about underwater contingency technique (waterboarding) but that it hadn't been used. Nancy, of course you were briefed that it hadn't been used when they were briefing to let you know it was going to be used. Why else were you being briefed on the topic?
@Mike
The people that wrote these atrocious legal opinions no longer work at Justice. Sadly, Bush gave one of them a lifetime judgeship. Wonder why?
Actions cannot be decoupled from consequences. If a failure to use coercive interrogation techniques, call it torture if you wish, leads to the deaths of innocent people, is that moral? I consider it uncivilized to allow innocent civilians to perish in order to protect terrorists.
The US Special Operations Forces/covert intelligence officers go throught it and a lot more during SERE (and NOC) training.
I believe our President Obama tried to inform the people and the world of the truth. He did not appear to want to use it as anything "political" and was willing to move on.
However, since the actions taken (water boarding one person 183 times) is illegal and we are a member of the Geneva Convention. who also consider it illegal, there appears no choice but to pursue the truth.
The TONE the last administration set allowed for many other abuses like Abu Garab toward anyone considered and "enemy" (mostly those of Islamic faith.
I still think that airing our dirty laundry will not keep us safe. I don't condone torture, but I don't think that the info should have been released. I do think that the White House should have taken it up with the CIA, Pentagon, FBI and Secret Service.
OMG another 11 year old committed suicide because of being teased in school.
How very sad 🙁
I've seen photos of UK soldiers beating suspects from Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East while "interrogating" them from a while ago. Why is America so special that we can't just admit that torture was used?
You know if you are going to abuse someone don't publish it! It'll comeback and haunt you..... this is really pathetic that officers believe that they are above he law and think they are able to abuse people.....
President Obama needs to ignore Republicans like Bill Bennett who believe that a reconsideration of facts is merely "flip-flopping" – I am glad that the President has begun to lean towards more investigation of the torture allegations.
Dear AC: Thanks for being the first journalist I've heard who asked, "Does it matter if it [torture] does work?" Please keep asking this. Love your show. -Best, Scott, Connecticut
@Tom, Cheney is saying if you declassify only the negative info, then you need to tell the whole story. How is that hypocritical? It was better if NOTHING were declassified. Obama opened Pandora's Box. If Cheney goes down, so will the Dems like Pelosi who knew.
Actually sunlight would not pass as a disinfectant in any doctor's office.
Once again a right wing pundit pulls out an inaccurate slogan in a feeble effort to deal with serious crime and corruption.
If a bomb goes off in New York and a million people die, will then the US people approve of pushing terrorists to talk..?
Does waterboarding violate the Geneva Convention's article 3?
ALL of this should be brought out in the sunlight, I agree! Torture and abuse is wrong, no matter who is on the receiving end.