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11 Jan 2012 14:10

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U.S.: Guantanamo Bay has seen a decade as a detainee facility

  • A controversial anniversary: It was ten years ago to the day that the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba was turned into a prison facility, designed to house suspected terrorist detainees indefinitely, pending a process of oft-criticized military tribunals. For the Obama administration, this was an occasion they once hoped (and indeed promised) would not happen; the President’s first full day in office was marked with the signing of an order to close the facility within a year. Three years on, and the failure to fulfill this promise (as well as the absence of any earnest public explanation of it) does beg the question: was this truly a moral issue for the President, or simply a made-to-order, feel-good issue to stoke a liberal base? Check the link for a very thoughtful piece on the anniversary of Gitmo from The Atlantic’s Andrew Cohen. (photo by Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty Images) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Oct 2010 22:50

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U.S.: Metro opens doors, sure, but they closed on DC terror suspect

  • dumb You’re a guy who has a crazy idea to blow up parts of the DC Metro system, because that’s a good idea and stuff.
  • dumber You end up working with people you think are members of al-Qaeda, offering up significant details on your plans.
  • dumbestYou find out that they’re members of the FBI. Farooque Ahmed, this is your life. Don’t mess with the DC Metro. source
  • » And yes, we know: This is a serious situation. Lots of people could have died. But here’s our feeling on the matter. We’d rather be brash and fearless-sounding than give into the kind of FUD that these sort of threats encourage. That’s what terror suspects want.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Apr 2009 20:28

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U.S.: Obama administration: The CIA was bad, but we won’t punish them

  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind. source
  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
  • The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods. source
  • The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
  • The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods.
  • Critics rebuffed Obama, while understanding the concerns of human rights organizations and critical of the interrogation methods, nevertheless defended the decision. “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past,” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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