Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Republican torture porn.


Senator Kit Bond (R-Torture Apologist) was on PBS’ News Hour yesterday sharing his deep thoughts on waterboarding with host Gwen Ifill.

GWEN IFILL: Do you think that waterboarding, as I described it, constitutes torture?

SEN. KIT BOND: There are different ways of doing it. It’s like swimming, freestyle, backstroke. The waterboarding could be used almost to define some of the techniques that our trainees are put through, but that’s beside the point. It’s not being used.

Senator Bond then went on to say “And if I rip out your fingernails with some rusty pliers? That’s just like the bestest manicure evah, girlfriend. Cause your nails are for shit ... so we should just start over, mmmmmkay? Now gimme some snaps, beeyotch.”

Via ThinkProgress

6 comments:

E in MD said...

I cannot adequately express the level of rage this issue creates in me.

This is my country. The supposed light of the free world. Who didn't torture people when we all faced annihilation in WWII. Who actively arrested and prosecuted people for the DOING THE SAME FUCKING THING to American troops.

But it's ok when we do it and we'd never ever abuse it for political purposes. You have Bush's word on it. Scout's honor.

Right. Tell that to the families of those who died during Katrina. Tell that to all the families that have lost members because of these mythical WMD's that were in Iraq. Tell it to the families of millions of Iraqis that have been killed, or turned into refuges because of these mythical WMD's.

Tell it to Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi.

And when you right wing fuckwits who support this accidentally cut off somebody in a Blackwater guard convoy on the streets of America ( or Canada ) and they drag you from your car and beat you to death. Or when your dog shits on some Congressman's lawn and you are dragged out of your house in the middle of the night as an 'unlawful enemy combatant' because he pulled a few strings I want you to remember that you caused this happen.

You were willing to sacrifice the entirety of our nation for some illusory safety that never materialized. So when all these 'unitary executive powers' pass on to the Democrats, I want you to make sure you are looking over your shoulder for that neighbor you pissed off 10 years ago who reported you to 1-800-TIPS because he likes your parking spot and claims he saw you talking to some dusky skinned guy.

I want you to remember when your daughter or son is getting CIA sponsored swimming lessons, to make you confess to terrorism because someone with a middle eastern sounding name accidentally fat fingered your phone number one night.... That you set all of these conditions up and there is no one for you to turn to.

Unknown said...

Gee, e, if things are really as bad as you make them out to be in your Red-Bull-fueled little rant, why haven't the forces of darkness come to take you away yet?

Ian said...

OT, but have you seen the latest on Geist's blog:

"There are rumours in Ottawa this evening that Industry Minister Jim Prentice has decided to forge ahead with the Canadian DMCA with the bill to be introduced tomorrow morning. "

"Update: Further confirmation from multiple sources. Pressure from Washington and concern over the news coverage of the past two days, widely viewed as embarrassing to the Prentice, are viewed the primary reasons for the change of heart."

Wolfgang said...

Fergus,

I am sorry to inform you that you are an idiot. It hasn't happened yet and we don't want it to happen, but it is hard to put a stop to things like this until it is too late to undo the damage. If you consider that what happened in the 1940's in Germany is still a topic of hot discussion in Germany today, then you know that this dark impulse is both always lurking and generationally damaging.

I don't want it to happen here and it is. People are getting suspicious of each other. Doors are being knocked on. Electronic communications are being tracked. This is not my fantasy, this is spelled our in the ironically titled Patriot Act and more scarily in the presidential signings statements of GWB who has stated over an over that the laws don't apply to him and his.

This is not paranoia, it is clarity of vision and clear understanding of history.

Get you head out of the sand and look around. Just because your life is OK isn't a guarantee.

CC said...

wolfgang writes:

"Fergus,

I am sorry to inform you that you are an idiot.
"

Don't be sorry -- the rest of us are constantly telling fergus that he's an idiot, and we never regret it for a minute.

Unknown said...

"It hasn't happened yet and we don't want it to happen,..."

"I don't want it to happen here and it is."

Somebody needs to make up his mind.

"This is not paranoia, it is clarity of vision..."

It's something alright, but clarity it is not.