Close this chapter of America’s use of torture (it’s over). Look ahead to the next chapter.

[Sam1]

The debate has ended. Next comes the squawking by politicians and policy gurus, which serves important purposes. Members of the outer party (i.e., the kind of people that write and read these kind of posts) need entertainment and a sense of participation. The news media need clickbait to get readers, and content to fill the space between ads. “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Cut to the chase; this summary can help us remember the key points:
1.Under Bush Jr our high government officials authorized torture.
2.The CIA tortured (incompetently) but gained little or nothing of use.
3.Medical and legal professionals violated the canons of their profession to assist.
4.We, the citizens of America, knew about it but did nothing (a large fraction applauded).
5.Our leaders stopped torturing at their discretion, and remain unapologetic about it.
6.The only person punished was John Kiriakou, the CIA operative who blew the whistle (and went to jail for it).
7.President Obama approved it by hiring those responsible for high office (e.g., John Brennan) and shielding everyone responsible from punishment.

To see the future we turn to John Brennan — senior CIA officer under Bush and Obama, vocal advocate of torture, who ran the “extraordinary rendition” program that sent people to be tortured abroad. A man who knows about these things. When asked about future use of torture at his December 11 press conference, he gave us a word salad — with a clear meaning.

[OnyxCollie]

1. That was the final chapter.

CIA Exhales: 99 Out of 101 Torture Cases Dropped
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/cia-exhales-99-out-of-101-torture-cases-dropped/

This is how one of the darkest chapters in U.S. counterterrorism ends: with practically every instance of suspected CIA torture dodging criminal scrutiny. It’s one of the greatest gifts the Justice Department could have given the CIA as David Petraeus takes over the agency.

Over two years after Attorney General Eric Holder instructed a special prosecutor, John Durham, to “preliminar(ily) review” whether CIA interrogators unlawfully tortured detainees in their custody, Holder announced on Thursday afternoon that he’ll pursue criminal investigations in precisely two out of 101 cases of suspected detainee abuse. Some of them turned out not to have involved CIA officials after all. Both of the cases that move on to a criminal phase involved the “death in custody” of detainees, Holder said.

But just because there’s a further criminal inquiry doesn’t necessarily mean there will be any charges brought against CIA officials involved in those deaths. If Holder’s decision on Thursday doesn’t actually end the Justice Department’s review of torture in CIA facilities, it brings it awfully close, as outgoing CIA Director Leon Panetta noted.

“On this, my last day as Director, I welcome the news that the broader inquiries are behind us,” Panetta wrote to the CIA staff on Thursday. “We are now finally about to close this chapter of our Agency’s history.”

[The Stranger]

2. We're not closing shit. We want the torturers prosecuted, tried, and if it warrants it, executed.

It doesn't matter how long it takes.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. MUST. LOOK. FORWARD.

[TBF]

4. Evidently you didn't get this weeks

memo of talking points. We're "moving forward" ...

[quadrature]

5. was there a minority report? ...nt