A timeline to Bush government torture. Salon. June 18, 2008

[Solly Mack]

A timeline to Bush government torture

"For years now, the Bush White House has claimed that the United States does not conduct torture. Prisoner abuse at places like Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, it has asserted, was an aberration -- the work of a few "bad apples" on the night shift. When the CIA used "enhanced" interrogation techniques such as waterboarding (simulated drowning), the abuse, according to Bush officials, did not add up to torture.

But as more and more documents from inside the Bush government come to light, it is increasingly clear that the administration sought from early on to implement interrogation techniques whose basis was torture. Soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Pentagon and the CIA began an orchestrated effort to tap expertise from the military's Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape school, for use in the interrogation of terrorist suspects. The U.S. military's SERE training is designed to inoculate elite soldiers, sailors and airmen to torture, in the event of their capture, by an enemy that would violate the Geneva Conventions. Those service members are subjected to forced nudity, stress positions, hooding, slapping, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and, yes, in some cases, waterboarding.

SERE training has nothing to do with effective interrogation, according to military experts. Trained interrogators don't work in the program. Skilled, experienced interrogators, in fact, say that only a fool would think that the training could somehow be reverse-engineered into effective interrogation techniques.


But that's exactly what the Bush government sought to do. As the plan rolled forward, military and law enforcement officials consistently sent up red flags that the SERE-based interrogation program wasn't just wrongheaded, it was probably illegal."

[hootinholler]

1. needs a kick n/t

[Solly Mack]

2. Thanks!!

[annabanana]

3. That testimony yesterday sure painted a clear picture of how

the torture started. B*shCo used the flimsiest of fig leaves all the while trumpeting "The US Does. Not. Torture.". .

They are well and fully implicated and they know it. They will do anything to keep the WH under syndicate control.

(thanks for running the thread Solly - You're the Best.)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. Most stunning was ...but the President said they weren't covered under the Geneva Conventions.....

Didn't at least two of the panelists say that?

[pberq]

10. Yes - I heard that

So they are now openly admitting they violated Geneva

[Solly Mack]

5. Hiya, annabanana

Welcome!

My outrage had outrage yesterday.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

6. I was not surprised by the exposing of the SERE program yesterday. Our military loves to use

service members as guinea pigs.

BTW...Solly! Thanks for yesterday's thread! You did a stellar job! :) :hi:

And of course! Recommended!

[Solly Mack]

7. Thanks, OmmmSweetOmmm!

:hi:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. My pleasure Solly!!!

Have a beautiful day! :hi:

[pberq]

9. Let's keep this story front and center.

Thanks Solly!

[Solly Mack]

13. Thank you, pberq!

[WhiteTara]

11. my favorite part was where the woman kept saying

but since we didn't recognize the Geneva Conventions, none of this was illegal! Then she followed up by saying that Abu Ghraib was horrible...and at least they weren't killing prisoners like they were in Bagram (sp)! It was as if there was a complete disconnect between the beginning legal memos and the other actions. Yikes those creatures live in denial.

[Solly Mack]

14. Yes! Exactly!

[slipslidingaway]

12. Thanks, another hearing today at 2:00 pm ET

http://c-span.org/

"Setting Interrogation Rules
Today

During today's House Judiciary Subcmte. hearing on interrogation rules, Fmr. DoD Under Sec. Douglas Feith testifies about withholding Geneva Convention protections for detainees. Also, Washington Journal guest Col. Stuart Herrington discusses his experience as a military interrogator.

on C-SPAN3 at 2pm (ET)"

[Solly Mack]

15. Thanks, slipslidingaway! Is it still going on? Had to go out for a while

and it's just after 9 PM here...so it's just after 3 PM there.

[slipslidingaway]

16. I was not able to see it this afternoon...

more hearings and still no move towards accountability :(

[countryjake]

17. KICK!