Is it really a surprise that the torture memos show us that there is a side of the former Bush administration that would toss aside the rules of engagement? We already knew that John Yoo , while working with the Office of Legal counsel, was the brains behind the legal opinion that warrantless wiretaps in the US were acceptable. There is at least one story that came out 5 years ago about how this countries leadership, 
including Bush administration officials, could well be in legal trouble, and be prosecuted for “war crimes” as a result of the Bush Administrations policies regarding following the Geneva convention principles.
It should appall and anger us. But we learned about these people and their methods years ago. This should be no surprise. And I know that most people probably aren’t surprised that torture was used on terrorists. But the point here is that it doesn’t matter who it was used on, at all. The problem is that it was used at all. Torture is against the Geneva convention. We are signatories. Water-boarding is something that is against the law in this country and around the world. Men in the Armed forces of this nation water-boarded VC in Vietnam in Da Nang in 1968. The men were subsequently court-martialed. In 1947 water-boarding was called a “War Crime“
Think about that for a minute.
We the people are better than this. Americans aren’t torturers, but unfortunately, our government under President Bush WERE torturers. Thanks to men Like John Bybee, John Yoo, David Addington and others. They tried to put lipstick on a pig here, to make torture look untorture-like to justify using that which this government had seen a war crime just a generation before.
The Right likes to say that the Obama Administration is undermining the constitution, and abusing of the rights of the people. I tell you this, it would be damn near impossible to try and undermine the constitution and abuse the rights of the people like the Bush administration did. The Republicans hid behind the flag and deftly damaged everything important to America and Americans sense of right, morality and fair play. They made us less a Republic and more a Dictatorship, and put the Government ahead of the people and made a mockery of the words “WE THE PEOPLE”
That’s it for me, except the usual second viddy and quotes.
That’s it for me. Later!
Today’s Nuggets, By George Orwell, Via Wikiquote: So far as I can see, all political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.
I always disagree, however, when people end up saying that we can only combat Communism, Fascism or what not if we develop an equal fanaticism. It appears to me that one defeats the fanatic precisely by not being a fanatic oneself, but on the contrary by using one’s intelligence.
