Waterboarding and Torture, Cheney should demonstrate it's use.

"Waterboarding...consists of immobilizing the victim on his or her back with the head inclined downwards, and then pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. By forcing suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences drowning and is caused to believe they are about to die." It has been used in the Spanish Inquisition and the Khmer Rouge. During World War II, it was used by Nazi Gestapo and Japanese Kempeitai. It was outlawed by U.S. generals during the the Vietnam War, with a U.S. Soldier recieving a courtmartial for waterboarding a North Vietnamese POW. John McCain, former Republican candidate for president and no stranger to torture, has described it as "very exquisite torture." A book that described its use during the French war in Algeria was banned in France because it included a first hand account that included:

"The rag was rapidly soaked. Water flowed everywhere: in my mouth, in my nose, all over my face. But for a while I could still breathe in some small gulps of air. I tried, by contracting my throat, to take in as little water as possible and to resist suffocation by keeping air in my lungs for as long as I could. But I couldn't hold on for more than a few moments. I had the impression of drowning, and a terrible agony, that of death itself, took possession of me. In spite of myself, all the muscles of my body struggled uselessly to save me from suffocation. In spite of myself, the fingers of my hands shook uncontrollably. "That's it! He's going to talk," said a voice. The water stopped and they took away the rag. I was able to breathe. In the gloom, I saw the lieutenants and the captain, who, with a cigarette between his lips, was hitting my stomach with his fist to make me throw out the water I had swallowed"

In spite of this long history of use as torture, Dick Cheney maintains a position that waterboarding is not torture. Further, he and his lawyers have provided legal justifications for using waterboarding. And further claim that it is the same waterboarding that is used for resistance training as a part of SERE, a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training program for military special operations units. However, Jesse Ventura, former Navy SEAL and governor of Minnesota has described the waterboarding he experienced as "torture...It's drowning. It is no good."

Of course Cheney, who happens to have never served in the military because he dodged the draft in order to flunk out of Yale, maintains that waterboarding is necessary to protect the lives of U.S. citizens and servicemen. He likes to ignore that he, along with Condoleeza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld, tried to use waterboarding as a means of establishing a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, a non-existent link that resulted in a war that cost the lives of thousands of U.S. Warfighters.

If Cheney really wants to make the case that waterboarding is not torture, there is one avenue that remains conspicuously ignored. A demonstration for the American people. To really make his point, Cheney should have it demonstrated on himself, since it results in no extreme physical or mental pain or suffering. I would recommend that the proceedure be overlooked by experienced experts such as John McCain, Jesse Ventura, and SERE Psychologists who can ensure that the waterboarding is authentic. Given his dedication to protecting the lives of American citizens, this is a very small request of Mr. Cheney.

What I'm Reading 5.21.09: Closing Gitmo

Obama defends plan to close Guantanamo Prison. By William Branigin, Washington Post
It's obvious that Guantanamo needs to close. It's closure is a linchpin of foreign relations with countries like Palestine, Pakistan, and Iran. Obama will need a more clear plan for closing the prison including where to place detainees before requesting funds from Congress. Maybe he should be considering U.S. territories like Puerto Rico or Samoa. Very well isolated areas with mostly Christian populations.

Obama-Lite Steele fizzles as Republicans fold. By Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg
Steele is an odd figure for a part chair. He spends perhaps a bit too much time in the spotlight and probably carries an inflated opinion of his role. I honestly think that he is trying to be the Republican Obama, but he has so far not been successful in raising money, getting Republicans elected, or growing the party. Carlson's scathing treatment is, unfortunately, right on.

Rush Limbaugh resigns post as Republican leader? David Knowles, Politics Daily
Republicans really need to take a stand on Rush and stick to it. He is emblematic of a policy of "no." He offers no solutions, is an incendiary blowhard who does nothing but apply poor logic to protect his own fragile ego while blasting out half-baked criticisms of people who are actually contributing to the process from his ivory tower sequestered radio studio. He's been a cancer on the country and the Republican party. I'm with Wanda Sykes, I hope he gets sick and dies a slow death.

Coming to your garage: Le car. By David Harsanyi
Harsanyi sounds like a petulant child. There's no reason to believe that cars with less emissions and better mileage will be terrible cars. It's also the direction that Detroit will have to go anyway. Trucks and SUVs are getting slaughtered by the Prius, a small car that is very successful and happens to be a good car. It's not the government that is mandating smaller, more efficient cars, it's the market, which Harsanyi apparently knows nothing about. And his scenario about a Republican bailing out Detroit is moot, it already happened and his name was George W. Bush.

RNC = Rush-Newt-Cheney? Don't make me laugh. By Karl, Hot Air
Of course the Democrats are going to try to make Cheney, Gingrich, and Limbaugh the faces of the Republican party. They are very unpopular figures who can't seem to shut their mouth. Cheney alone seems to be intent on painting the Republican party as being pro-torture. The conservative media (Fox News) plays right along by deifying these polarizing figures. As long as the party can't learn some humility and start listening to the people rather than telling them that they are immoral, they are going to be irrelevant, which is why Obama has more difficulties with unruly Congress than any kind of real Republican opposition.

What I'm Reading 5.20.09: A new republican alternative for health care

An Alternative to Obamacare. By Tom Coburn, Richard Burr, Paul Ryan, and Devin Nunes, RCP
The plan is interesting, if not fully fleshed out. The Republican congressmen co-opt some traditionally Democratic ideas including industry regulation. The plan doesn't seem to lay out much of what they plan to do to reduce health care costs. I'll be interested to see how the plan develops.

Dissecting the Republican health care plan (Part I). By Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Klein seems to be dead on in his analysis. The Republican party seems to be coming to the center a little in hopes of giving citizens what they really want, solutions to their problems. This could be a sign of future negotiated health care bill somewhere between this Republican bill and Obamacare.

Republican Newt Gingrich calls for Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi to resign. By Huma Khan and Jonathan Karl, ABC News
First of all, if Gingrich really wants to be involved, he should run for office again. Aside from that, his opinion that the CIA was damaged by accusations of deception is ridiculous. It's the CIA, accusing them of deception is like accusing a poker player of bluffing, it's what they do. We know for a fact that the CIA has lied to Congress in the past.

Birmingham police beating video: Officers to be disciplined for beating unconscious man. By Carol Robinson, Birmingham News
The man had just flown out of a car that flipped over, he could have easily died. Those cops could be charged with attempted murder. I've worked with a lot of cops in my career and the majority know that it is essential that they maintain professionalism if they want the community to work with them. Videos of 5 white cops beating a half-dead black man with weapons and then trying to cover it up are not going to accomplish that.

What I'm Reading 5.19.09: Major Bipartisan Successes for Obama

Banner day for Obama, he's showing that Democrats and Republicans really can find common ground.

Automakers, Obama announce mileage, pollution plan. Associated Press
A real feather in the cap of both the most popular Democrat (Obama) and arguably the most popular Republican (Schwarzenegger). It's truly amazing that he was able to get Democrats, Republicans, and even automakers on board for this plan. The only real losers are the oil companies and I'm sure everyone will feel very sorry for them.

Senate passes bill to restrict credit card practices. By David Stout, NYT
The bill passed 90-5, meaning almost universal approval across both parties. Definitely a big victory for Obama, but also for the Republican Party showing that they aren't just a "no" machine. the bill itself is a no-brainer, with even the downside (a possible decrease in the availability of consumer credit) being a probable upside by controlling inflation following the deflation we're experiencing with the bursting of the credit bubble.

Obama, Netanyahu discuss U.S.-Israeli disagreements. CNN
It's nearling impossible for Irael to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians when they are in conflict regarding their own leadership. Israel and the U.S. could support the Palestinian Authority in their struggle for power against Hamas in exchange for a two-state agreement. But Hamas is very popular with Palestinians in Gaza, so the destruction of Hamas is not a likely solution. Regardless, Obama seems to strike a nice even tone of supporting Israel withough giving away the store.

How the war on drugs has damaged our society

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Obama’s new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske stated that he would end the practice of using the terminology of the "War on Drugs" started by Richard Nixon nearly 40 years ago when he founded the DEA. The policy is a a no-brainer, roundly hailed as the right way to go, but after 3 decades of a politicized public health problem, the system has done much more harm than done. It has spent billions of tax dollars and served little purpose other than to make our streets more violent, over-crowded our prisons and done almost nothing to curb the drug trade in our country.

The war on drugs may have been started by Nixon in 1971, but one of the most influential moments in the drug enforcement movement was in 1986, when Ronald Reagan signed into law legislation that instituted mandatory minimum sentences for drug offences. The legislation was accompanies by a rash of similar state-level legislation by politicians desiring to foster an image of being "tough on crime." The legislation had the effect of forcing judges to sentence drug offenders, including those found to be in possession of controlled substances, to mandatory prison terms. The effect was a massive explosion in the prison population. States were ill-equiped to handle this massive increase in prisoners, which led to increased budgets for corrections and a scramble to build more prisons. Which crippled the ability of states to fund other programs including education. The decline of education systems resulted in an ironic cycle, as high school graduates saw fewer professional options and were more likely to resort to crime. To date, the spending on corrections has continued to have an adverse affect on education spending, in 2007 corrections spending in California surpassed education for the first time and showed no sign of slowing.

In the prisons, the overcrowding had dramatic consequences on prison life. What had formerly been moderately dangerous incarceration systems had transformed into a veritable warzone of simple assaults, sexual assaults, and murder. Non-violent drug offenders, many in prison for possession for marijuana were now exposed to massive amount of violence as well as becoming victims of violence themselves. Over time, these non-violent offenders became violent as a result of their exposure and victimization. They also learned to be real criminals by being absorbed into prison culture, including prison gangs and a mentoring system that focuses on commiting crime and avoiding authorities. They can also be exposed to a variety of hard drugs, with no prospects for the future, there is little to stop them from experimenting with whatever they can get their hands on. Through years of conditioning, these non-violent drug offenders enter prison as harmless stoners and come out as hardened criminals and addicts, practically destined to eventually return to the prison system.

Drug policy is an excellent example of how policy in a single area can have dramatic effect on society at large. Legislation aimed at drug abuse, also politicized to foster "tough on crime" positions, have ended up tripling our prison populations, leveraging and bankrupting state budgets, compromising the education system, and making criminals more violent.This area of policy needs dramatic overhaul with the focus on mandating drug rehabilitation and reducing prison populations.

What I'm Reading 5.18.09

Text of Obama's Notre Dame Speech, WSJ
Obama is always a great speaker and he makes some excellent points. One issue underlying this event is the question of whether Notre Dame should have invited Obama in the first place. I think that it was important that they did. On all issues, it is important to listen most to those with whom you disagree. It is the only way understand different perspectives and work toward resolution. Those that protested the speech don't want to hear what Obama has to say, they are threatened by contrary ideas. And that is contrary to American values of free speech.

The year for health care. San Francisco Chronicle
The article layouts out some of the goals and obstacles to getting health care passed. It brings up the excellent point that Obama will have to be personally involved in the writing of the bill or risk losing control of the bill to far-left nutbags in Congress. I think it will also be important to bring some Republican voices to the table to include things like Tort reform and other methods to reduce health care costs. Let's hope that something gets pushed through, Obamacare may not be perfect, but it's quite a bit better than what we have now.

Lesbian leading committee could weaken values, GOP chief warns. By Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Fair treatment and equal opportunity for all U.S. citizens is at the heart of what it means to be American. It is disappointing to see these relics of intolerance still advocating for naked discrimination. His party should put a muzzle on him or else he should be censured by the state legislature. It is also a blow to the GOP on social issues, the party definitely doesn't need a George Wallace-type figure grabbing headlines. Wallace was a Democrat by the way.

What I'm Reading 5.17.09: Steele Suffering from Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome

It's a Michael Steele special today.

Yes It's that Bad for the GOP. By Chuck Todd, NBC News
Effectively lays out the GOP's current position. Similar to my previous blog, but also calls attention to Republican deficiencies among minorities, the young, the college educated, and the suburban. All growing groups that will field even more voters in future elections. I would also add that they have a disadvantage with women voters.

White House Laughs at GOP Idea to Call Democrats "Socialists." By Jimmy Orr, Christian Science Monitor
Apparently, so is Michael Steele, on Meet the Press today he distanced himself from the RNC resolution that moved to rename the Democratic Party.

RNC Chief: Gay Marriage will Burden Small Business. Associated Press
I would have liked to hear Steele talk about this also. The problem he describes is true of straight marriage as much as it is true about Gay marriage. Perhaps Mr. Steele would like to resolve this problem by eliminating marriage all together.

RNC Boss: Democrats want to take away Gun Rights. Associated Press
He's careful to say "Democrats" rather than "Obama," the NRA tried that already, and it was a lie. I don't know why the Republican Party feels the need to kiss the ass of people that will vote Republican no matter what and their willingness to engage in bald-face lies to try to tear down Obama certainly do not inspire trust.