News on the Guantanamo (GTMO) front is coming fast and furiously; even today it is reported that torture methods used by the Communist Chinese to extract false confessions from American military personnel in the 1950's were recycled for use upon our prisoners at GTMO (though as I noted on my own blog, the substance of the fact that Communist torture methods were imported to … [Read more...] about Interview with Wells Dixon
Top Defector Warns of Kim Jong-il’s ‘Obsolete Nuclear Junk’
How significant is it that Kim Jong-il has agreed to destroy his nuclear facilities in a place called Yongbyon? According to a man that knew him well - not very. According to Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking defector in North Korean history - a man who was once Kim Jong-il's teacher and the former Chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, the cooling tower and … [Read more...] about Top Defector Warns of Kim Jong-il’s ‘Obsolete Nuclear Junk’
Were ‘Brainwashing’ Techniques Used on US Servicemen in Korea Part of the Training at Guantanamo?
It seems that under the Bush Administration, Chinese interrogation methods designed to elicit false confessions during the Korean War became the basis for the training of interrogators at Guantanamo (NYT). It seems there was a certain chart used in training the interrogators came to light during June 17 hearings by the Senate Armed Services committee. The military … [Read more...] about Were ‘Brainwashing’ Techniques Used on US Servicemen in Korea Part of the Training at Guantanamo?
What the “Other Hispanics” Say About Our Elections
In his “ Gallup: Hispanic Voters Overwhelmingly Support Obama,” Joe Gandelman points to a new Gallup Poll that shows very strong support among Hispanic voters for Barack Obama. The poll itself: Hispanic registered voters’ support for Barack Obama for president remained consistent and strong in June, with Obama leading John McCain by 59% to 29% among this … [Read more...] about What the “Other Hispanics” Say About Our Elections
Hitchens: If Waterboarding Isn’t Torture, There’s No Such Thing as Torture
Christopher Hitchens --- whom I have always perversely gone on liking, even though I often find him grievously mistaken and frequently cruel when defending his wrong views --- decided to experience waterboarding first-hand to find out whether it is torture and if so, how long he could endure it. (Vanity Fair). His conclusion? It is. As Justin Gardner … [Read more...] about Hitchens: If Waterboarding Isn’t Torture, There’s No Such Thing as Torture
Gallup: Hispanic Voters Overwhelmingly Support Obama
During the primaries a strong argument used against Democratic Senator Barack Obama was that he received tepid support from Hispanic voters and therefore could not be counted on to get that crucial part of the party's constituency come November. But that argument is no more: a new Gallup Poll shows Hispanic voters strongly support the Democratic party's presumptive … [Read more...] about Gallup: Hispanic Voters Overwhelmingly Support Obama
Obama & Giving Something Back To The U.S.
The concept of national service is for me a no-brainer because it is a great way to give something back to the U.S. and even our erstwhile friends overseas while receiving valuable training and experience in return. I suppose the very fact that it makes such sense is why we haven't heard much about it during a presidency that has made as its centerpiece a war that has … [Read more...] about Obama & Giving Something Back To The U.S.
Clay Felker
The man was a sponge. Creating and editing New York Magazine, he soaked up the zeitgeist of the late 1960s and 1970s and gave it back to readers as a heady brew of New Journalism and cultural chic. Clay Felker, who died today at 82, was one of a kind. Between jobs as a magazine editor, I wrote for him and witnessed the workings of his restless mind and insatiable curiosity. … [Read more...] about Clay Felker
It’s A New Game
Stump the Yoo. … [Read more...] about It’s A New Game
Rush Limbaugh Signs Record Big Bucks Renewal Contract To 2016
Attention Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh's (many) critics. Brace yourself: Limbaugh isn't going anywhere. Indeed, given the whopping big bucks he'll now be getting for renewing his contract until 2016, if he does go somewhere he'll be going in that new private jet he is reportedly buying. PR Newswire has the story, … [Read more...] about Rush Limbaugh Signs Record Big Bucks Renewal Contract To 2016
The Unwashed Masses
Tom Bevan may be oversimplifying a bit, not to mention insulting everyone who's not a political junkie -- but I still laughed at this post and generally agreed with his conclusion. … [Read more...] about The Unwashed Masses
Be There Or Be Square
Rick Moran is again liveblogging from the Continental Congress. … [Read more...] about Be There Or Be Square
Ignored Psychiatric Patient Dies On Floor Of Hospital Waiting Room
Some years ago, there was a cartoon showing a skeleton sitting in a doctor's waiting room with an outdated magazine in its hand. Now life has imitated cartoon art: after waiting 24 hours in a New York City psychiatric hospital's waiting room, a video shows a black woman falling to the floor and people streaming in and out seemingly oblivious to her until she is finally … [Read more...] about Ignored Psychiatric Patient Dies On Floor Of Hospital Waiting Room
New Terrorist Tool – The Bulldozer
An East Jerusalem Palestinian hijacked a bulldozer today and began attacking buses, cars and the people in them. A few people were killed and around 60 were wounded. Fortunately, the terrorist was quickly killed. Jerusalem Post: Bulldozer driver shot dead after going on rampage in capital Jerusalem Post: 'Israel must demolish terrorist's house' Jerusalem Post: We acted … [Read more...] about New Terrorist Tool – The Bulldozer
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: More on Schaller’s Supreme Confidence That Dems Can’t Win the South
From the perspective of citizenship, one indisputable good that came of the Democratic primary season was how wonderfully it engaged the electorate. To any pundit or pollster who dares tell me that the ultimate outcome was exactly as they predicted, my reply is that the first right and responsibility of citizenship is the vote. Had the Founding Fathers intended a democracy … [Read more...] about Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: More on Schaller’s Supreme Confidence That Dems Can’t Win the South
Wesley Clark On McCain
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner … [Read more...] about Wesley Clark On McCain
‘What I Tell You Is Three Times True’ & Other Dispatches From The Bush Terror Regime
THE SNARK AND THE MASTERMIND The more we learn about the Bush torture regime, the more apparent it becomes that there is an interconnectivity between what once seemed random acts and events: False confessions are coerced from tortured detainees using Chinese Communist techniques perfected on U.S. fliers during the Korean War. Ethnic Muslims considered by the Chinese to be … [Read more...] about ‘What I Tell You Is Three Times True’ & Other Dispatches From The Bush Terror Regime
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (1914-2008)
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, led India to victory against Pakistan in the 1971 war that resulted in the partition of Pakistan, and the formation of Bangladesh (earlier known as East Pakistan). The Guardian obituary here... Manekshaw (April 3, 1914 - June 27, 2008) died aged 94. Silloo, his wife, passed away in 2001. He is … [Read more...] about Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (1914-2008)
Election 2008: Colorado
Colorado is likely to be one of the major battlegrounds in November from the top of the ballot to the bottom. The state has been seen as Republican but has been moving towards the Democrats as the Hispanic population grows. President: Bush won this state twice but Bill Clinton took it in 1992. Obama is expected to make this a major target in the fall. Recent polls show him … [Read more...] about Election 2008: Colorado
Atlanta airport concealed weapons ban disputed in Federal court
NYTimes: A decision by Georgia legislators to relax the state’s gun laws has led to a dispute over whether people can legally carry concealed firearms in the nation’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International. A Georgia gun rights group filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Atlanta on Tuesday after airport officials said they would continue to enforce … [Read more...] about Atlanta airport concealed weapons ban disputed in Federal court