[cryptome] Pretty Damning Stuff. Out of the Mouths of the CIA
- From: doug <douglasrankine2001@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: cryptome@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:58:33 +0000
http://cryptome.org/2014/12/cia-torture-report-feinstein.pdf
Torture has happened throughout through the whole of the human era, so
far as we know, from the ritual rights of cannibals amongst primitive
peoples to human beings of the modern day. Ancient Greeks indulged in
it, the Romans at the Colloseum practiced it, putting on free shows for
the masses of Roman Citizens, in feudal times, for religious, racial and
sexual motives, torture of all sorts was carried out. Religious fatwahs
were issued by Muslims and the Spanish Catholic Inquisition issued its
own Christian summons, the auto de fe.
There are all sorts of reasons for it...or none at all. There are NO
justifications for it, in my view. And that view, that opinion, has
nothing to do with what my political or cultural or ethical views are,
though those beliefs which I have are important to me. It has to do with
the incontrovertible fact...that Torture doesn't work, and that it is
done for reasons which have nothing to do with establishing the
truth...(unless of course one wishes to prove that the application of
torture is damaging and painful to the body and mind), like Nazi psuedo
science conducted in the concentration camps in the era of the
everlasting Third Reich.
The nearest one can get to justifying torture...or put it this way, the
"weakest" link in the chain towards "NO TORTURE" becoming an absolute,
is the "immediacy" argument, which is presented by either the
perpetrators, or the advocates, or by some folks who don't really
understand what torture is all about. Having said that...do any of us
really know?
The "immediacy" argument, is the one I am talking about. I am sure most
of you have heard it put forward as some kind of reason, justification
or excuse, for conducting a tortuous activity. It is the "smoking bomb"
type of scenario; where you, as an individual, has discovered and
detained someone whom you suspect, nay know is hiding a dastardly act,
an imminent act of terrorism. The problem is how to get the information
out of them so that you can prevent it from happening. It doesn't
matter whether it is one life at stake (including your own) or many...It
is this point of view which pops up when it comes to discussing torture,
even though its "immediacy" is irrelevant, and presumably is aimed at
diverting attention away from what is really going on. Hollywood has
made lots of films with "the smoking bomb" as a topic. What would you do?
Because of that "immediacy" would you be justified, legally, morally,
ethically or lawfully, if you used torture to get the information out of
that other person? Would a court of law support your use of torture,
would your fellow human beings support your use of torture? How much
torture and what kinds of torture should one be allowed to use? A
torture of ones own choosing perhaps...or a form of torture which has
been justified in the court of human kindness?
I had a quick look around the constitutions of nation states to see if I
could find, in any of them, a provision, a justification for using
torture at any time...And I couldn't find any...much to my relief,
though there might be some little nation state which is the exception to
the rule.
Also...I couldn't find one proven instance in the recent CIA
extraordinary rendition and torture programme, where "the smoking bomb"
scenario was present...though I would be grateful if anyone can find one
and post the url.
Masters of Bovine Scatology...Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld CIA Directors, ex
President G.W Bush, and many others, too numerous to mention by name;
one and all together, chose to ignore those human values to which they
most aspire, and encourage others to aspire to...in my view. I think it
is what is called in legal terms...a criminal conspiracy. I notice
that I haven't heard much about conspiracy and conspiracy theories of
late. Yet, I don't think this one is due to fantasy. I also notice
that the blame game, the responsibility game, has all but vanished, and
people talk of being misled or innaccuracies, rather than criminal
deception, lies, criminal fraud and so on. Conspiracy to torture is not
a criminal offence in the USA apparently, although it was at Nuremberg.
Still, perhaps such harsh language should be reserved for us plebs.
Just shows the arrogance which Presidential license creates in people,
when it removes all controls on organisational behaviour; particularly
in ones which operate in secret. These people are all classed as highly
educated, civilised people, who went to top schools, came from
respectable, long established families...Made their way up through
society, entrepreneurs, children of founding fathers, top
universities...If this is the calibre of their output; no wonder America
is going down the pan.
The rest of the world looks on them in shock, amazement and
bewilderment, and most of us are very disturbed by their behaviour,
except for some other nation state secret intelligence services, of
course, whose members follow the same international club and think that
torture and illegal detention is OK and should not be fettered...because
it helps to protect National Security of course.
And they are still in denial. Still using the same tactics and
strategies to try and keep off the hook. Still deceiving, lying,
distorting, making excuses, detracting, diverting, justifying their
behaviour, doing anything and everything to avoid the truth. The
Vietnam War it was the Cong who were to blame...now it is Militant
Muslims, that are preventing those people from realising their dreams.
Always someone or something...the driving forces behind the need for
torture are very powerful indeed.
This discourse isn't just about illegality, or immorality, or
illegality. Torture is wrong. Torture does not work. Torture dressed
up as enhanced interrogation procedures is like calling a thorn a pretty
petal.
Is that perhaps why the USA government hasn't signed up to any
international human rights act...one wonders. Because there is a chance
some of their leaders would be prosecuted for crimes against humanity?
Perhaps it is not a good idea to suspend even the limited agreements of
the Geneva Conventions, and to allow and excuse bad behaviour or legal
responsibility. It also appears too, that not content with doing these
criminal deeds themselves, they involved at least 54 other countries to
become involved in their torture and rendition programme, using a
mixture of bribery of public officials, corruption of civil servants,
payments to keep people quiet and extra money for maintaining the
project on foreign soils. They also used blackmail and threats to
families...and to those who refused to support, they undermined with any
type of propoganda. Social Darwinism in a word, the philosophy of Nazi
Germany. "Only the fittest survive" said Darwin. What he meant by
fittest, was those species which were most adaptable. NOT in Social
Darwinist terms of only the most powerful survive. Once again, the
perpetrators of anti-human crimes turn the language to suit their own
needs, to avoid responsibility for their actions.
Underneath the skin of that "civilised ruling elite" still hunts the
primitive instincts, the primordial drives, the urges the irresistible
impulses and last, but not least in importance...the learned behaviour,
which are so essential to human survival. They learned it somewhere,
they learned it from someone. It is time that they were given guidance
and tuition to unlearn it, in my view. I cannot believe that these
kinds of values are held by most ordinary Americans, or that once the
truth of their actions are revealed that they will just stand by and
ignore it. I cannot believe that once the American people see, read and
understand what their leadership has been up to, that they will stand
back and do nothing.
Yet the militarisation of the police force and law enforcement agencies
continues apace. Huge amounts are being spent on information technology
for use on the so-called cyber war, on both defensive and offensive
capabilities. Huge amounts are being spent on drones and drone
technology, on robotisation of war, where robots kill human beings.
Purely a question of cost and the production of machines. Drone was is
a "safe" war, which Obama uses a lot. It protects American armed forces
from being attacked. It kills terrorists and opponents. It also kills
innocents, non-terrorists, families and children of all ages. Does
drone war work, is it ethical, is it moral is it lawful? Apparently
so. Yet so many Americans are complaining about why they are hated so
much in the world. Perhaps it could be something to do with the way
they treat other nations, races and religions and cultures? A look in
their own back yard to see if there is anything dirty there, and clean
it out?
My son said to me once how much he appreciated Obama, and how he loved
children. Then, I told him the story of drone warfare. He was shocked
and amazed, didn't believe me at first...but, my saviour was the world
wide web. He could go and look for himself.
Blacks, people of colour get killed willy-nilly, even kids. The Grand
Jury sees no case to answer. Racism abounds, sexism rages, yet, those
very same leading Americans want to teach the rest of the worlds
citizens lessons on human rights and equality. It is indeed the highest
form of hypocrisy, and a great insult to the intelligence of most people
who inhabit this planet. Perhaps they should try leading by example
rather than showing us all how NOT to do to protect human beings from
harm. Perhaps it is time to start an American form of the Nuremburg
Trials...
ATB
Dougie.
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