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January 27, 2005

Gonzales' Legacy

Warning: Graphic content

As Carla noted yesterday, "Gonzales has asserted to the Senate Judiciary Committee that there is a legal rationale for the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading" tactics for nonUS citizens captured abroad."

"Gonzales is also the culprit who was sent this memo by then Assistant AG Jay S Bybee (who now serves on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and who noteably had this memo kept from his own confirmation). The memo was used by the Bush team as a guide for actions with prisoners."

How has this allegedly Christian-led administration used this advice to further our national security?

Australian Mamdouh Habib is scheduled to be released without charge from Gitmo and returned to Australia after being imprisoned for more than three years. Notably, Australian officials have declined to charge him with anything or even detain him upon his return.

Mr Habib's lawyer has released some incredibly disgusting details of techniques used by Americans at Gitmo to get information out of him.

Mr Hopper said yesterday: "The Americans used prostitutes as tools in their interrogations. They'd say to detainees 'If you co-operate with us, we'll let you at this woman for the night'. And if they wouldn't agree they'd use them in other ways."

He said detainees held at the base with Mr Habib reported that a prostitute was told to stand over him and menstruate on him.

This is our government! In the eyes of the world and these detainees, this is being done on our behalf.

What would Jesus do???

Mr Hopper said officials at the base also defaced photos of Mr Habib's wife, Maha, and their four children.

"The Americans in their wisdom have taken the heads off the pictures, enlarged them and superimposed them with the heads of animals and then strung them up all over the walls of the interrogation room," he said.

"As they sat there talking to Mamdouh asking him about his terrorist activities, they held up a picture of Maha and said, 'It's a shame we had to kill your family, it's a shame you will never see these people again'."

Try to put yourself in Mr. Habib's shoes for a minute. There's not a shred of evidence that you've participated in terrorism or with terrorists. You've been imprisoned and abused in the most vile, disgusting ways. Now you've been released without charge.

What would you wish upon the people who did this to you?

What would you wish upon the nation on whose behalf these things were done to you?

Better yet, without mentioning anything about this case or the circumstances involved, go find the most religious conservative person you can find and ask them what they'd think of a person who approved having a prostitute menstruate on another human being. Ask your mother or your grandmother what she'd think of it.

This is the legacy of the same Mr. Gonzales that President Bush wants to be the Attorney General of these United State. This is the guy who, if confirmed, will be responsible for protecting your civil rights.

Are you comfortable with that? I'm not!

PS What kind of a mind thinks up these kinds of techniques? What kind of person would think that it was okay under any circumstances to tie someone up and have a woman menstruate on them?

It's sick!

Posted by Kevin at January 27, 2005 10:56 AM