I appreciate Senator Feinstein's resolve in pushing for the release of, at the very least, the summary of the CIA torture reports - but her approving attitude toward the NSA's un-constitutional surveillance activities means she's not in my good books just yet.
At least, these things are moving in the right direction now.
You folks really have to read the full report. Linky:
http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/study2014/sscistudy1.pdf
There is some truly abhorrent detail in that document. At least one of the detainees in CIA custody turned to self-mutilation, and tried to gnaw his veins open/chew his arm off to escape the torture.
Oh yeah, and the CIA seems to have a really pervasive fetish toward squirting Ensure and pureed hummus up terrorists' butts.
I've gotten through the first 300 pages, but I can't stand reading any more today. I can actually feel my idealism dying.
The future frightens me. I don't think we're good people anymore.
Say, isn't stopping foreign state-sponsored hackers pretty much the definition of what GCHQ should be taking care of?
First they dredged up the espionage act to go after Edward Snowden. Now they're finding laws from 1789 to try to circumvent constitutional law.
Sounds like they miss the "good ol' days."
Further proof that anyone seeking authority over others is probably an evil corrupt shithead who should be kept as far from said authority as possible.
"Peedy-files and terrorists! Hackers behind every blade of grass! Doom closing its icy fingers around your throats, citizens of America! Now, turn over your encryption keys, so we can keep you niiiiice and safe..."
The first thing these people did when they caught a whiff of potential legal consequences for their inhuman crimes, was burn all records that could incriminate them. I doubt there's anything juicy remaining, they've had plenty of time to work.
No matter which way you turn, the politicians find a way to fuck you.
What's with this string of hilariously named cops being caught doing bad things? First we had officer Glans slapping a man for refusing to consent to a vehicle search... then we had officer Wank shoving people during a traffic stop... and now, we have officer Beavers in this criminal smorgasbord.
If we all get buttons to "report terrorist content" we should head over to the NSA and GCHQ's websites, and make sure they're reported more often than ISIS pages.
Hmm. Maybe those murdering terror-pedos aren't such bad guys.
I certainly worry more about my government than I do about them, as of late...
Dick Cheney thought torturing human beings to death was "the right thing to do."
Tells you a lot about our leaders, doesn't it...
Centralization of power. An un-elected shadow government which determines the nation's policy toward the world. Total surveillance. A growing police/prison state. Worship of military, and heavy militarization of society.
Hmm. I know I've read about a country like this in my history books at some point... perhaps someone could refresh my memory?
Say, um, who came up with that new-fangled "internet" thing anyway?
Oh yeaaaaah... the military. So, according to the new GCHQ boss, the militaries of our western societies are directly responsible for all that terrorism and murder-facilitation.
Well, yeah, we knew already.
So the bad guys win again.
Par for the course in this cursed world.
"The Star Wars producer contends Empire’s beer infringes on Lucasfilm trademarks and could be used to deceive consumers or cause brand confusion."
Man, it's true. I've always had difficulty discerning between movies and bottles of beer. Thank goodness for this lawsuit.
If there's one thing you can count on the Republicans for, it's that they'll be utter state-worshipping rat bastards perfectly willing to look the other way as our government commits crimes against humanity.
Huh... so, Splinter Cell was a documentary.
Yesterday, I found out that our governments are guilty in systematic, industrialized rape, torture and brutal murder of its detainees. The crimes they have committed in our names, were crimes that men were hanged for at Nuremberg, yet today the torturers walk away with millions of dollars in compensation money from the government.
Yesterday, I found out that western doctors, bound by the Hippocratic Oath, contributed to keeping detainees alive longer, so that they could be tormented more effectively. For similar crimes, the Nazi Dr. Mengele of Auschwitz infamy, became a hunted man for the remainder of his life - yet today, our doctors receive bonuses for their instructional advice on extending human agony.
Yesterday, I discovered that our nations' secret intelligence agencies have become little more than a massive Stanford Prison Experiment - that while the CIA's own torturers and interrogators expressed discomfort, objection and outright horror at the acts they were ordered to perform, they performed them nonetheless after pressure from superior officers. These torturers and interrogators will get away with their abhorrent crimes, even though at Nuremberg, "I was just following orders" didn't cut it as an excuse from the hangman's noose.
Yesterday, I watched the troglodytes passing for reporters at Fox News attempting to justify our barbarism against screaming, shackled human beings, by describing them as "less than human." The Nazis had a word for this, too.
(http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/12/09/cia-interrogations-report-feinstein-offers-aid-and-comfort-to-enemy-stabs/)
Today, I am done studying these dreadful matters. Today, I am commencing study on a new batch of topics. Today, I will learn about interrogation resistance, and how to increase my bodily threshold of tolerance to pain. Today, I will learn about insurgency and counter-insurgency. I will study bombs, and mines, and small arms, and improvised weapons. I may need such knowledge, should my own government decide to attack. This is because today I am absolutely certain of one thing: the fascists are back, the enemy are among us, and while "first, they came for the Muslims," they are coming for us all. I will not make the same mistake my Polish ancestors did when the Nazis came - the mistake of waiting and seeing what happens next, until for many of them, it became too late. Now, I prepare for history to once again repeat itself. Bad times are upon us.