Dear Editor:

Justifying Bush Torture Memos? More than the government doing so, why is the media so willing to let these individuals get away with war crimes? An investigation into these crimes will unearth others that will require the media to stop looking the other way. Our country's reputation depends on it. It is up to you and, unless I am mistaken, it is why you became a reporter. Sincerely, The American People

The Ends Will Have to Justify the Means

Obama is a smarter man than our anger is giving him credit for being. He will not go after the torturers themselves because of how it was done and the men behind it, nor should he. Had the individuals tortured detainees on their own without orders, I would like to think that Obama would have charged them personally and seen to it that justice was served, but that is not the case. These torturers, while guilty and should at least receive the same as they gave, were following orders from the White House and nothing should jeopardize the chances that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rice, Rove and anyone else who was responsible for giving these reprehensible orders are prosecuted for their deeds. If Bush were still in office and these documents were made public, he would have been the first to blame the agents who actually did the torturing, to distract attention from himself. Bush is no longer in a position to even keep these documents classified, so the steps that are taken now should be done carefully to see that the individuals who gave the orders, the creators of the instructions, and the staff members who made them sound legal are investigated properly, charged, indicted, and punished without question of their guilt. For eight years, we did not have an intelligent man in the Oval Office, but now that we do, we should let him perform the job we elected him to do, using his advisors' talents to see that he proceeds in the best interest of the American People. We are out of practice to that end, but I am hopeful the day will return that we trust in our government leaders again the way we once did, only now smart enough to curtail the activities of those who do not before eight years have passed.

Have you read the memos?

Memo 1

Memo 2

Memo 3

tick-tock...tick-tock

Time is running out for Bush and Cheney. One by one, the facts will come to light by the people who know what went on and could not say anything until now. Gitmo is full of innocent people and that is no surprise to anyone with a brain in their head, but it is more than a little disconcerting to know that the cowards just now coming forward allowed innocent individuals to languish in prison being mistreated through abuse and humiliation for several years in fear that their own standing might be jeopardized should they let the truth be known while Bush was in office. While it did the Gitmo detainees no good, it is great that they are finally coming forward and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. When Nixon finally was powerless enough to take on because the stories had been building up the public's interest, it took only one man whose name was unknown to many and remembered by few to start the avalanche that brought Nixon to his knees and I have been looking forward to Bush and Cheney's respective avalanches to begin. While he is no longer President and wasn't much of one when he was, Bush deserves for Lawrence B. Wilkerson to be his Alexander P. Butterfield. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Hail Bugliosi

The man who put Charles Manson behind bars is now gunning for another mass murderer, George W. Bush. Of course, every bad guy has a sidekick and his was Dick Cheney. This time, anyway. It seems that Bush was accused once before of mass murder after a Texas cult was found brutally murdered years ago and W. was briefly questioned and suspiciously disassociated with the tragedy during his run for Governor of Texas, and ultimately, the more ridiculous run for President of the United States. Any questions that were asked of him about his alleged involvement in the grisly end of his one time cult association by members of the press during either fiasco were dismissed as unnecessary and he refused to discuss it further. The press had a sudden uncharacteristic stroke of consideration and his wishes were granted. The subject was dropped.

His current mass murder accusation was witnessed by the entire world and while I do not understand why Bush was put in a position to commit such heinous crimes against the children of American citizens and the Iraqi people, he has murdered again and again and aside from one pair of shoes being thrown in his direction and become the butt of late night jokes, Bush has escaped the inconvenience of prosecution once again.

Contact your local District Attorney and ask how they intend to proceed in charging Bush and Cheney in the murders of countless individual people once again. Vince Bugliosi will be contacting each and every District Attorney in the United States by sending to them a copy of his book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder". The book should have begun arriving by February 22, 2009, so don't be shy about asking about your D.A.'s receipt of the book and their attentions in its regard.

The Whoever Smelt It, Dealt It Administration

I'm disgusted with our government, particularly the Democratic Senate right now, having allowed Bush to succeed at failing us one more time. Their weak majority, continually allowing the Republicans to bully them into countless wrong-minded decisions detrimental to the American people and destructive to the Constitution has struck again by passing a bill that grants immunity to the companies that help Bush spy on us. The shameless Republicans are voted into office by people who do not know or care what is going on because they are too lazy or ignorant to do anything more than follow the pathetic flock of uninformed sheep who are voting Republican because that's what their fathers did, or insipid women who obey their husbands and spineless men who obey their wives without researching the issues or thinking them through. They don't take exception to life and death issues that matter like war or health care vetoes, but will hold picket signs in the snow to keep same-sex couples from marrying or their favorite athlete from taking steroids. Whoever it is who continues to vote these money-hungry, bribe-susceptible, war-mongering, party-loyal Senators back into office deserve to be cheated by the individuals they elect, but we do not. Over and over again, we see memorized speeches of agreement by Brownback, Sessions, Hatch, etc., always agreeing with Bush and Cheney and against the people whether it be about the Supreme Court being stacked in the favor of big business, or not holding the telecommunication companies accountable for wire-tapping our phones and Internet connections. Now, these companies will tell us nothing for they will not be legally bound to do so, nor will they ever have to tell us how this dishonest administration gave the order to spy on us, just like they gave the order to torture the detainees and will not be punished for this war crime, thanks to this weakest of all Congresses confirming yet another loyal Bush nominee to the position of Attorney General. It is an embarrassment. The detainees who were tortured, despite the destruction of the videotaped proving that, are currently on trial for something they may or may not have done, but will probably be executed before we can find anything out just like the speed with which Saddam Hussein was investigated, tried, convicted, and executed with the efficiency of an automatic car wash. Already, the death penalty issue has been raised, innocent before proven guilty notwithstanding, and not only does Bush want these six men executed, having decided their guilt without benefit of a trial, he has also decided he wants them executed at Gitmo rather than within the states where he could face controversial opposition by fair minded judges he actually does not yet control. Indicative of a rush to judgement before their own crimes are investigated and they meet the same assuredly deserved end, the Bush administration has instructed U.S. diplomats abroad to defend its decision to seek the death penalty for the six men by recalling the executions of Nazi war criminals after World War II. One would think this administration would shy away from that topic until they are safely out of office and the memories of the angry American people.

Speaking of speed and efficiency, something is wrong when any government operates so smoothly and swiftly. Something is wrong now. Our hands are being tied by our government with no resistance. We are not fighting for the freedoms we were already afforded by the brave individuals throughout history to make our lives so much better than they had it or that our children will have, thanks to our own inaction. We sit idly by, watching while these very greedy cowards who never fought or worked honestly for anything, forcing themselves into power to take our rights from us. These bullies who have great wealth and the loyalty of the wealthy to arrogantly sneer at us as they invent one excuse after another to keep us from fighting back. These people are the few and we are the many, but do we advance our position in the fight against the ravaging of our Constitution, the bias of our courts as the dishonest judges are strategically placed behind benches nationwide, or the sacrifice of our children along with Iraq's children in a war of convenience as the super-rich line their pockets with billions? With the exception of Leahy, Dodd, Feingold and a very few Senators of their ilk, Congress is allowing themselves to be bullied by the Republicans who are doing what they are told to do -- not by their constituents, but by the dishonest Bush Administration. The cowardice of the media too has failed us, almost justifiably so after the scapegoating of Dan Rather because of Bush, only reporting what is safe to report without losing their jobs, humbly bowing to the likes of O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Coulter as if they have any journalistic standing at all. Were it not for Olberman, Matthews, and Abrams, it is unlikely questioning of those in power would occur at all and even so, these apt individuals are limited by their employer's stifling of their reporting, keeping their critical banter, however accurately erudite, to just that.

On Election Day, keep in mind the following: How did Obama vote today for our privacy, our Constitution, and our country? Clinton did not bother to vote at all, last I heard. Did she ever vote and if not, why not? Ask the questions of the people who can get the answers and who are easily intimidated into a nervous sweat as you hold your vote over their heads. Do not just ask questions. Demand answers. Would Bush be able to avoid questions with scripted answers spoken into the radio in his ear if answers were demanded at his choreographed press conferences?

Bush's other misdeeds in the headlines today included U.S. District Judge John F. Walter sentenced William Lerach, the lawyer known for class action suits against fraud of all things, has been indicted for a little fraud of his own to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. He was sentenced to two whole years in prison for his crimes along with a fine of $250,000. He will also have to serve 1,000 hours of community service after all that prison time with an additional two years of parole. Wow. How harsh. He won't even have to pretend he's dead like Kenneth Lay with that light of a sentence.

The judge who sentenced him is the same judge who rejected the rule to restrict train yard pollution by limiting locomotive idling times. He also was, surprise, nominated by Bush. Apparently, fixing the Supreme Court wasn't enough; he had to put dishonest judges all over the country to vote his way and Judge Walter is one of them.

I'm reminded of something Sherman Skolnick said shortly before his death. He said, "Does this not apply to the secret book-cooking funds of Coca-Cola and Disney used to corrupt five U.S. Supreme Court Judges who corruptly installed George W. Bush in the Oval Office, December, 2000? How and why have we common folk allowed an Aristocracy to control our lives, our future, our education, our media and telecommunications, so we are constant victims of the Big Lie?"

For more wise Skolnickisms, go to: skolnicksreport.com

Documented Lies of the Bush Administration

Here it is in black and white. So what are we going to do about it? Don't say nothing. Don't say there is nothing that can be done. Do something. If nothing else, forward it. Those in Congress can do much more than that and should. There is no excuse for you if you don't. Members of the press, here is your chance to get back the great respect I once had for you. Please read the following:

Study: False statements preceded war
By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer 49 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

Not Another "Be Sly, Lie and Deny" Administration in the White House

Romney has said a few things that turned out to not be true, so why would the American voters waste a vote on this guy? Do they think that once liars are elected, they stop lying? They don't. The lies just keep getting bigger and bigger to befit the office. Besides, why change a system that has obviously worked so well? The first ridiculous thing I heard come out of this guy's mouth was when he defended having driven with the carsick family dog on the roof of the car so he would not throw up inside of it. Romney said, "He loves it up there." I'm sure the animal loves being strapped to the roof of a vehicle traveling 55 to 65 miles per hour in a cage. Doesn't everyone?

I then heard Romney talk about his mormon faith and how he would not let "the church" influence him in running the country, regardless that he continued speaking through both sides of his mouth about how he believes that religion needs to be part of everyone's everyday life, criticizing people for insisting on the Constitutional separation of church and state. That smacks of the same arrogant dishonesty that is currently practiced in the White House by a man who is very much influenced by the religious right.

Then, Romney makes the claim that he was a lifelong hunter, followed closely by his admission that he had only been hunting twice. I do not know what made me happier; a politician getting caught in a lie before the election or learning, after the Cheney fiasco, that there would be one less lying armed politician in the woods.

More recently, Romney made yet another false claim regarding guns when he said the NRA had endorsed him during the gubernatorial campaign in 2002, only to hear from the NRA that they never endorsed him.

His claim that he saw his father march with Dr. Martin Luther King, fizzled until it was a figurative claim, never having actually seen the two men march together.

No, we do not want another liar in the White House and while we sometimes get one without knowing it, to elect someone who has been caught lying more than once is stupid

We're Mad As Hell And We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore

Where is the public outcry that can not be ignored by the media? Of course the media is running scared from Washington's power-hungry administration, but they are not really keeping anything from the American people, are they? So why are we allowing it? There have been a few marches for impeachment, but they do no good if the media refuses to notice. We have to force them to notice and more importantly, broadcast. The rest of the world is paying attention and as embarrassing as that is, we could use it to our advantage. They still have a free press like we used to have. That is just one of the many things we've lost by having Bush in the White House and does that not get you angry enough to fight to get it back? Bush has changed our Constitution, that 'goddamned piece of paper' as he calls it -- a document designed by worthy individuals far more intelligent than the current inhabitant of the White House, and he feels he knows better than they? And just how did he get in the White House? It is no secret that the election was manipulated, yet we allowed him to claim victory, backing down and silencing ourselves when he and his minions cried "conspiracy" in response to our arguments. He redesigned the Supreme Court to vote his way much like his restructuring of the Justice Department represents political loyalty over justice. His signing statements have suspiciously disallowed future retribution for any findings of misdeeds committed by Bush and his closest defenders. Surely such disallowance would not have been necessary were the parties involved not guilty of prosecutable offenses and awareness of such. With the exaggeration of weapons of mass destruction to invade Iraq, warrantless wiretapping, torture of detainees, suspension of habeas corpus, secret CIA prisons, Dubai port deal, dismissal of eight more-than-competent U.S. Attorneys, cover-up of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire, Blackwater's killing of innocent Iraqis, destruction of CIA video tapes, and false claims to prepare for invasion of Iran; the list of offenses of this crooked administration is ever-growing, but the only response we seem to deserve from this president is his fury over the "leaks to the press". The leaks, surely capable of letting "the enemy" know exactly what they need to know to finish us off is the only thing warranting punishment as far as Bush is concerned. The American people are angry, but short of the occasional march, blogging, complaining, and forwarding emails, we have done nothing to get rid of this lying, stupid, alcoholic, draft dodging, president and vice president. We need to get off our lazy asses and demand he leaves office immediately, taking what is left of his staff with him. Bush is a war criminal and should be treated as such. Cheney is a war criminal. Rumsfeld is a war criminal. Why are you still sitting there?

War Crimes by Definition

Having heard many people accuse our current president and vice president of being war criminals and before I was to heartily concur, I thought obtaining the definition of war crimes would be a fair-minded first step in making such an egregious accusation of anyone, even them. According to Wikipedia, the following breakdown by category is what the past has taught us to set as the standard of what defines war crimes whether one commits these acts or orders them committed.

War crimes are defined in the statute that established the International Criminal Court, which includes:

Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, such as:

Willful killing, or causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health
Torture or inhumane treatment
Unlawful wanton destruction or appropriation of property
Forcing a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of a hostile power
Depriving a prisoner of war of a fair trial
Unlawful deportation, confinement or transfer
Taking hostages

The following acts as part of an international conflict:

Directing attacks against civilians
Directing attacks against humanitarian workers or UN peacekeepers
Killing a surrendered combatant
Misusing a flag of truce
Settlement of occupied territory
Deportation of inhabitants of occupied territory
Using poison weapons
Using civilians as shields
Using child soldiers

The following acts as part of a non-international conflict:

Murder, cruel or degrading treatment and torture
Directing attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers or UN peacekeepers
Taking hostages
Summary execution
Pillage
Rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution or forced pregnancy

You use your own judgement as to whether these crimes have been committed by this president or not. He is now challenging Iran to "come clean" much as he did before ordering the invasion of Iraq, knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction over there, but invading anyway, sending our soldiers to die or be maimed unnecessarily. Now he wants to do it again. Look at the list above again. If that isn't enough, view the following banned videos to see what has been happening in Iraq, even though these reports were not permitted to be shown to the American people on the news. Then form your own opinion.

Be advised that discretion should be used in showing these videos to children or those easily frightened by the sight of violence, blood, and dead bodies.

Censored Images of War - Part 1

Censored Images of War - Part 2

Censored Images of War - Part 3

Censored Images of War - Part 4

Censored Images of War - Part 5

Censored Images of War - Part 6

Censored Images of War - Part 7

Censored Images of War - Part 8

Censored Images of War - Part 9

This war is scripted. The American people are not allowed to see these videos on TV because the media is not allowed to show them to us. Be braver than them and show these videos to everyone you can. Thank you.