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Tag: waterboarding

  • Andrea Tantaros On CIA Torture: ‘America is Awesome’

    Responding to a declassified CIA torture report concerning post-9/11 detainees, which included mentions of extreme waterboarding and “rectal feeding,” conservative political analyst and commentator Andrea Tantaros declared that “America is awesome.”

    The Senate Intelligence Committee poured $50 million into an investigation of the CIA’s torture tactics of the 119 captured militants after 9/11, and the 499 page report was released Tuesday. The document summarizes methods of torture utilized by CIA operatives that exceeded guidelines authorized by the White House, CIA officials and the Justice Department.

    The report describes severe methods allegedly incorporated by some CIA officers, who “deceived their superiors at the White House, members of Congress and even sometimes their own peers about how the interrogation program was being run and what it had achieved.”

    The report reveals that one detainee died of hypothermia while being shackled to a concrete floor, one was placed in total darkness for 17 days and some were kept awake for up to 180 hours. Waterboarding sessions which lead to repeated near drownings were described, and some prisoners were forced to stand on their broken legs. At least five were subjected to “rectal feeding” and “rectal rehydration.”

    During an appearance on FOX’s Outnumbered, a visibly perturbed Tantaros commented on the released documents – “the United States of America is awesome, we are awesome. We’ve closed the book on torture, and we’ve stopped doing it. And the reason they want to have this discussion is not to show how awesome we are. This administration wants to have this discussion to show us how we’re not awesome.”

    Tantaros added, “Sunlight at the CIA? I’m sorry, that’s one place I don’t need sunlight. I don’t think they need to give me a lot of transparency at the CIA. Look, thousands of Americans were killed after 9/11. The Bush administration did what the American public wanted, and that was do whatever it takes to keep us safe. These terror tactics have been stopped because as a country, we decided we are better than this. Which is my point. Then why are we putting out this memo?”

    Tantaros likewise took her frustration to Twitter:

    Tantaros presently rotates as a co-host on the Fox News Channel program The Five.

  • Sarah Palin Will Never Run for Office; Here’s Why

    Hillary Clinton is running for President. Oh, sure, she hasn’t announced it yet. But all the signs are there: speeches to certain groups, third-party money-raising apparatus, little hints dropped by Bill Clinton on Twitter. Hillary can play coy, but no one in the Democrat Party believes for a second that she did not walk out of the offices of Secretary of State and right into a campaign meeting.

    But what about the other big female name in American politics? No, not Elizabeth Warren. She is going to run with Hillary for the VP job.

    We’re talking about Sarah Palin.

    Ever since John McCain plucked Palin from Alaskan obscurity and thrust her into the spotlight of big league presidential politics, Palin has been the darling of the Tea Party.

    Every time Palin turns up at some convention or another or even just on television or radio, speculation starts about whether or not she is running for some office again.

    And she always teases it.

    When asked if she is running for (fill in the blank), Palin’s usual answer is couched as “considering it because people have asked me to.”

    She has said that she would “never say never” to a presidential run. It depends on what “Americans really, really want in a candidate.”

    And now Sarah Palin has flashed that bit of political skin once again, this time before the NRA. Saturday during a Stand And Fight rally at Lucas Oil Stadium, Palin had choice words for anyone who thought guns should not be allowed in schools (“stupid on steroids”).

    She threw red meat to people who still believe that kids are not allowed to pray in schools — despite that myth having long been busted (students are free to pray in schools, only administrators may not lead prayer during school hours.)

    She said that all liberals are hypocrites.

    But her most incendiary line of the evening was about terrorists.

    “If I were in charge,” Palin said, inserting a pregnant pause for applause from the crowd, “[our enemies] would know that water boarding is how we’d baptize terrorists.”

    It was shocking enough on the surface of it, with it’s linking of water boarding torture with the Christian practice of baptism. But that pause was what she was masterfully playing.

    Sarah Palin likes to tease the idea of running for office. She likes to hear the applause of those people who buy tickets and fill seats and like her Facebook rants. But Sarah Palin will never run. Because if Sarah Palin actually put herself on the line again, she would have to answer questions, and not just the “gotcha” questions about policy and what newspapers she reads.

    She would be outside the bubble of her fans, and Americans who find her statements like this to be offensive would want her to be called out by a responsible press.

    It’s a pretty nifty career setup. Wink and hint that you might be, possibly, depending on what “the people” want, thinking about maybe running for something. Then collect speaking fees, write another book, and head back to the safety of a fan club.

    Contrast this with Bobby Jindal, a Republican who is making no bones about the fact that he is running. A man who breaks protocol to speak out against the President to further his own political aspirations. Whether you like his approach or not is subjective. He may be preaching to the choir, but he isn’t hiding behind it.

    Image via YouTube

  • Sarah Palin Talks Waterboarding, Baptism

    Sarah Palin Talks Waterboarding, Baptism

    Former Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin gave a speech at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Indianapolis Saturday, in which she’d sensationally discussed her opinions concerning the Obama administration’s policy on terrorists and firearms.

    Regarding her views on how she would deal with suspected “enemies who would utterly annihilate America – they who’d obviously have information on plots,” Palin said, “if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists.” The NRA crowd erupted in applause as Palin commented, “Oh, but you can’t offend them (the terrorists), can’t make them feel uncomfortable, not even a smidgen.”

    Here is a clip of Palin’s speech:

    Palin was able to further rile the audience while espousing her perspective regarding the constitutional right to bear arms. The former governor urged those in attendance to fight for their gun liberties, and stated that their efforts are “needed now more than ever because every day, we are seeing more and more efforts to strip away our Second Amendment rights.” Palin sees the Obama administration as attempting to further control the American people by attempting to further control their guns.

    Palin, always a polarizing political figure, ruffled some feathers with her baptism comment, as seen on Twitter:

    The baptismal waterboarding comment isn’t the first time Palin found a way to draw attention to herself and induce reaction. Academy Award winner Matt Damon had chimed in regarding Palin’s 2008 vice presidential bid:

    Palin also explained in her speech that “If you control oil, you control an economy. If you control money, you control commerce. But if you control arms, you control the people, and that is what they’re trying to do.”

    The Tea Party, among others, appeared to endorse aspects of Palin’s presentation:

  • Waterboarding Trial: Former Pediatrician Faces Cross-Examination

    Waterboarding Trial: Former Pediatrician Faces Cross-Examination

    A waterboarding trial involving a former Delaware Pediatrician resumed Tuesday with a cross-examination of the defendant.

    Melvin Morse, 60, is accused of intentionally tormenting his stepdaughter by holding her head underneath a sink faucet.

    According to the girl’s younger sister and mother, Pauline, Morse would use hair washing as a form of punishment.

    During the cross-examination, Morse refuted their accusations. He testified Tuesday that the 12-year-old girl was adamant to hair washing as she didn’t like the process, so he would assist her in washing her hair.

    The Denver Post reported:

    “… He would encourage her to rinse it herself. He testified that the routine was for the girl to bathe and dry herself, then come downstairs to the kitchen, where he would hold her head underneath a faucet with a detachable sprayer to rinse out the remaining suds.”

    The younger sister asserted that her sister would scream in agony because she didn’t like the feeling of water getting into her eyes and ears.

    Morse added in his testimony that although his stepdaughter is a very smart and talented girl, she also struggles with behavioral issues.

    Morse admitted that he found himself “insensitive to her feelings” at times because of her lack of cooperation. For instance, one episode allegedly involved the girl being violently dragged across the pavement of a driveway.

    “I’m not proud of it…. I’m certainly not a perfect person,” Morse said in reference to his abusive actions.

    Oddly enough, Morse is a self-acclaimed author specializing in cases of children near-death experiences.

    Police investigators assume that Morse may have used his stepdaughter as a guinea pig for one of his studies, but he has denied the claims.

    Morse was initially charged in 2012 with endangerment and assault. He faces more than 20 years in prison if found guilty.

    Image via Youtube

  • Waterboarding Daughter: Doctor Accused of Torturing Stepdaughter

    The trial for a former doctor from Delaware who is accused of torturing his stepdaughter began Tuesday. Melvin Morse, 60, is accused of using several methods to torture his stepdaughter, including waterboarding. Morse, who denies the allegations, is a well-known pediatrician and author who has appeared on Larry King Live and The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss his research on near-death experiences involving kids.

    According to the prosecutor in the waterboarding case, Morse has terrorized his daughter for years. “The defendant controlled every single aspect of that child’s life, including whether she had the right to draw breath,” deputy attorney general Melanie Withers told jurors.

    Morse was first arrested in July of 2012 on misdemeanor charges of assault and endangering the welfare of a child after a neighbor reported Morse. He allegedly made the girl stay in a hot car for five hours and later dragged her across gravel. The girl went to a neighbor’s house the next day and the neighbor called the police and took her to the hospital. Morse told police that he didn’t really drag her across the gravel, but that he was attempting to carry her while she had a temper tantrum and dropped her.

    The former doctor was released on bail on the misdemeanor charge, only to be arrested the next month on felony charges of child endangerment. Morse’s then 11-year-old stepdaughter told authorities that Morse had waterboarded her multiple times since 2009.

    Joseph Hurley, Morse’s attorney, said that the waterboarding accusation is a misunderstanding. Hurley says that Morse was simply washing the girl’s hair, something she didn’t like, and insists “there was no water on her face cutting off her breath.” The defense attorney also maintains that there are too many inaccuracies in the girl’s story to believe her. As an example, Hurley provided a time in 2010 when the girl told Delaware Family Services that her “dad and mom are good people.”

    The girl also says that Morse would sometimes force-feed her until she vomited and would refuse to allow her to use the bathroom, which would result in her wetting herself. Pauline Morse, the girl’s mother, has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment charges and plans to testify against Morse during the trial.

    Image via YouTube

  • Alec Baldwin Feels All Paparazzi Should Be Waterboarded

    Alec Baldwin isn’t a subtle individual. Whenever something happens to the guy that he doesn’t particularly enjoy, chances are you’re going to hear about it. In fact, if the situation presents itself, he may even make light of the whole debacle on Saturday Night Live. As long as he’s not hurting himself or others, listening to Baldwin rant endlessly about the things that make him cranky are an untapped source of pure entertainment. If TLC wants to develop a show entitled “Alec Baldwin Hates Everything”, I’d love to pitch them the idea.

    That having been said, Baldwin may want to consider dialing it down a notch. Although just about everyone hates the paparazzi, lashing out in such a violent manner isn’t going to solve anything. Getting upset and telling them where, precisely, they can stick their flash bulb is one thing, but grabbing or shoving someone is unacceptable. I’m sure Baldwin doesn’t feel this way, particularly since he retreated to Twitter to complain about how much these individuals suck at life.

    According to the NY Daily News, Baldwin was leaving New York City’s Marriage License Bureau when a photographer attempted to snap a shot. Alec, who claims the guy almost hit him with his camera, decided that enough was enough. That’s when the actor assaulted the paparazzo, an exchange that was forever immortalized by another photographer’s camera.

    However, the story doesn’t end there. While riding his mountain bike outside of his East Village apartment on Wednesday, he accidentally ran over a television reporter’s foot. On his way back into the building, Baldwin shoved his way through the crowd, hitting people with the handlebars in the process. His response to the situation soon found its way onto Twitter.

    The thing is, I kind of sympathize with the guy. I really do. Being hounded constantly by these clowns has to suck, but at the end of the day, acting out in such a fashion is only going to bring you more bad press. Would the paparazzi have been as numerous outside of his apartment had the supposed “assault” on Tuesday not taken place? Probably not. Instead, he should just mouth off, move along, and take his complaints to the world of social media.

    After all, it’s a lot funnier that way.