The Obama administration, as evidenced by the court-ordered release of CIA documents on Monday, is breaking campaign promises for increased transparency, ACLU attorney Ben Wizner said Monday night. Instead, he analogized, Obama is merely continuing Bush-era secrecy surrounding the prior administration’s torture program.
Holding up two documents before cameras on the set of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, Wizner attributed one, almost completely censored in black ink, to the Bush administration. The other, which appeared nearly identical, he attributed to the Obama administration’s disclosures Monday. The only difference between the two, he noted, was a single sentence that had been unredacted.
“You see this little line here?” he asked Maddow. “It makes you want to say, ‘Keep the change,’ right?”
“I think what’s going on here is very, very clear,” Wizner said. “This is information, the release of which would increase calls for criminal accountability. And that is something that the Obama administration has been fighting to avoid.”
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
The documents released Monday highlight testimony given by alleged terrorists during their military tribunals.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, allegedly a 9/11 plotter and “arch terrorist,” according to the Bush administration, said he made up stories to appease his interrogators.
”I make up stories,” Mohammed is quoted as saying in his 2007 Gitmo hearing. He also claimed to have taken part in at least 29 terrorist plots.
Mohammed says he told his questioners he didn’t know the location of Osama Bin Laden, and was tortured as a result.
The newly released information, Wizner said, proves that not only was the Bush administration’s torture program illegal and immoral, it was “useless” as well.
This video is from MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, broadcast June 15, 2009.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:00 am
Chairman Obama doesn’t need to keep his promises as the sheeple will either have forgotten those promises or will simply overlook them. Any guy who has to lie about his name, where he was born and how he paid for college isn’t really going to be expected to be honest about torturing people, is he?
Matzo Man Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Right On!
“Change We Need” = No Change At All
June 17th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Didn’t George Orwell say in the book ‘Animal Farm’ that “one pig replaces another”?
June 17th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Why trust the ACLU ? The organization was founded by communist and today is the play thing of Red Diaper Trust fund babies.
David Horowitz has written on these offspring of radical leftist /Marxist , in his book,Radical Son.
You trust the well being of America- to organization that as a matter of practice,undermines the voter in this republic.
They use the courts to neutralize the voter participation on a great number of issues.
The ACLU threatens to bankrupt school systems and local government that toe the line on the ACLU pet projects. That winning through intimidation.
Oh ! But but but the CIA has covert cell groups.
Yeah ! Well the ACLU has covert cell groups too. Special task forces and committees that attack christian symbols and erosion of American identity and cultural history.
While the ACLU is taking down the statues of our hero’s. They are erecting their own statues in place.
The Republic of the United States and the guerrilla lawyering tactics of the ACLU.
The ACLU will file suit to silence church bells that can be heard in public. Yet! Fight for the right to broadcast ‘Call to Prayers ” over loudspeakers from a Mosque.
The real agenda is not to release picture of abuse. It is to get as many US Soldiers killed as possible. To make the cost so high,that recruits will drop. That public opinion turn against the military.
That is the real Orwellian motive.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:37 am
you are so hilarious. always reliably taking the Fox NEws position. neocon lemming. oh, and David Horowitz is a compulsively lying piece of shit, not sure why you would think his opinion would sway anybody who isnt already a neocon tool.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:46 am
so basically you only buy into phony “rightwing” conspiracy theories peddled by neocon liars? interesting.
Jim Lunsford Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:59 am
And let’s not forget that Rush called the ACLU up for his defense on drug charges. Personally, I think a little less cristian domination of our society would be great. You can literally trace the advances in our species with the downfall of the church’s power base. Starting with the dark ages, through the sunday blue laws.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:12 am
agreed, there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. unless of course you believe the lie that this is a “christian” nation. i just opened a can of worms with all the zealots here, watch them swarm.
reconmarine Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
http://vids.myspace.com/index......id=1619489
June 17th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Get some help “Sgt. Fury” before it’s too late. But maybe people like you enjoy the rape and torture of helpless prisoner. Please, get some mental help so the general public doesn’t have to look over our shoulders for people like you.
Jim Zinc Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Yeah, that “Sgt. Fury” sounds like a loose nut case, maybe he should take the blinkers off his eyes and see the light of the Christian theology and the teachings of Matthew. He said visit and give comfort to the prisoners: not torture. Are you sure your a Christian “Sgt. Fury”?
June 17th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Insults are not substitutes for facts. Look at the history and roll call of supporters of the ACLU.
You guys are screaming ‘ZOG” NWO on every other post. Yet you roll over on the ACLU because it is the enemy of your enemy.
Last I heard America was spending millions of dollars not on poor schools or farmers.
Nope ! I saw $200 million go to resettle 17 Chinese separatists Muslims in the tropical Islands.
Face it you can’t ignore the facts that is element in Islam that is at war with the world.
Be it in America ,Middle East, Indonesia,India, Philippines. Not every detainee is part of some “False Flag” operation.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:39 am
you come off as so brainwashed, its sad how many cliches you play into. its one brainless talking point after another with you. “Islam gonna get us. Be afraid!!”. the “war on terror” is for the most part nothing but lies and disinfo and you swallow it all. every terrorist attack is attributed at some point to “al qaeda” by the media, usually with flimsy or no proof. many of these attacks are likely a strategy of tension, and yes, false flags meant to further an agenda and fool people like you into buying into the “war on terror” religion(do you forget the Brits being caught red handed in IRaq with explosives and arab clothing who were freed by British forces literally breaking down the prison wall? this is but one obvious example. not to mention anthrax,9/11,7/7, etc.). you can be a real man and start thinking for yourself. the illegal wars and killings we wage create more “terrorists” than already actually exist. or you can just pick up the flag and wave it around like a faux patriot while your head stays firmly planted in the sand and us actual patriots fight against the domestic enemies you take an oath to fight but fail to because of your brainwashed state. im guessing you’ll choose the latter.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:49 am
and just to point out the obvious that you failed to realize, no doubt based on your acceptance of propaganda as fact, the chinese guys were sent away why? hmmm, could it be because we couldnt prosecute them for anything? im not saying everybody in Gitmo and CIA black sites are innocent, but you are extremely naive if you think there isnt a very large number, likely a majority, that are. yeah, we just coddle muslims huh? tell that to the dead and their family. tell that to the innocents locked up because of neighborhood sweeps and greedy neighbors. Sgt. Naive is a better name for you. Or Sgt. Gullible. Sgt. Tool. Sgt. Dupe. Sgt. Stereotype. i can go on….
Skepticat Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Ignorance is the enemy and you personify it Sgt. Slurrey.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Change we can believe in LMAO
The Obamatron is in full operation
Did you see him on you-tube when he lost his place on the telepromter ?
He did not have a clue what he was talking about
So transparent and obvious that is what should scare us all very much
June 17th, 2009 at 11:53 am
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kaptur.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=289&Itemid=1
youtube.com/watch?v=S27yitK32ds
youtube.com/watch?v=oAADyc6t4nY
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HR 1207 & S 604 steps (incl sample letter)
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thepetitionsite.com/2/The-Federal-Reserve-Transparency-Act
More information and petitions here:
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PETITION TO BLOCK CONGRESSIONAL ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PRESS
(currently 120,230 signatures)
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=87882
June 17th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Anyone bashing the ACLU is a FASCIST..period! Only a FASCIST would try to argue that a legal office that does PRO-BONO work on behalf of ANYONE with Constitutional issue..is…inherantly..FASCISTIC.
As for Obama..what do you expect? The Obama admin is being RUN by the NAtional Security Agency..at an unprecedented level..General Jim Jones..aptly named..is basically..running the country…
Jim Jones is a Military Industrial Complex man from Waaaaaay back…and it is incredible that the Obama ‘War Room’ is essentially a defacto military tribunal..litterally..THREE individuals are directing POLICy in every form..and those three..do NOT include Obama…
So…the NSC has become the “Hot Ticket” in DC these day’s…
We are in deep shit..and outfits like the ACLU are ALL that stand between us..and a Corporate Fascist Theocracy..
I realize that many out there are DEEPLY confused about what ‘IS” and “IS NOT” “LIBERTY”..but it is the FREEDOM to live ones life by ones own rules and Ideal..PERIOD!
As long as you don’t interfere with ME…you should be able to do what you want…
Right Wing…Left Wing…it is ALL DEVISION…to keep you PAYING!
Almost ALL who complain and whine about ‘The Government’..are..IN FACT…PAYING for every minute..of every hour…of every day..of “Domestic Surveillance”..TORTURE….Kidnapping…INFRAGARD…”FUSION CENTERS”…Bail Outs…”Refugee Camps”(AKA Prison Camps..established by HOOVER and the FBI…serious “Anti-Communist” true believers..read: FASCISTS) and on and on and on…
YOU! Almost certainly..are paying for the DEMISE of your own liberty…
WOW!
Impose your on ‘Economic Sanctions’ NOW! Or pick up a rifle LATER!
‘LET THEM MARCH ALL THEY WANT, AS LONG AS THEY CONTINUE TO PAY THEIR TAXES”–ALEXANDER HAIG
I am not a ‘Tea bagger’…it really amazes me that those folks were..SO EAGER..to have a Tax Protest Movement..DEVIDED by..POLITICS…one does NOT require a ‘POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION’ to cease to support the Corporate Fascist Theocracy…I do not REQUIRE ‘Left or Right’ nonsense to NOT PAY!
tax protest..our only chance…and…the last true freedom fighters…like the ACLU..are our ONLY CHANCE for survival…
All you who are CONFUSED…rationalizing away your rights…out of FEAR..fear of AUDIT..of REPRISAL from a COERCIVE federal machine..well…you are ONLY complainers…and nothing more…and the Left Right thing? DUMB! Plain..DUMB! if you SUPPORT wiretaps..Snitches..Police in Highschools.Cameras on every corner…then you should KEEP ON PAYING…they MUST have your money to continue…keep on being DISTRACTED by Left/Right FOX news Boolsheet…it is DESIGNED to keep you ALONE…ISOLATED….WEAK! ANGRY and CONFUSED…incapable of UNITY…incapable of RESISTANCE….
But…most of you are only TOO happey to have SUCH..and EASY way OUT…SCAPEGOATS….NAME CALLING….”THEM”….that is all you require…and LIBERTY cannot survive that level of Stupidity…it cannot…it IS NOT…..and it WILL NOT!
Good Luck…oh…and feel free to BALME me for whatever you wish…it’s soooooo EASY! Isn’t it!
Mr. Black/White Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Is the above an example of Slam poetry ?
June 17th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
File Suit to silence church bells??????? Uhhh LINK please….I hear the bells every day in my town…I dunno where you got that one…but it sounds like lunacy to me….
Speech is KEY to the ACLU…you can SAY “GOD” in ANY LANGUAGE…they fought for that…you just cannot say “JESUS” or “ALLAH” etc….that…is..the..FACT….so many links I do not even know where to start…aclu web site perhaps???
June 17th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I am confused kids, is Obama now a tool of the NSA. Or a member of the NWO or the WWF ?
Is he a secret Muslim or secret Zionist. Is this a continuation of the Bush white house?
So there no problem with radical Islam in the world. it all just a big psy ops.
Israel and the Jews and Zionist must be behind Iran’s nuclear bomb ,because the Israelis want to what ? Start a war with nation of 80 million people. I know it a ZOG operation to draw USA into a war with a billion Muslims for the reason to ? Sell newspapers, Give Jewish lawyers something to do ? You know the someone that are defending the detainees ?
The CIA and the Army are the real enemy.
Oh FOX NEWS. ( Said that to scare you ) Sure ,sure , MSNBC and Keith Olbermann ,he a example of a balanced newsman. You can trust him because he rants and says ” You Sir…”
So you know he intelligent. He frigging sportscaster ,pretending to be an intellectual on TV.
For the record O’Reilly sucks too. But Olbermann sucks and swallows.
The ACLU is a private company that uses the government to subvert voters rights.
As a Representative republic , the founding fathers did feel the need to have a cabal of ivy league lawyers pushing policy . It was left to the voters and their “elected” Representatives.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
dummy, you are the type that bought into the “hes a muslim” bullshit. hes actually just a weak man who doesnt have the balls to stand up to entrenched powerful interests. no, radical islam is about he same problem as it always was(meaning they cant and wont take over our country. rest easy you gullible coward.), the only difference is our actions(torture,wars of aggression,black sites etc.) have helped genuine terrorist outfits with their recruiting. And nice touch proving yet again that you buy into the phony left/right sideshow like a good little naive soldier. just because somebody hates Fox News doesnt mean they love Olbermann, even if he doesnt blatantly lie as much as Fox and Rush and other people you enjoy. i find Olbermann to be a party hack basically. the only really good thing hes ever done was when he debunked a bunch of fake terror alerts(fake terror alerts that you NO DOUBT bought into like a lemming), but other than that hes been a failure.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
you are way too easy by the way.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Ronald Reagan was a member of hte ACLU. It is for protecting civil liberities…. I guess some folks find fighting for civil liberties just not worth fighting for America.
Obama is starting to look like a coward.
Urban Moving Systems Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
was he really? interesting, considering Reagan was a coward and an establishment tool. he probably denounced his membership once he ran for Prez.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
DAVID LETTERMAN’S HATE, ETC. !
David Letterman’s hate is as old as some ancient Hebrew prophets.
Speaking of anti-Semitism, it’s Jerry Falwell and other fundy leaders who’ve gleefully predicted that in the future EVERY nation will be against Israel (an international first?) and that TWO-THIRDS of all Jews will be killed, right?
Wrong! It’s the ancient Hebrew prophet Zechariah who predicted all this in the 13th and 14th chapters of his book! The last prophet, Malachi, explains the reason for this future Holocaust that’ll outdo even Hitler’s by stating that “Judah hath dealt treacherously” and “the Lord will cut off the man that doeth this” and asks “Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?”
Haven’t evangelicals generally been the best friends of Israel and persons perceived to be Jewish? Then please explain the recent filthy, hate-filled, back-stabbing tirades by David Letterman (and Sandra Bernhard and Kathy Griffin) against a leading evangelical named Sarah Palin, and explain why most Jewish leaders have seemingly condoned Palin’s continuing “crucifixion”!
While David, Sandra, and Kathy are tragically turning comedy into tragedy, they are also helping to speed up and fulfill the Final Holocaust a la Zechariah and Malachi, thus helping to make the Bible even more believable!
(For even more stunning information, visit MSN and type in “Separation of Raunch and State” and “Bible Verses Obama Avoids.”)