Why is everyone admitting to torture these last days of the administration?

Everyone else is speculating so I will throw in my own two cents.
Bush has said that he does not need to pardon the people engaged in "enhanced techniques" etc, in our war on the noun, because "we do not engage in torture." Wouldn't that be funny if he actually believes that and really has not believed that a pardon was necessary! Cheney and friends of course know better and perhaps they felt they had to publicly acknowledge their role so that Bush would feel obligated to grant the pardon.
An Interesting aside to this is that Mukasey announced now (click on title to read) that by AG nominee Holder declaring "water boarding to be torture" many of the Bush war criminals are now at risk... so even though chief of the GTMO prosecutions "convening authority" Susan Crawford this week called the torture of one of the gitmo detainees by its real name "torture" these war criminals can now hide behind the fact that Holder has said water boarding is torture. Icing on the cake for them and now Bush will most likely be pressured to give the pardons (if he was not convinced that it was necessary)... And most likely he will use Holder as his excuse for entering the pardons (and conveniently ignoring Crawford's own statements?) ("My fellow American's we do not torture... but now this new upstart AG is suggesting that what we did was in fact torture... I just can't let our good people who were protecting us all be prosecuted for doing what we all know was right and necessary"... and blah blah blah....question is will he admit that he ordered the torture and then pardon himself....?
Just another theory to float out there on a cold and snowy Saturday morning.

Update from "100 days to close Guantanamo"

If you are in the Washington DC area please stop by and add some words of encouragement to the people fasting and protesting Guantanamo.

Here are some updates from Washington, DC & the Fast for Justice:
There are currently over 110 people fasting around the country, and 70 men in Guantanamo on Hunger Strike.

Thursday brought them into Day 5 of the fast. The daily vigil began at DuPont Circle, and made its way to the Russell Senate Building, where five members of Witness Against Torture had arrived early in the morning to get seats for the hearings of Eric Holder for Attorney General. The five orange jump-suited folks sat in the hearings, carrying the message that “waterboarding is a crime” & “torture is a crime.” You can see photos from Thursday’s presence in DC.

On Wednesday, after their daily vigil in DC, Witness Against Torture participated in "The First 100 Days: Bringing Human Rights Home" press conference and panel discussion at the National Press Club, put together by the Center for Constitutional Rights.

You can see the joint statement released by the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Constitution Project, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, the National Lawyers Guild, the Partnership for Civil Justice, the Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition, the US Human Rights Network, and Witness Against Torture here:
and video from the press conference.


Attached is a letter similar to the one that all of the fasters have been sending to their congressional representatives. Please take a minute to send it along to your representatives on their behalf. And be in touch with them or just stop by if you want to join them in DC anytime over the next 100 Days!

Tear it Down

Click on the title for Amnesty's latest call to close Guantanamo.

Bismullah News

We just received word that Bismullah had a new CSRT on Christmas Eve, which concluded he should no longer be deemed an enemy combatant. The determination became final on Monday and -- according to the DOJ -- he'll be released from Gitmo as soon as possible.

Judge Leon Enters Another Habeas Petition

Mohammed el gharani, the saudi-born chadian kid who was only 14 when he touched down in cuba just had his habeas petition granted.

The extraordinary declartion of Darrel Vandeveld

And this from Andy Worthington:

You may have seen Darrel Vandeveld's extraordinary declaration in Mohamed Jawad's habeas case, but if you haven't I had an advance copy and was able to put this together for when the story broke:

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Former_Gitmo_prosecutor_opens_fire_on_0113.html

There's a more detailed version here:

http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/01/14/former-guantanamo-prosecutor-condemns-chaotic-trials-in-case-of-teenage-torture-victim/

Guantanamo myth number 1 rears its ugly head again

Whenever the pentagon feels it is coming under pressure in regards to Guantanamo (which does not happen enough by the way) it breaks out a new fantasy. The return to the battleground has been a favorite as I reported here before..... But what a difference a couple of months makes, huh? A few months ago the pentagon seemed to be content to settle on the figure of "about 30" have returned to the battlefield but this week in the last desperate week before Obama becomes president they have released this latest piece of crap ...click on the title for more...

Just another day at the kangaroo court (Updated)

And for the latest who better to report than our friend the talking dog? The talking dog's blog was updated to add the news that the chief of the GTMO prosecutions "convening authority" Susan Crawford has given an interview in which she admits that detainee Mohammed al-Qahtani was tortured ..not "enhanced interrogation" but torture.
click on the title for more.

Cert Petition For Al-Ghizzawi

In the fall I asked the Supreme Court to review the District Courts decision which said Al-Ghizzawi and his counsel were not entitled to see his medical records, that Al-Ghizzawi was not entitled to any medical care other than what the medical staff determined he needed and that anyway... any medical problems that Al-Ghizzawi suffers from are his own fault.
Today the Supreme Court ordered the Government to respond to the petition. Since more than 90%+ of the Petitions before the Supreme Court are denied without a response being required to be filed we have officially made it to the next level.

Obama on Closing Gitmo....Sigh.

It's hard work. hmmm, where did I hear that line before?
Click on the title for more.

Former Guantanamo Guard on Torture

click on the title

Guantanamo hunger strikes increase (Updated)

Since the report from McClatchy estimates are now up to as many as 50% of the inmates are participating in the hunger strike. It is hard to know actual numbers but it is clear that the hunger strike is picking up speed.

McClatchy is reporting that more than 10 % of the Guantanamo prisoners are now participating in a hunger strike and being force fed. Obama has to end this madness on day one. Men who have never been charged with anything are sitting in detention with no end in sight.... while the men whom the government has described as the "worst of the worst of the worst" have bogus commission trials and go home. Of course the release of Hamdan and Hicks only show that those men were not anywhere close to being war criminals but that does not help the men who are still suffering in solitary confinement and who are now in their seventh year of detention without any charges against them.
Click on the title for more.

And What Little Game is Feinstein up to?

Feinstein has long been recognized as just another Lieberman. She is in up to her ears regarding the illegal surveillance, torture, Guantanamo and the black hole sites.... so why is she now suggesting legislation to close Guantanamo? Perhaps you need to look at this article in alternet to understand just what she is up to.... and keep in mind that prominent in her proposed legislation is reliance on the army field manual. We didn't need legislation to open Guantanamo and we certainly do not need legislation to close it, especially Feinstein's idea of legislation. Just say no to Feinstein.

TOP TEN GUANTANAMO JUDGES

The talking dog and Guantanamo historian Andy Worthington came up with a list of the Top Ten Guantanamo Judges/Judicial decisions. Each came up with their own top five independently and it is worth noting that the top ten list actually only includes nine (both picked the Supreme Court). Click on the title to read the article and let us know if there is someone they missed.

For those of you in the Chicago area on Jan. 9th

Seven years ago on January 9th the doors at Guantanamo first opened. On this auspicious occasion please come and hear me talk about the illegal detentions: what it looks like today and what we can do to close it.
Click on the title for details.