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TechnoratiTwo Mormons & Two Different Ethics on Torture
Assistant Attorney General Bybee and Army Specialist Peterson
As a Bush administration political appointee Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice, Jay Bybee, a Mormon, wrote one of four torture memos released last month. Bybee's August 1, 2002, 20 page memorandum laid out in excruciating detail the interrogation techniques he was authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency to use on al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah.
Bybee authorized ten "enhanced interrogation techniques" to encourage Abu Zubaydah to disclose "crucial information regarding terrorist networks in the United States or in Saudi Arabia and information regarding plans to conduct attacks within the United States or against U.S. interests overseas." The torture techniques authorized were (1) attention grasp, (2) walling, (3) facial hold, (4) facial slap, (5) cramped confinement, (6) wall standing, (7) stress position, (8) sleep deprivation, (9) insects placed in a confinement box, and (10) waterboarding.
The current Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder has stated that waterboarding is torture, while the previous Attorney General Judge Mukasey refused to comment on whether waterboarding is torture.
From recently released CIA documents we know the CIA waterboarded Abu Zubaydah 83 times and Khalid sheik Mohammed 183 times.
But, we know that from March through June, 2002, according to FBI interrogator Ali Soufan in an Op-Ed to the New York Times on April 23, 2009, FBI interrogators had already gotten "actionable intelligence" from Zubaydah using traditional, non-torturing interrogation techniques, including that Khalid sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of 9/11 and that Jose Padilla was planning to be a "dirty bomber."
90 of the 92 interrogation videotapes the CIA admits it destroyed were interrogations of Abu Zubaydah. Zubaydah's British attorney Brent Mickum in the most detailed account the public has had of Zubaydah's life, states that after all the waterboarding and other torture methods used, the CIA finally recognized Zubaydah was not the senior al-Qaeda leader they had portrayed him to be. According to Mickum, the Military Commissions at Guantanamo are now "airbrushing" his name from the charge sheets of other Guantanamo prisoners. Mickum reveals Zubaydah was severely wounded in Afghanistan in 1992 while fighting communist insurgents after the withdrawal of Soviet forces. He has two pieces of shrapnel in his head which have affected his memory to the extent that "he cannot remember his mother's name or face." Mickum states that Zubaydah was shot and severely wounded when he was picked up in Pakistan, His life was saved by a John Hopkins surgeon flown to the region. After being saved from death, he was almost tortured to death by CIA operatives. Mickum says that Zubaydah is a stateless Palestinian with no country to argue on his behalf and a United States government now embarrassed at being caught in its own illegal conduct.
We know that combinations of the other nine techniques authorized by Jay Bybee can be classified as torture, as the Convening Authority of the Military Commissions at Guantanamo Susan Crawford declared when she dismissed the charges against Guantanamo prisoner Mohammed al-Qahtani, in January, 2009, in the last days of the Bush Administration.
Crawford said that for 160 days al-Qahtani's only contact was with the interrogators and that 48 of 54 consecutive days he was subjected to 18-to-20-hour interrogations. He was strip searched and had to stand naked in front of a female agent. Qahtani was forced to wear a woman's bra and had a thong placed on his head during the course of his interrogation and was told that his mother and sister were whores. With a leash tied to his chains, he was led around the room "and forced to perform a series of dog tricks. He was threatened with a military working dog named Zeus. The interrogations were so severe that twice Qahtani had to be hospitalized at Guantanamo with bradycardia, a condition in which the heart rate falls below 60 beats a minute and which in extreme cases can lead to heart failure and death. At one point Qahtani's heart rate dropped to 35 beats per minute, the interrogation records showed.
The torture techniques Jay Bybee authorized in 2002 migrated to Iraq in 2003. Major General Geoffrey Miller travelled to Iraq from Guantanamo to demonstrate to soldiers in Iraq the techniques the military and CIA were using in Guantanamo.
In September, 2003, another Mormon, a woman soldier, U.S. Army Specialist Alyssa Peterson, said refused to use the interrogation techniques that Bybee had authorized on Iraqi prisoners. An Arabic linguist with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division at Tal Afar base, Iraq, 27 year old Peterson, refused to take part in interrogations in the "cage" where Iraqis were stripped naked in front of female soldiers, mocked and their manhood degraded and burned with cigarettes, among other things. Three days later, on September 15, 2003, Peterson was found dead of a gunshot wound at Tal Afar base. The Army has classified her death as suicide.
Jay Bybee, in thanks for his being the loyal soldier to the Bush administration's policies of torture, was nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where he sits to this day in his lifetime appointment. Jay Bybee, an author of torture, reportedly has a placard in his home for his children "We don't hurt each other."
Alyssa Peterson, for saying no to torture, is dead, perhaps by her own hand.
To help Army Specialist Alyssa Peterson rest in peace, I say we should demand accountability from our officials and IMPEACH the torture judge, Jay Bybee.
26 Comments so far
Show AllThe Catholics bishops are insisting that Obama not be allowed to even speak at Notre Dame and that Catholic politicians who favor abortion rights be refused any communion. Why then isn't the Mormon equivalent of bishops excommunicating Mormon members like Bybee who favor torturing people? I haven't read the Mormon Bible. Is it an abbreviated one that somehow left out the part about "Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you"?
Signed: Lawlessone [for more irreverence, see resistence-is-possible.blogspot.com]
Col. Wright has given us a powerful depiction of contrasting personalities coming from the matrix of Mormonism. I'm no follower of that religion, or any other organized religion, for that matter. However, RedTide and a couple of others have managed to make me feel some sympathy even for Bybee and Romney. (But I forgive you. Keep on thinking.)
"Ann Wright is a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. "
Anne, you come to me on the very highest recommendation. Someone who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq, would have to be a very decent person.
The Mormons believe a lot of nonsense. That's true of all Christianity. Virgin birth? Resurrection? Water into wine? But the Mormons seem to carry it to extremes. I don't have a problem with that. What I hate is the Mormon Church using it's money to fund anti-gay propaganda and legislation. For this, I think they should be taxed out of existence! Same for the Catholic Church.
Other mormons of note are Harry Reed and Ted Bundy. Go figure.
It should be mentioned that Mitchell and Jessen (of Mitchell and Jessen Associates, "torture techniques-r-us") are both Mormons. Also, take into account Mitt Romney's recent callous words about torture and you begin to see a pattern develop here.
As an ex-mormon, raised and indoctrinated in the church, this all makes perfect sense to me. Extreme patriotism is a HUGE part of mormon religion and folklore. I don't, however, want to paint all mormons with the same brush. There are a few mormon organizations that oppose torture. But generally speaking, mormon leftists are few and far between.
There is supposedly a high concentration of mormons at the CIA. CIA recruiters must just love returned mormon missionaries with their near-perfect second language skills, and ability to maintain massive cognitive dissonance (known as "faith").
All organized religion is politics by other means: power, control, money, unquestioning obedience. In exchange, we will provide you with ALL the answers you require to relieve you of your overwhelming fears. Whatever creation is truly about, it's not about that.
"Alyssa Peterson, for saying no to torture, is dead, perhaps by her own hand."
Knowing what we know about how our government and military has behaved, the probability is entirely in favor of her having been murdered to shut her up. When I first read of her death, my heart sunk.
Sioux Rose
JOHN: That's what I was thinking. Given that she, a woman, contested, as did Ann Wright, another female "in combat," it makes me wonder if women are less likely to be herded into the herd mentality that militarism, an expression of Mars (and not particularly suitable to women) demands? In short, in spite of the best efforts of boot camp to disable their consciences, it seems more women see through the B.S. I am also thinking of Sybil Edmonds, and I'm sure there are others. And yes, there have been a few males, too, particularly the soldiers who refuse to return to combat. Breaking with the near-hypnotic ties of the boys' club is probably harder for men; but then a lot of these women probably were sexually assaulted or know a female that was. This, too, will lend itself to major suspicion about the safety, security, and moral posturing of life in military service.
I'm pretty sure you're right. She had two bullet wounds to the head. Her parents insisted she would not have killed herself. After she refused to take part in the "interrogations" she was put on guard duty in an isolated area. The investigation has gone nowhere. It really makes me wonder about all the other "non-combat" deaths that have occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There are good people and bad people of all faiths and of no faith, so it is useless to spend time with that angle. The tragedy is that our pres and vp were the ones pushing it and everyone but them suffered for their lawbreaking.
If it is not torture, why can`t Cheny, Bybee, Bush, and others like them do what Hannity did and volunteer on TV to show how he could handle waterboarding. Keith Olberman offered to give to charity $1000 for every second Hannity could take it. I guess he changed his mind on how enjoyable it is.
The main point of the article wasn't mormonism, it was to illuminate the differences between two people and their views on torture. Col. Wright also very slightly implies that Peterson's death may not have been a suicide. A situation resembling this one where an officer working in Iraq attempted to report fraud, complained about it, and was found dead in his room from 'apparent' suicide. Much like LaVena Johnson, who was raped, murdered, burned - and reported as a suicide.
I think these were the points the Good Colonel was making - not an expose' on a specific religion.
Red Tide: I rarely get personal here, but I will now. Col. Wright has done as much, and in most cases more, for the anti-war movement in this country as anybody. She has put her life on the line in places like Gaza - fighting for simple justice, time and time again. So before you do any character assassinations tell us all how many times you have been put in jail for justice; how many protest lines you have walked; how many times you have confronted the government of this country in a confrontational and personal manner and risked your own personal safety and freedom.
In many ways I find you as offensive as the jihadists on the right. You have become the Glen Beck of CD - never a question of your correctness, never a doubt in your mind that someone other than you may bear some legitimacy.
I apologize for this post, but I have had the privilege to be with Col. Wright at some events, have visited with her and watched her consistently speak truth to power. I will not stand idly by while someone, with unknown background, slanders her good name and reputation.
See apology below. I am very embarrassed. It seems clear that she has a strong sense that justice is a required endpoint, here and abroad. We agree on that, and I wish to build upon it.
But really, I saw her title; I saw the reformist orientation of the article; and I prematurely went into autopilot. ...A boner, but not the end of the world. Since when do leftists parade the honors received in the imperialist military, anyway? Like a retired colonel is somehow supposed to impress me? I'd rather hear from a retired school teacher!
Meeting your bogus suffering requirements is not on my TBD list. I have been strong against great odds, and I have been weak, just like everyone. But enough about me (and her)!
Now, let's here your attack on the program I support. You can't and never will be able to. I'll start doubting when you can give me a reason to. That'll be the day...
odoco
Red Tide - Please accept my apology for my personal attack upon you. I struggle each and every day with the demons that still roam within me from a previous life; yes, I was once a soldier. Ignorant, ill-educated, but NOT dispassionate. I was naive to participate in the war of my generation, but once there, I immediately sensed the humanity of my adversary and the insanity of my own government.
We all have walked our own paths in life; the best part of life is when we realize, at whatever stage, that we can be better human beings. That is why I come here, to learn, to listen, to ponder things yet unknown to me.
I believe your heart is in the right place, and you obviously have an incredible mind. Join the two. Look at what might be, not what has been.
In peace brother
Suddenly, I like you very much, odoco, and would be proud to be your brother. Thanks for keeping me humble and hopeful.
In some senses, the world situation is urgent, and that leads me to be pushy with what I think is the way forward, especially because I am not seeing anyone else voice it. I respect sincere opposition, and promise to acknowledge my errors and appropriately change my line. My 'Universal peace, sustainability, equality, and affluence through international proletarian socialism" line is not original at all, rather is my attempt to capture our aspirations, and point the way forward, in terms that will resonate today. Apparently, it hasn't appealed to many, but I haven't heard anything better, so I will carry on.
Never be shy about getting on my case in an effort to pull me up. I will take it as a noble attempt to find common truth, and do my best to really listen carefully.
Excellent post. I too am waiting to hear how many times RedTide has gone to jail, or suffered in some other way, for his beliefs.
And what about Harry Reid?
THAT spineless Mormon sack of crap has been torturing MY ass ever since he began his nefarious "leadership" position by assuring the criminal Bush maladministration that they'd get every dime President Unitard requested to assure Victory in Iraq.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Mormonism is a lie, even for good people trapped within, such as Specialist Peterson. Any fool who looks at the Book of Mormon will know that I am correct in this assessment. Furthermore, it is the source of an arch-conservative, sexist, racist strain in our society, and it must be destroyed.
Colonel Wright is a career imperialist who does not even deserve to be published. We never even heard from her until she was scapegoated by her beloved military, where she was a key figure at a violent and illegitimate prison n Iraq. Anyone with a brain and a humanitarian bone would resign rather than serve in Iraq. Is that what Colonel Wright did?
- You are being too careless in denouncing people. In particular, here you're confusing Ann Wright with Janis Karpinski, who was a general at Abu Ghraib, later scapegoated by the military.
Ann Wright, according to Wikipedia, is "...a retired United States Army colonel and retired official of the U.S. State Department, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq."
Whoa! You are correct, and I sincerely apologize for my sloppy moment.
Even so, it's hard to rally around someone who was a career officer in the imperialist military and State Department. That pegs an individual, as far as I am concerned. There has never been a time in our lives when joining or remaining within the military was morally acceptable. Note that she does nothing to promote a lasting solution. Her 'solution' is to hold a few of the top murderers accountable, but do nothing to replace the barbaric imperialist system that is raping whole nations and killing the world.
There really isn't anything in this essay that examines Mormonism, so I wonder why it's relevant to point out that both Bybee and Peterson were/are Mormon.
For the record, I find their theology entirely whack -- but no more whack than that of any other religion.
Corvo, I would point out that many of the central players in the CIA-military torture-murder scheme were Mormon: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, psychologists Jessen and Mitchell who devised and promoted it and OLC staff lawyer Timothy Flanigan. Mormons are heavily overrepresented among CIA officers, and the Agency actively recruits them.
There certainly are Mormons who respect human rights and abjure violence, but they're thin on the ground. Intelligence agencies shouldn't discriminate against Mormon applicants on the basis of their religion, but is it really wise to recruit from a group whose predominant norms are so congenial to war crimes due to its emphasis on unquestioning obedience to authority, American exceptionalism and militarism?
You are being kind to consider the 'theology of the Mormons' "whack".
The major claim/tenet of the Mormons or "later Day Saints", that the Native Americans are a 'lost tribe of Israel' (actually a very common belief in the 18-19th centuries)---having been absolutely debunked by the Science of DNA ----has not made a single Mormon publicly state that "they are wrong". There is far too much money to be made for them to admit that they are a fraud--but then all religions are frauds- and they all depend on MONEY to exist--and people who believe them are the "marks"---that all frauds need to exist.
I have publicly made this challenge and will repeat it.
Since there are no people out there who are "believers" who will come forward and offer "reliable proof" that God exists---I have made the following alternative.
Stop giving your money to "Churches" or "synagogues" or "Mosques" and simply let "God" finance his/her own programs-----------------
Actually there could be a 'secondary industry' arise out of that prospect.
The processing for fertilizer of all of the "Bird Shit" from the floors of all of those empty "Houses of God" after just a few years of nesting in the rafters.
No one seems to be willing to take that offer-----could THEY have some doubts?
The news that Bybee is a Mormon is not in the least surprising. After all, did not GW Bush tell the public many times in 1998-99 that 'God' 'told him' to run for president? Hey, when "God" tells you to do something you do it---right?
And that "perpetual smirk" Glenn Beck, (Fox News) is a Mormon also----some very good references for "God" to use when looking for more "believers"----------------
Taking into consideration all of the innocent blood spilled/crimes/destruction/mayhem/disasters/ etc.--- in the name of "God"---several "Gods" in fact----I have always wondered why "God" would allow this to happen----I wouldn't if I WERE GOD...................
Good Luck all you "Believers"----these are YOUR people
I think one of the all-time best books for the average American skeptic is "Ken's Guide to the Bible". You will probably have to search for it, but it is very short and concise, and goes through the entire Bible, book by book, and highlights the dubious. In the end, the guy rather apologizes for all the flaws, but I really don't know how anyone can walk away from reading it and still believe in the Bible's divinity.
I haven't seen a similar summary about the Book of Mormon, but I once tried to read it during a period of association with one of the fold, and it is down right loopy. Purer crap has never been issued. Add to that the Latter Day Saints' shameful history of bigotry.
What Mormons do have, and what we lack, is a strong spirit of community. I remember being envious of that Mormon I was debating. He had just moved into the town that I had lived in for ten years. Instantly, he had babysitters, business connections, invitations to supper, and a group of apparently sincere friends. My little family, on the other hand, was chronically isolated and lonely because the dearth of leftist community structures. No union hall or food coop invited me to a potluck; there never was a welcome wagon of any type; no neighbors even came by to borrow a cup of sugar. I can't even remember a single of my neighbor's names, even though I am pretty gregarious and friendly in person. I don't want sympathy, but I tell my story to illustrate a key reason we are so weak as a social force. It's quite fair to ask why anyone would want to join a fractured community of people proposing something radical in a country that is doing bertter than most. I'd like to propose a path forward to address this lack of community, but I do not have one. Anybody else?
NativeSon: Well, as far as I'm concerned, after you've convinced yourself of the truth of the Trinity, virgin birth, physical resurrection, and two conflicting but of course literally true creation stories side-by-side at the beginning of your holy book, it's all gravy.
And don't forget all of the Opus Dei types on the Supreme Court!
Jesus healed all manner of illnesses, controlled the physical world (weather,food,sea), read minds, conquered even death and still the Jews asked for more signs. When asked, the great "I Am" said so and was promptly put to death only to rise from the tomb three days later. If you believe in historical figures like, Caesar, Napoleon,Henry VIII, your interest should be aroused by one man from Nazareth. If not, go out on a clear night look up at the stars and know how very small you are and ask yourself why?
Peace