White House Secretly Authorizes Torture

White House secretly authorized torture, the NY Time reported yesterday. Secret opinions issued by the Department of Justice in 2005 authorized a vast expansion of interrogation techniques available to the CIA, including painful remedies incorporating simulated drowning, "head-slapping" and exposure to frigid temperatures.

Shortly after Gonzalez was confirmed as Attorney General he issued a legal memorandum authorizing such tactics despite vehement objections from James Comey, who said the legal reasoning was flawed and they would all be ashamed when the world learned of the tactics.

Back in 2005 when Congress passed a so-called torture ban outlawing cruel and inhumane and degrading treatment the Justice Department quietly issued a second opinion that "declared that none of the CIA interrogation methods violated that standard."

The New York Times says it all happened when Jack Goldsmith was appointed head of the Office of Legal Counsel, who was supposed to be a "yes" man. He immediately took issue, however with the NSA wiretapping program and prompted the threat of massive resignations from the Justice Department including James Comey and John Ashcroft. To avoid such a problem in the future Alberto Gonzalez was the "ideal choice" to become Attorney General. It is a long article from the New York Times, but it is worth it. Read it here.

The rest is history. One wonders what will become of this story. Will Brittney go into rehab again so we don't have to wonder that our elected government is no longer responsive to its people and WILL do what it wants when it wants. This is not democracy. It is called fascism.