Monthly Archives: August 2005

Gorgeous George Galloway, Sub-Loony

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Via Crooked Timber, Gorgeous George, how are ya, part 2, a link to this extended clip of George Galloway saying wicked and stupid things.

It’s ok to be mad at Bush, Blair and Berlusconi. It’s ok to to accuse the US of imperial designs on the Middle East, although these days it’s probably shifting fast to tail-between-legs time.

But telling an Arab Muslim audience that Jerusalem and Baghdad are their beautiful daughters being raped by westerners? And that they and their governments should do more to protect those daughters? Inciting the audience with the suggestion that Western leaders (and one presumes, their soldiers?) are really just terrorists?

I called Galloway a raving loon back when he made mincemeat of Senator Coleman a few weeks ago, to some criticism. I wish now to apologize to the fine folks in the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, as I now appreciate that the Loony Party has standards; I accept that Galloway wouldn’t qualify.

Posted in Iraq, UK | 11 Comments

Today’s Essential Marty Lederman

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Marty Lederman gives a full, and quite sickening, analysis of the legal and political context of the Iraqi torture-murder story I noted below.

This administration is not only morally bankrupt, it has soiled the military, which had, I thought, rebuilt its honor after the then-nadir of Vietnam. Official torture and murder with the connivance or malign neglect of higher-ups is almost as bad as governments get, short of genocide.

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Details of How Soldiers and CIA Operative Tortured Captive to Death

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs: they put an Iraqi Major General into a sleeping bag, wrapped him in electrical cord, and beat him until he died.

Two of the soldiers–enlisted men–are being tried for murder. (Their lawyer says that they shouldn’t be blamed as it was days of earlier torture–hitting the detainee with fists, a club and a length of rubber hose–that did him in.) The CIA’s role is being suppressed from the public accounts; there is no word as to whether the CIA’s operative will be prosecuted, although the “The CIA inspector general’s office has launched an investigation”.

An indicted soldier’s lawyer, not an unbiased source, is quoted by the Post as saying,

“The interrogation techniques were known and were approved of by the upper echelons of command of the 3rd ACR,” … “They believed, and still do, that they were appropriate and proper.”

Posted in Torture | 2 Comments

2000 Coalition Soldiers Dead in Iraq

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Iraq Coalition Casualties reports the 2000th uniformed victim. Not to mention the civilian deaths and infrastructure carnage. (And the monetary cost to the US taxpayers of the future.)

And to what benefit?

Posted in Iraq | 1 Comment

Ouch

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Painfully true jokes via Daily Kos:

The White House announced that the public would not be allowed to see the memos produced by John Roberts when he represented the United States government as a lawyer. They say this is because of the attorney-client privilege. Here’s the part I don’t understand: he represented the United States, we’re the client, he’s our lawyer. Shouldn’t we be allowed see our own notes?”
–Jay Leno

“North Korea is making several demands in exchange for giving up their nuclear program, including a promise from America not to attack them. Which is a little strange because for us to attack them we would have to have `slam dunk’ proof that they have weapons of mass destruction. I mean, for Gods sakes people, we’re not maniacs. It would have to be an air-tight case. We wouldn’t just come in there and start bombing you…”
–Jon Stewart

“It was so hot down in Florida Jeb Bush was rigging ice machines.”
–David Letterman

“The White House dropped the phrase `war on terror’ when polls showed no one thought we were winning it. They think they know how to make it more popular. They’re going to stop calling it `war on terror’ and start calling it `Shrek 3.'”
–Argus Hamilton, comedian and columnist (Via Time magazine)

Posted in Politics: US | Comments Off on Ouch

Harry Potter and the Excellent Parody

Posted on August 3, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

This Watley Review posting on Disgruntled Harry Potter Fan Releases “Corrected” Version of Book fooled me completely. It so perfectly captures a certain type of reality that when I first read it, I never even imagined it was a parody.

It is a parody, isn't it? (cf. Ann Bartow's concluding Note to the exceedingly gullible). I mean, this rapid-fan-translation story is supposed to be true….

Posted in Blogs | Comments Off on Harry Potter and the Excellent Parody