Tag Archives | Torture

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Wash. Times: Saving ObamaCare with Supreme Hypocrisy?

Washington Times, March 12, 2015 Saving Obamacare with supreme hypocrisy By James Bovard  – March 12, 2015 Justices fret over coercing states while endlessly menacing individuals At last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act, several justices questioned whether a verdict against Obamacare would be “unconstitutionally coercive” to state governments that did […]

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Obama’s Latest Hokum on Violent Extremism: Arar Retorts

In his speech this week to his anti-extremism conclave in Washington, President Obama declared that “former extremists have the opportunity to speak out, speak the truth about terrorist groups, and oftentimes they can be powerful messengers in debunking these terrorist ideologies.” But what about former victims of government extremism speaking out? Maher Arar is a […]

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USA Today: Eric Holder’s Lawless Legacy

USA Today, February 3, 2015 Eric Holder’s lawless legacy by James Bovard As Holder retires, Obama’s attorney general bulldog should be vilified, not praised Eric Holder is reaping applause as his six-year reign as Attorney General comes to a close. But Holder’s record is profoundly disappointing to anyone who expected the Obama administration to renounce […]

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Torture and the New Definition of American Virtue

The Washington Post/ABC News poll earlier this week showed that most respondents approved of CIA torture and most opposed disclosing the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA abuses. Apparently, as long as the government denies its atrocities, Americans can still feel virtuous. And seeking the truth is giving aid & comfort the enemy…   Another […]

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Senate Torture Report – My Initial Two Cents+

I have not finished reading the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on CIA torture.  Following are some of my initial thoughts via Twitter @jimbovard – #TortureReport CIA interrogators often did not speak the language of detainees so they compensated by beating hell out of them — James Bovard (@JimBovard) December 11, 2014 #TortureReport With all the […]

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Torture Deja Vu: Congress Covered up Torture 8 Years Ago

It is good that Americans are finally learning some of the details of the CIA torture regime thanks to the Senate Intelligence Committee report.  But were the most shocking details redacted? Will we ever know?  Following is a piece I wrote 8 years ago after Congress enacted the Military Commissions Act which effectively retroactively legalized […]

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Elections as Execution Day for Rights & Liberties

  President Obama and a heap of other politicians are imploring us to view voting as the ultimate expression of our freedom and self-government. The reality is that the vast majority of politicians will do as they damn well please after Election Day. Edward Snowden’s revelations should have been a battering ram to use against […]

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