THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORTURE AND INTERROGATION

Every so often someone on a Congressional committee or subcommittee gets on a soapbox to wail about US forces (military or intelligence) torturing captured enemies of our country. But all the lawyer-speak in the US Code – “cruel, unusual and/or degrading treatment” - is nebulous, ephemeral and ambiguous.

Common-sense Americans know what torture is:
- Having sharp objects (like pins or needles or toothpicks or nails) driven under your fingernails or toe-nails – that’s torture;
- Having your fingernails or toe-nails yanked out by force – that’s torture;
- Having your tongue burned with hot instruments or cut out – that’s torture;
- Having your eyes blinded or cut out – that’s torture;
- Having your ears cut off – that’s torture;
- Having your head cut off with a sword – that’s torture;
- Having electrical shock administered to your private parts or your body – that’s torture;
- Being incarcerated under conditions like the French used at Devil’s Island – that’s torture;
- Being treated like captured Americans were treated by the Japanese in WWII, the North Koreans during the Korean War, the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam conflict, and other enemies at various times and places whose humanity is questionable at best - that’s torture;

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. On the other hand, some of the forms of interrogation our defenders use to obtain information from captured enemies may not, and should not, be enjoyable. No sworn enemy of our nation ever ‘gave up the goods’ after we gave them cookies and milk and then asked, “Please – just tell us what we need to know.” It just doesn’t work that way.

If our Congressional leaders were as eager to protect our citizens and our country as they are our enemies, I for one, would feel a lot more secure.

WAR, INTELLIGENCE & CONGRESSIONAL MALFEASANCE

Now let’s see if I’ve got this straight. . .

- FISA Court has been around since the late 70’s, and works some of the time

- BUT - with FISA provisions/rules intact to safeguard civil liberties - national intel agencies missed catching/preventing the attacks on the Twin Towers TWICE (1993 & 2001 - doubt those who died would share Congress’ privacy concerns over safety/defense of our country and citizens)

- inability to ‘connect the dots’ by intel agencies before 9/11 led Congress to correct past mistakes (unintended consequences) of limiting intel agencies ability to effectively obtain available intelligence

THEN,

- Bad (or faulty) intelligence (but the best available nonetheless) led the President and Congress to go to war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq (right decision based on info available at the time, but turned out to be wrong - or at least questionable - decision once better knowledge of the facts became known (hindsight - always 20/20)

- Congress now locked in a political battle of will(s) with President because we’re in a war that takes a lot of money that they’d rather spend on social programs. Congress wants out of Iraq, absolutely does not want to deal with Iran, and has no confidence in the administration’s intelligence analysis

- Iran’s President is ‘transparent’ in his goals and defies all international efforts to rein in his nuclear program. (If he reminds anyone of Adolph Hitler . . . well, duh!)

NOW,

- Congress wants to roll back the law they passed only a few months ago that actually gives our intel agencies the tools and ability they need to better find out what our enemies are plotting. Congress wants to return to the bad old days when we gave our enemies a ‘pass’ to plan our destruction with impunity.

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES THE INSANITY OF THIS???

If Congress passes the “Restore Act - H.R. 3773). We go back to the days when the civil rights of terrorists to make private phone calls trumps protecting Americans from violent attack and adds insult to injury by prosecuting the men and women who are trying to defend us if they listen in! This is absolutely nuts!

We should hold every member of Congress who votes for this bill personally accountable and liable for damages when (not 'if') the next terrorist attack occurs, especially if this could have been prevented by electronic surveillance!

CHEAP TOMATOES? CHEAP LABOR?

Cheap tomatoes and cheap labor. This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent. CHEAP TOMATOES? From a California school teacher - - - “As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration; there are some things that you should be aware of . . .“I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title I school, meaning that its students average lower socio-economic and income levels. “Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens,Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title I schools. “Title I schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) “I estimate that well over 50% of these student s are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) “I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America . (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) “I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months, who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" (whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears. “Free medical care, free education, free food, day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country, but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements? “To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society (because they LIKE their gardeners and housekeepers, and they like to pay less for tomatoes): spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs. Higher insurance; medical facilities closing; higher medical costs; more crime; lower standards of education in our schools; overcrowding; new diseases, etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes. We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it. Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return? There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way. It does, however, have everything to do with culture: a third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate; and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about ‘political correctness’ that we don’t have the will to do anything about it. CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage. Consumers don't want expensive produce. Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs. But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor." Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children who takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax. Yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free. He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent. He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. He requires bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are (or become) aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense. He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. Bottom Line: He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour inbenefits! Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his. The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up. Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people! These are the questions we should be addressing to the presidential candidates for either party, and when they lie to us and don't do as they say, we should replace them at once!