tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post5049228083750372452..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: There’s a Reason Why Cheney’s First Name is DickJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-58939969404150663722009-03-18T15:22:00.000-05:002009-03-18T15:22:00.000-05:00Well, the 24 hour bomb scenario is all a bunch of ...Well, the 24 hour bomb scenario is all a bunch of huey anyway. Why? Okay, let's say I'm the terrorist that sets the bomb. More than likely I'm already dying from radiation poisoning, especially if it's a "dirty" bomb. Killing me would be a kindness. Heck, my kidneys maybe falling out of my skin saving you the trouble of sawing them out. Secondly, I would have some form of training and I know I only have to deny or zoom you for 24 hours (or one hour, which you'd barely be able to tie me up in a secure location in that time). <BR/><BR/>The best option would be to capture the team. At this point if you can separate them but keep them within earshot. Blindfolds also work well here. Identify the leaders, bind them in a row (or in cells). Ask the leader what device they had and where it's at. The target gets one try before a pistol whipping. Next try gets the hammer cocked and the weapon in their face. Third try and I summarily execute the target (if separated, you can have an associate silence them to make it seem like you executed them). Have associates check the positioning they give (if they do) and radio/cell back. If the location is false (and hey, I'd give you false information first) no matter where you are in the sequence, that person is executed. Work your way down the line. Time is of the essence. True torture takes time. The victim has to anticipate the pain and then recover (somewhat) from it before starting again. It's the anticipation of pain (or drowning in case of water-boarding) that does the trick. This is different from "punishment" torture (like POWs) where the pain itself is the goal and negative reinforcement is the game.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, if I survive I'm going to jail. I can accept that. Plus I have the satisfaction of knowing I saved my country the expense of a trial. <BR/><BR/>And what Jim said about the "We tried to fix the Fanny/Freddie problem."Steve Buchheithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999709767641212586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-52726823951532454702009-03-18T13:33:00.000-05:002009-03-18T13:33:00.000-05:00Ilya, You are correct in that the quote I used is ...Ilya, You are correct in that the quote I used is slightly out of context for the gist of the post. However, I used it for a specific reason - to show that Cheney's entire viewpoint is based on hypocrisy. He says "hey, yes, we did dump this mess on Obama, but hey it's not productive to bring that up, there's more important things we need to talk about like the fact that Obama has not yet fixed the mess we left him and is in fact in my opinion making it worse." This after eight years of blaming Clinton, of doing the <I>exact</I> same thing that he now condemns the current administration for. The difference is that Clinton left Bush with a budgetary surplus and no national debt and a robust economy. Bush left Obama with the largest national deficit in history, two failed wars in progress, a collapsing economy, and country in utter disarray. <BR/><BR/>This hypocrisy and twisting of the facts is typical of the Bush administration in general and <I>Cheney</I> in particular - and indeed is in large part responsible for the chaos we now find ourselves in. And it also speaks volumes to the validity of the rest of his statement regarding the use of torture as national policy - or frankly the validity of <I>anything</I> this evil bastard says period.<BR/><BR/>Now as to Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, that's a load of horseshit. In 2003 Congress was GOP majority. The Bush administration signed off on a Republican Congress' removal of controls at the behest of conservative lobbyists. Controls that had been in place since the 30's and it was <I>their</I> lobbyists and supporters who were busy plundering Wall Street. Cheney's feeble arguement that they had predicted this mess and even tried to prevent it, but were stymied by self-serving democrats is nothing more than blatant CYA reconning of history, and Cheney knows it. When pressed, every single time, he resorts to the "I read a report, but it's classified so I can't tell you" arguement. I.e. I'm right, you're wrong, but I can't tell you why due to national security requirements. This is his answer whether we're talking about Iraq or Freddie Mac. The Republican repeatedly attempted to impose controls on poor people, but resisted controls on their rich Wall Street contributors. This is a hallmark of the GOP. <BR/><BR/>And we're back to hypocrisy again, notice Cheney makes no call to his own party to stop their current attempts to stymie the democrats and the Obama administration. He's a hypocrite, a liar, and an evil fucking toad - and the quote I used sums that up perfectly. IMO, anyway.<BR/><BR/>You are, of course and as always, free to disagree ;)Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-74870144190313380392009-03-18T10:42:00.000-05:002009-03-18T10:42:00.000-05:00My greatest fear is that something will happen, li...My greatest fear is that something will happen, like an attack or something and public opinion will swing back toward torture. How can people be so "end justifies the means" as to give up everything that we believe is right and just.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12341711121542863377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-57797718142601622432009-03-18T06:01:00.000-05:002009-03-18T06:01:00.000-05:00Jim, I am in a total agreement with you on this an...Jim, I am in a total agreement with you on this and I have no warm feelings towards Cheney. But in all fairness, if you quote something about Fannie/Freedie, you have to admit that the former administration did attempt to regulate them as far back as 2003, and that failed because of Democratic opposition. It has no bearing on your discourse here, but I thought it was a strange quote to use for emphasis.Ilyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05379167075203188111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50610132654147112702009-03-17T23:03:00.000-05:002009-03-17T23:03:00.000-05:00Tsk tsk, Nathan wishing ill on the head of the RNC...Tsk tsk, Nathan wishing ill on the head of the RNC like that...Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-52873541649728838862009-03-17T22:58:00.000-05:002009-03-17T22:58:00.000-05:00Maybe he'll go hunting with Rush next. Kind of a ...Maybe he'll go hunting with Rush next. Kind of a win/win situation there, huh?<BR/><BR/>(Dear Internet Authorities - It's a fucking joke!)Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-80078828724464843722009-03-17T21:20:00.000-05:002009-03-17T21:20:00.000-05:00Well, I had hoped that he would have a fatal heart...Well, I had hoped that he would have a fatal heart attack within a couple months of leaving office and never get to "enjoy" his retirement. But he hasn't had one, and now he is showing back up and attempting to undermine the current administration. Thanks for the amazing post, Jim.neurondochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12155027993661209263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-49618869910705699372009-03-17T18:25:00.000-05:002009-03-17T18:25:00.000-05:00I rather thought so.I rather thought so.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-44338756716731568672009-03-17T18:22:00.000-05:002009-03-17T18:22:00.000-05:00Great post, Jim.Great post, Jim.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-59197480319106152782009-03-17T17:46:00.000-05:002009-03-17T17:46:00.000-05:00Cheney is the prototypical whack-a-mole. Whack him...Cheney is the prototypical whack-a-mole. Whack him down in one place and he just pops up in another.<BR/><BR/>I'<BR/>d bet his mouth and tongue are physically incapable of forming the words "I was wrong" or any variation thereof. In fact, I bet his brain can't even form the thought, or have the appropriate neural pathways that would pass the thought to his tongue and mouth even if they <EM>were</EM> capable of forming them.vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16955307244053931069noreply@blogger.com