A few weeks ago, the saga of the torture memo writers, Jay Bybee and John Yoo, was officially re-visited. David Margolis of the Justice Department rejected the original conclusion reached by ethics lawyers in the Office of Professional Responsibility–that of professional misconduct–and replaced it with the anyone-can-have-a bad-day, poor judgement verdict.

I know this isn’t breaking news, and health care is the issue du jour, but we haven’t yet touched on some of the broader issues involved here on A Cavalcade of Crazy, and it gives me another opportunity to demonstrate the flexibility of the popularly-referenced fourth dimension; to wit, we will not be confined by it’s apparent linearity on this column. Nor, it seems, by short, pithy sentences.

For me, these diversions are more than just salubrious; they’re vital as a defense against the merciless aggravation we encounter with tedious frequency. I don’t wish to utter any more odd, gurgling noises than I already do. Listen to Bob’s show on the HORN on a regular basis and you’ll hear all manner of howls, yowls, rumblings, and groans. I think I even heard some quacking once. And that’s just from the host.

Let’s take a little side trip to seventy years in the past. Some time ago I began kind of a personal honor roll, commemorating during the months of their birth individuals who have profoundly added to my life in extraordinarily positive ways. Although highly subjective and discriminating (at the moment Ray Davies is in final approval), I wondered if any of you would agree that it’s possible, in the case of entertainers for example, to qualify based on a single performance instead of lifetime achievement. Here’s the thing: for my money, a single film –The Philadelphia Story – does just that for three superlative actors. if Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn never acted in another film, they would all make it for that 1940 classic. “C.K. Dexter-Haven,” said a sozzled Stewart to a sober Grant, “you have unsuspected depth.” Your thoughts.

Okay. Next destination: 2001. Not the movie.

The response of the military/industrial/media complex in accord with the Bush administration after 9/11 was to implement and advance a plan already on the table and spin it into a bogus rationale for attacking an innocent country. The record is clear on that. In essence, our own government offended us, and parts of the world, again, and it appears to be okay. Where are all the hearings? Where’s the outrage? Other than slapping Scooter and the two attorneys, who else have we called into account? I can think of a couple who just ignored congressional subpoenas, but that was before Obama took office.

I’ll admit that I’m not aware of all the legal fine points in this case. I know significant punishment has been avoided so far; Yoo is a professor at UC Berkeley and Bybee is a federal judge. Got a bit of an arrogant chip on their shoulders about the whole thing, especially John Yoo. And why not? Both could have been disbarred and Bybee face impeachment. But it’s all so redolent of how Bush and his handlers conducted business for eight years: announce a pre-determined conclusion and then contrive some premise to support it. Solutions seeking a problem. Conceal and control the information. And there was no shortage of loyal party hookers like John Yoo to facilitate these schemes for them. Just like that, Bush and the CIA had what they wanted in writing, a legal basis for officially hurting– even accidently terminating– people, thereby adding Guantanamo, and by extension the United States, to the popular torture destinations of the world. Just wanted to authorize this abuse a little closer to home, I suppose.

Want to take this a step further? I ask you to consider the following words precisely and in context: would it surprise anyone to learn one day that we have put bags over people’s heads and rendered them to a secret location in Utah for some enhanced interrogation? How do we know they don’t? Given our history of covert and nefarious intelligence and military activities going back to the fifties both here and abroad, through countless Freedom of Information requests or investigations by people like Seymour Hersh, Gary Webb, and other determined reporters, it would not surprise me. In fact, why do you need people like John Yoo to sanction your clandestine actions and methods at all? When did the NSA, CIA or the Black-Ops spooks ever care about legal justification? We don’t even know how many billions they appropriate, let alone what they do. What’s your problem? Do you hate freedom, or something?

All too often, the “official versions,” whether rushed to release or too late on the scene, have been leaving much to be desired. It can be downright revelatory when and if the real story emerges. In a nation that ostensibly holds the principles of trust and transparency high, that’s rather sad.

For review:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=7867

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA%20Hits/CIA_GreatestHits.html

http://www.minnpost.com/ericblackblog/2009/03/11/7310/investigative_reporter_

seymour_hersh_describes_executive_assassination_ring

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/121304.html

Yeah, I know–I’m giving you more to read, but here at A Cavalcade of Crazy we will include references when appropriate. You can peruse as much as you want in your spare time, if you have any. And I won’t link you up to any crackpots– that is, unless they are of a rich and irresistible nature.

Can you get into serious trouble for lying to the wrong people? That depends. Ask Dick Nixon. Okay, that’s a problem. Ask Bill Clinton. Before George Jr & Company’s pre-planned invasion of Iraq, I think the man who should have paid the price was the Grand Old Party’s Ronnie Reagan. Here’s a classic assertion: “We were not trading arms for hostages, nor were we negotiating with terrorists.” Three months later, on March 4, 1987, Reagan admitted he lied right to our faces: “A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that’s true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.” (Next time any of you are in front of a judge, try that and see how it works.) So although Ronald’s heart was really into that mendacious tale, it just wasn’t going to last. Miss Hall? Yes, Col. North? Start the shredders.

And wasn’t there something about defying the laws of the land and sending the Nicaraguan contras the proceeds from those Iranian arms sales through the back door? Talk about low-hanging high crimes and misdemeanors. If that outrageous affair doesn’t result in impeachment hearings, what does? But we let the Teflon President skate away.

Watergate was nothing in comparison. Iran/Contra should have been the made-to-order centerpiece of a profound and long-lasting neo-con disgrace.

On one of his recent shows, I thought Bob Kincaid made a decent case for that negligence being a direct line to our dismaying situation today. If we throw Reagan out, or even George Sr. (whose fingerprints were all over that operation), none of this is a sure thing: The Bush 41 presidency and his pardon-fest, Newt and his farcical “contract,” mass media right wing craziness, human blot George Jr, or the invasion of the Middle East. Or John Yoo. The torture memos and their authors don’t enter that picture.

At least things might be a lot more manageable today. It goes back to Ford preemptively pardoning Tricky Dick. Rumsfeld, Cheney and those freaks don’t crawl out of their coffins to abuse us again. Not to mention sending an always prudent reminder to future executives. I’ll take it back to John Kennedy. I think you can argue that from November of 1963 until today, a few well-placed assassin’s bullets, together with our critical failure to finish seeing a handful of select weasels all the way to Leavenworth has led straight to the mess we are in right now. 

While I’m not especially pleased with the latest watered-down assessment of Bybee and Yoo, at least we followed up. The rest of the gang responsible for implementing the death and destruction machine in the name of the War On Terror have slipped away and are still at large. As is Bin Laden. We should come down on these mercenaries and profiteers like the pirates they are and just see how many can go for a spin in that Large Hadron Collider for a while. The shit these werewolves are getting away with up and down the line, including thousands of people literally dying because of their actions, deserves some measure of examination, if not judgement. A little justice for their rampage, you know? Mr. Yoo! Please take your place with the others inside the machine.     

I thought defrauding Congress and the people of the United States, looting the treasury, and slicing up the Constitution were criminal offenses. For your last trick you can’t just give us all the finger one more time as you walk out the door. Except I guess you can.

Sigh.

And before anyone gives them a pass, for any reason, know this: when they get their hands around your neck, there will be no passes for you.

The one thing that’s supposed to be dependable in a nation of laws is not that corruption is preventable but that there are valid and effective ways to take you down if you violate our rules of conduct. But the devious connections have grown so powerful, and the implementation of oversight so difficult, that isn’t a sure thing. In fact, too many of our elected officials are more apt to simply yield to this pressure than to exert effort on our behalf. Where is Sam Ervin? Where is Jimmy Stewart when we need him? Damn, he’s back there in paragraph four. I see no choice in the matter of official investigations into the possible crimes of any administration, especially when they leave such a trail of deceit.

What is ultimately more important than protecting our trust? Well, I’ll admit that changeover to all-digital TV is pretty big. I really don’t know how we let this go. There is a constitutional imperative to re-affirm the legitimacy of our systems and the authority of our laws. Otherwise many just descend into apathy, some into anarchy, but all lose even more confidence in government. And that is music to the ears of the powers that be.

” The government…teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law…To declare that the end justifies the means – to declare that the government may commit crimes – would bring terrible retribution.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ––Louis D. Brandeis, Supreme Court Justice, 1916-1939

Reverbo

Critic-At-Large

Next time – Spotlight on The Republican Party:  Just Sayin’ No Since 1935.

Join Bob Kincaid and Guy James live in our nation’s capitol, live from Noon to 5pm (ET) on radio row, for the Health Action 2010 Conference, brought to you by Families USA.

You’ll hear interviews from activists who are working tirelessly to bring the basic human right of health care to every American’s reality. It’s 5 hours of the truth and sometimes painful honesty that you’ll never hear from any of the so-called mainstream media outlets.

Be sure to swing by the chat room to say hi, or to ask questions of Bob’s or Guy’s guests. You won’t want to miss it!

Listen live to the Coal River Mountain rally from Charleston, West Virginia, hosted by Head-On radio host Bob Kincaid! Join us in the chat room!

Audio:

 

 Robert Kennedy Jr [34:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Rev. Jim Lewis [6:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Stephanie from App Voices reading a note from Kathy Mattea [4:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Judy Bonds [3:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can join the fight to end the practice of mountain top removal coal mining, and it won’t cost you anything!

Just navigate your way over to http://brighterplanet.com, and click on “Sign Up” (it’s totally free and takes less than a minute). After you’ve signed up, click on the tab named “Project Fund“, and click on the project for Sustainable Energy and Economic Diversification in the Coal River Valley.

Now, you’ll have three votes to cast. You can cast them anyway you wish. Please consider giving one or all of them to this project, and help end the madness that West Virginians are forced to live with everyday. The winner will be announced on October 15th, so please don’t delay!

You’ll help the activists in the Coal River Valley earn a chance to win a $5,000 grant, you’ll confirm your position on environmental issues, and you’ll feel good doing it!

While you’re there, take some time to poke around the Brighter Planet website! They’re doing loads of good work there, and their site is full of useful information. Click on the tab marked “Your Footprint” and find out how big your own carbon footprint is, and ways you can help reduce it.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

This is an op-ed piece of crap that was penned by Roger L. Nicholson, who is senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of International Coal Group Inc, that appeared in The Charleston Gazette on July 11, 2009.

The Sunday Gazette-Mail on June 21 announced with much fanfare a “groundbreaking” study, authored by a West Virginia University psychologist, Michael Hendryx, and a Washington State University College of Pharmacy associate professor, Melissa Ahern, that purported to show that coal’s cost outweighs its benefits. Not surprisingly, the Gazette ignores some key facts and holds Hendryx and Ahern to a much lower standard of factual rigor than it would a pro-coal industry study.

The report cites for its support articles by anti-mining activists such as Vivian Stockman, whose anti-mining organization attacks coal mining permit applications, and Jeff Goodell, among others. Just as the media will report my views as those of an “industry spokesman,” it should likewise note the bias of those releasing a study that is used to attack coal mining.

Setting aside its authors’ bias, the study reflects their attempt to develop support for a prejudged result — namely, that coal mining is bad.

To blame the coal industry for the region’s lack of economic diversity is to ignore central Appalachia’s challenging topography with its dearth of interstate highways, major airports and commercial-quality flat land above the flood plain. Those features make it difficult to attract manufacturers and other large employers.

You can read the rest of this drivel article here.

Here is Bob Kincaid’s full reply (which has not yet been printed as of the time of this posting):

Editor,

Roger Nicholson of International Coal Group, the careless company that brought us the Sago Disaster, claims “coal is a bridge to prosperity” for West Virginia. He also has the unmitigated gall to sneer, like some character in a Dickens novel, that “it’s deadly to be poor.”  Of course, the West Virginia communities where coal is extracted are the poorest in the state.  Ergo, coal, as we have known for ages, is deadly.  How nice of Big Coal to finally admit it!

West Virginia has been hearing the hollow promises of “prosperity just around the corner” touted by the coal industry for over a hundred years now.  In that time, our loved ones have been killed and maimed, our families have been beggared, our lands ruined and our future stolen.  Prosperity is no nearer now than it was when coal companies held my forebears in near slave conditions.  Mr. Nicholson is correct: coal is a “bridge,” alright.  It’s the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.

Roger Nicholson and his out-of-state corporation, like vampires that feast on carbon as well as human blood, will eventually suck all they can out of us and leave, tallying the fruits of their “prosperity” and chuckling about how “it’s deadly to be poor.”