Not sure if this goes here or where to put it.

U.S. asserts new interrogation rights: NY Times Sun Apr 27, 1:42 AM ET

U.S. asserts new interrogation rights: NY Times - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Recent letters from the Justice Department to Congress state that U.S. intelligence agents working to prevent terror attacks can legally use interrogation techniques banned by international law, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

President George W. Bush issued an executive order last summer in which he said the CIA would observe international regulations regarding detainee treatment. The letters indicate the Bush administration now contends these boundaries may be stretched in some interrogations.

A March 5 letter from the Justice Dept. to Congress makes clear the Bush administration has not defined which interrogation methods might violate the Geneva Convention's bans on "outrages upon personal dignity," the Times said.

The letters were provided by the staff of Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The panel received classified briefings on the matter and Wyden requested further information, which yielded the letters, the Times said.

"The fact that an act is undertaken to prevent a threatened terrorist attack, rather than for the purpose of humiliation or abuse, would be relevant to a reasonable observer in measuring the outrageousness of the act," wrote Brian Benczkowski, a deputy assistant attorney general, in one letter.

A senior Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the classified information: "I certainly don't want to suggest that if there's a good purpose you can head off and humiliate someone."

But, he said, "the fact that you are doing something for a legitimate security purpose would be relevant ... There are certainly things that can be insulting that would not raise to the level of an outrage on personal dignity."

The Geneva Conventions prohibit humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Alan Elsner)

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Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

I'm sure their hearts are in the right place, but torture is not the way to protect America.

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"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

but if Jack Bauer does it, it must be OK!!!

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

Hahaha 24. Jack Bauer is a god.

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"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

he's a f__kin douchebag is what he is.

but thanks to shows like 24, Americans in many cases don't have any problem with torture since they've been desensitized to it.

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

I wouldn't blame 24 for that.

And Jack Bauer is a god.

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"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

of course 24 (and shows like it) aren't the only reason for this, they are a symptom of a much bigger problem in government and law enforcement.

and you're certainly welcome to like the show if you like, but in spite of the fact that I've been subjected to various entire seasons of it on DVD, it's some of the most poorly written drivel on TV, which is, of course, full of much of the same. That's why I don't watch much network TV anymore.

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

Well, 24 isn't all right-wing.

For example, a few seasons ago, when the real villains were rich businessmen in the government.

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"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I never suggested it was all 'right-wing'. I just think it's useless crap. But then I'm sure some would say the same about some of the shows I watch, so fair's fair.

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"Yes. That's correct. Making a statement that's 100% true can't be bigoted."

If this is the case, then the US needs to be removed once and for all from the list of signatories that signed and agreed to uphold the Geneva Conventions and be placed on a human rights watchlist for crimes against humanity.

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"Well done Dubya. You freakin' imbecile." - ViolaLee