Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Takin’ My Country Back

It's a catchy little country tune, Takin' My Country Back, but I don't expect to hear it on local radio somehow….

Posted in Politics: US: 2004 Election | 4 Comments

More Hersh, More News of Iraq Atrocities

A Tiny Revolution: Uh Oh quotes Seymour Hersh speaking at Berkeley last Friday, October 8th:

I got a call last week from a soldier — it's different now, a lot of communication, 800 numbers. He's an American officer and he was in a unit halfway between Baghdad and the Syrian border. It's a place where we claim we've done great work at cleaning out the insurgency. He was a platoon commander. First lieutenant, ROTC guy.

It was a call about this. He had been bivouacing outside of town with his platoon. It was near, it was an agricultural area, and there was a granary around. And the guys that owned the granary, the Iraqis that owned the granary… It was an area that the insurgency had some control, but it was very quiet, it was not Fallujah. It was a town that was off the mainstream. Not much violence there. And his guys, the guys that owned the granary, had hired, my guess is from his language, I wasn't explicit — we're talking not more than three dozen, thirty or so guards. Any kind of work people were dying to do. So Iraqis were guarding the granary. His troops were bivouaced, they were stationed there, they got to know everybody…

They were a couple weeks together, they knew each other. So orders came down from the generals in Baghdad, we want to clear the village, like in Samarra. And as he told the story, another platoon from his company came and executed all the guards, as his people were screaming, stop. And he said they just shot them one by one. He went nuts, and his soldiers went nuts. And he's hysterical. He's totally hysterical. And he went to the captain. He was a lieutenant, he went to the company captain. And the company captain said, “No, you don't understand. That's a kill. We got thirty-six insurgents.”

George W. Bush is responsible for this. Don't forget that. George Bush is reponsible for this. As much as the individuals who pulled the triggers, George W. Bush is responsible for this.

Posted in Iraq Atrocities | 4 Comments

Bring on the Fear!

Boing Boing: Law enforcement memo of “imminent” terror attack?

It's can't-lose politically. Scare some marginal voters to vote for Bush, CYA if there is an attack, claim credit for stopping it if there is not.

Of course a climate of fear plays right into the terrorists' hands, but who knows, maybe they vote too…

Posted in National Security | 3 Comments

Another Bush Triumph for the Rule of Law

Great news from Human Rights Watch! Your constitutional republic at work spreading the Rule of Law around the world!

U.S.: Detained al-Qaeda Suspects 'Disappeared' (Human Rights Watch, 12-10-2004): At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have “disappeared” in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured.

The 46-page report, “The United States’ ‘Disappeared’: The CIA’s Long-Term ‘Ghost Detainees,’” describes how the Central Intelligence Agency is holding al-Qaeda suspects in “secret locations,” reportedly outside the United States, with no notification to their families, no access to the International Committee of the Red Cross or oversight of any sort of their treatment, and in some cases, no acknowledgement that they are even being held.  

“‘Disappearances’ were a trademark abuse of Latin American military dictatorships in their ‘dirty war’ on alleged subversion,” said Reed Brody, special counsel with Human Rights Watch. “Now they have become a United States tactic in its conflict with al-Qaeda.”  

Oh goodie, the US joins the proud company of the USSR and fascist latin dictatorships. We are so proud.

Posted in Law: International Law | 2 Comments

Were Those the Good Old Days?

Remember when everyone was all worked up about 'apathy'?

Posted in Politics: US | 2 Comments

Understanding Sinclair and Getting Even

It's not news that 'freedom of the press belongs to he who owns one'. And even in this Internet age of 'everyone a publisher' the fact remains that TV remains the dominant media form in the US, and much of the world.

Sinclair media's decision to abuse its ownership of a group of stations to air a low-quality anti-Kerry propaganda film a few days before the election — to order the stations to dump network programming and run junk instead — is a classic abuse of power.

What's interesting is how Internet users are fighting back. Some, like Ernest Miller, are writing about the context — how the current regulatory climate lacks the safeguards that used to prevent such a blatant abuse of power.

Others are concentrating on how to fight back. One set of ideas comes via Kevin Hayden, suggesting a national pushback aimed at Sinclair's national advertisers. This is a good strategy if you don't live in one of the affected communities.

Another method appears via Kevin Drum, and emphasizes the local angle. I think it's a winner.

Posted in Politics: US | 1 Comment