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Every Citizen Needs to Know

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This book makes me both very angry and very, very sad. It documents--step by steps--how our leaders managed to arrange and/or allow grossly unconstitutional and dishonorable actions of torture and life-disruption to occur. The tenacity of some for such a long time belies the idea that it all came from 'the great fear of additional terrorists' attacks after 9/11'--the main perpetrators were people who sought major power and had little belief in anything like constitutional democracy. We see first hand their ruthless determination; and we understand more than before how Hitler, once elected, was able to take full power. No longer can we believe: "It can't happen here."
Fortunately, too, in addition to the anger, sadness and fear for our nation, there are HEROES who emerge (sometimes at considerable risk and consequence to their own lives and interests) to resist the destruction and damage. There is much yet to learn and surely much to undo, as well as facing the need to plan so that this does not happen again.
The book needs to be widely read-- and hopefully, for example, made into a documentary DVD.

The Dark Side of "Shock and Awe"

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It must be said that, the U.S. for all its many faults, generally throughout its history has had a sixth sense for knowing when it is approaching the "moral brink." And in all but a few instances in its history, has found ways to "pull back" before it plunged over the moral and legal cliffs. In fact, until the present administration, "pulling back" just before the plunge, had become a hallmark of our system of "rule by law." Even in politics, our motto could well be summarized as: Fight hard politically, but play fair and stay inside the bounds of decency.

This time however, as this author makes so imminently clear, it did not happen. The Cheney/Bush administration galloped over the cliff in full cowboy regalia. With a rare confluence of negative factors (incompetence, mean-spiritedness, lack of proper respect for American institutions and traditions, being caught flatfooted, using hand-picked ideologically trained lawyers, and being ideologically driven, among others) the present political authorities, came together not only to wantonly undermine our 235 year-old experiment in democracy, but also to "thumb their noses" at the one international law that has served U.S. troops in the field well, for over 100 years!

While it is understandable that in the aftermath of the shock of 911, the Cheney/Bush administration were caught flatfooted (even though they had been repeatedly warned), that they had to act fast and with few precedents, and were faced with some harrowingly tricky if not treacherous legal and moral terrain, as a group, and against repeated good advice, they consistently, and consciously made all the wrong decisions.

In the name of "keeping us safe from another terror attack," they threw the baby out with the bath water. With the utmost of callousness, they ravished and undermined our democratic protections just as the terrorists were hoping they would do. Out of "lethal strategic ignorance" as much as out of short-term ideological political expediency, they completed the strategic goals and plans of the terrorists for them. For by undermining both our own laws and those of the international community, the terrorism succeeded in dragging the world's last standing superpower down to their own uncivilized level. [Now, how good a victory is that for a bunch of ragtag Islamo-Fascists malcontents?]

By the Cheney/Bush political calculus, all we need is another terrorist attack (from another random group of jackasses), and we can just close down our democracy altogether - all in the name of saving us from terrorists, of course.

There are some really good reviews of this book here, and I have read and reviewed four books on this topic so far myself, yet, this is far and away the best of them. Five stars

Truly Disturbing and Enlightening

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Jane Mayer's book "The Dark Side" took a while for me to finish. After reading a bit, I would get disturbed and really pissed off. To think that my government had descended to the depths that it had, and had done so with absurd legal interpretations behind it, I couldn't help but feel the earth rumble as Jefferson tossed about in his grave. What also disturbed me was the silence among most Americans, most of whom with the shrug of the shoulders somehow think this is "just liberals bashing conservatives" or truly believe "we're fighting in a new kind of war."

But I did manage to get through this book, which will live as just one of the monuments to executive excess from the Bush Administration. From torture, rendition, warrantless wire-tapping and the whole gamut of abuses, Jane Mayer does a remarkable job of showing the extent of what went on despite the attempts by the Bush Administration to try to perpetrate it all "in the dark" outside of our view.

For anyone familiar with the Nuremberg trials, you find disturbing paralells and one can't help but wonder who within the Bush Administration should be indicted on war crimes. Ultimate responsibility goes to President Bush who allowed his legal staff to justify the most abhorent actions on the basis of war time powers granted to the Presidency, never minding that no formal declaration of war exists. That the "war on Terror" (a tactic not a group or nation state) was used as the basis of granting the executive authority to suspend habeaus corpus, ignore the Geneva Conventions, to torture or to send people to be tortured elsewhere by men such as David Addington and John Yoo rightly places these lawyers not only among the most incompetent and constitutionally challenged attorneys in history, but among the most despicable war criminals our nation has endured.

I generally try not to sound strident in a book review, but in this case, failure to sound strident against such abuses almost seems to appease or empower it.

What is Right Morally or Legally?

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This was a hard book to read and review because it told a story that depicted an America that I fundamentally believed was different. It was upsetting to read about the legal shenanigans played at high government levels and the resulting distorted legal interpretations that allowed our government to authorize and pursue actions against prisoners (both foreign and American) that were supposedly taboo for most of U.S. history, or at least not generally known or openly authorized activities. Classified legal authorizations and decisions which most people in need to know are not authorized to see, much less read, is a recipe for abuse and disaster--especially considering the accusation that the opinions were explicitly sought by higher government officials seeking any `legal' permission to act as they saw fit. Also, legal interpretations from `mediocre' legal experts are generally dangerous when taken to extremes. The out-sourcing to less scrupulous countries for interrogations and torture of key prisoners is in itself of questionable value and morality. The `legal' attempts to define torture more vaguely leads to many questionable actions that have led to some deaths, with no one held accountable. The congressman that allowed himself to be water boarded, to understand the technique, should be appalled for his bravery and dedication. Personally, I believe a definition of torture should come from someone who has experienced it, like Senator McCain, not some desk bound legal harlot, who sells his opinions for power and prestige.

The section on interrogation techniques brought back vivid and less pleasant memories of my own Air Force survival school training. It was unnerving to discover some of the experts consulted by the American government were ex-instructors from that same school.

In a world where ruthless behavior has become the norm, the world needs a legimate moral example and America has lost some its opportunity to be that moral compass. America stands to lose much in many respects and become more like the enemy it is fighting. I understand the argument that the American constitution is not a suicide pact but if America is permanently changed fundamentally for the worse by the decisions made thus far the enemy we fight has won the war in the long run--I pray that there is a better way to achieve the same objectives that will preserve a morally upright America, an America we can all remain proud of and believe in, and not constantly question.

This book should be read in conjunction with James Bamford's `The Shadow Factory' to understand the slippery slope where America finds itself.