In American prisons scattered across the various countries of the world, but outside the United States, prisoners are regularly raped, hung from hooks, subjected to waterboarding, burned, attached to electrodes, deprived of food, water or medicine, attacked by dogs, or beaten until their bones are broken. When on American military bases or on American territory, they are subjected to sensory deprivation or other systematic mistreatment of the senses. A hat is put on them to stop them from hearing anything, a hood to stop them seeing anything, surgical masks to prevent them being able to smell, thick gloves to neutralize their sense of touch. Or they have “white noise” inflicted on them, or else violent noise and total silence alternate at irregular intervals. They are prevented from sleeping, either by having a strong electric light kept on day and night, or by subjecting them to interrogation that can last for up to 24 hours at a time, for 48 days in succession. Or they are forced to pass from extreme cold to extreme heat, and vice versa. None of these techniques, it is alleged, cause the “deterioration of bodily functions” that would constitute torture

.. read more

U.S. Embassy in Syria Halts Operations as Violence Flares

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/egypt-will-try-19-americans-on-criminal-charges.html?scp=3&sq=egypt&st=cse

Egypt Defies U.S. by Setting Trial for 19 Americans on Criminal Charges

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/asia/us-drone-strikes-are-said-to-target-rescuers.html?scp=1&sq=drone&st=cse

U.S. Said to Target Rescuers at Drone Strike Sites

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/technology/06iht-acta06.html?scp=2&sq=intellectua;l&st=cse

A New Question of Internet Freedom

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/europe/focus-on-french-economy-fuels-gains-by-national-front.html?scp=9&sq=france&st=cse

Focus on French Economy Fuels Gains by Far Right

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/europe/europe-struggles-to-deal-with-cold-and-snow.html?scp=1&sq=europe&st=cse

Hundreds of Deaths as Europe Struggles With Snow Amid an Intense Cold Snap

Jobless Rate Falls to 8.3%, Altering Face of Campaign

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/activists-fight-green-projects-seeing-un-plot.html?scp=1&sq=activists&st=cse

Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/nyregion/raymond-w-kelly-nypd-commissioner-runs-into-turbulence.html?scp=3&sq=11&st=cse

After 11 Years, a Police Leader Hits Turbulence

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/florida-lawmaker-withdraws-casino-bill.html?scp=2&sq=florida&st=cse

Florida Mega-Casino Bill Is Withdrawn

Romney Isn’t Concerned, by Paul Krugman

“Conservatism without compassion.”

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http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/the-komen-foundation-apologizes-reverses-on-planned-parenthood/?ref=opinion

The Komen Foundation Apologizes, Reverses on Planned Parenthood, by Andrew Rosenthal

“At a time when political leaders never admit fault and rarely accept responsibility, the Komen foundation did both, and that’s worth celebrating.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/opinion/brooks-how-to-fight-the-man.html?ref=opinion

How to Fight The Man, by David Brooks

“A fogie’s advice on how to beat the fogies.”

Live, From the Supreme Court

“There is no cause to think that live broadcasts will diminish the dignity of the court.”

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http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/the-war-on-organized-labor/?ref=opinion

The War on Organized Labor, by Andrew Rosenthal

“Slowly but surely, across the country, Republican governors and state legislatures are making progress in their war against labor unions.”

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http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/whats-a-republican-feminist-to-do/?ref=opinion

What’s a Republican Feminist To Do?, by Jamie Stiehm

“It is not news that the Republican Party has moved further right on social issues over the past few decades.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/opinion/kristof-where-are-the-romney-republicans.html?ref=opinion

Where Are the Romney Republicans?, by Nicholas D. Kristof

“‘George Romney Republicans,’ that is.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/opinion/collins-mitt-speaks-oh-no.html?ref=opinion

Mitt Speaks. Oh, No!, by Gail Collins

“Whenever the topic turns to wealth, or the lack thereof, some inner demon seems to make Romney say something that sounds ridiculous, offensive or ridiculously offensive.”

On Wednesday, House Republicans ordered Capitol police to arrest Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Gasland,” along with his crew. The group was attempting to film a meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment that was to discuss hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking” .. Fox faces a court hearing on February 15 on charges of “unlawful entry.” As an independent filmmaker, Fox called on congress to make all meetings and hearings accessible to independent journalists. “The truth that fracking contaminates groundwater is out, and no amount of intimidation tactics – either outright challenges to science or the arrest of journalists – will put the genie back in the bottle,” he stated.

we’re being China-fied in the US – mab .. read more

Staring at Empty Pages

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http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/eric-boehlert/41030/how-fox-news-is-destroying-the-republican-party

How Fox News Is Destroying the Republican Party

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http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/dave-johnson/41020/democracy-v-plutocracy-unions-v-servitude

Democracy v. Plutocracy, Unions v. Servitude

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http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/richard-eskow/41002/are-schneiderman-and-liberal-groups-selling-out-to-obama-on-bank-fraud

Are Schneiderman and Liberal Groups Selling Out to Obama on Bank Fraud?

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http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/james-richard-armstrong-ii/41009/what-would-jesus-do-probably-not-what-block-by-block-sms-holdings-would-do

“What Would Jesus Do?”… Probably Not What Block By Block < SMS Holdings Would Do….

Jobs, Jobs and Cars, by Paul Krugman

“It takes a cluster, not just heroes.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/opinion/blow-lunar-colonies-lunacy-and-losses.html?ref=opinion

Lunar Colonies, Lunacy and Losses, by Charles M. Blow

“Could the Republican presidential contest be anymore unpredictable?”

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http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/dont-mind-the-gap/?scp=1&sq=don’t%20mind%20the%20gap&st=cse

Don’t Mind the Gap, by Andrew Kohut

“Americans are fine with inequality. They just want a fair shot.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/opinion/the-mississippi-delta-must-be-restored.html?ref=opinion

Mississippi Delta Must Be Restored, by Randy Fertel

“Congress should use the billions expected in fines from the BP spill.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/opinion/brooks-hope-but-not-much-change.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Hope, But Not Much Change, by David Brooks

“Honey, who shrunk the agenda?”

Andrew Adler, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, a weekly newspaper serving Atlanta’s Jewish community, devoted his January 13, 2012 column to the thorny problem of the U.S. and Israel’s diverging views on the threat posed by Iran. Basically Israel has three options, he wrote: Strike Hezbollah and Hamas, strike Iran, or “order a hit” on Barack Obama. Either way, problem solved!

Chemi Shalev in Haaretz writes “I know, and most of you know, that Adler’s crazy and criminal suggestions are not the ranting of some loony-tune individual and were not taken out of thin air” – Adler, meanwhile, has resigned – mab .. read more

Ten Steps for Radical Revolution in the US

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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/richard-eskow/40951/death-of-an-ordinary-housecat

Death of an Ordinary Housecat

Montana Takes On Citizens United

“Last month, in a 5-to-2 vote, the Montana Supreme Court rejected [Citizens United] and upheld a part of a state anticorruption law banning corporations from making political expenditures from general treasuries.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/opinion/bruni-the-gusts-of-gingrich.html?ref=opinion

The Gusts of Gingrich, by Frank Bruni

“In this election, hot air has fresh currency.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/opinion/brooks-free-market-socialism-.html?ref=opinion

Free-Market Socialism, by David Brooks

“More freedom, more support.”

Al Baraka

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c42ea056-4386-11e1-adda-00144feab49a.html

To disrupt what had appeared to be an unstoppable march toward war with Iran, gaining momentum in December and early January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta intervened with his own rendition of “Let me be clear.” Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Jan. 8, and apparently unsure whether host Bob Schieffer would have the courage to ask the $64 question, Panetta decided to ask it himself rhetorically: “Are they [the Iranians] trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.” Yet, in a highly illustrative example of media hypersensitivity on this issue, PBS was not even willing to let the Defense Secretary’s comment reach the ears of the network’s listeners. Its “NewsHour” program deleted Panetta’s emphatic “no” and played only his subsequent comment: “But we know that they are trying to develop a nuclear capability. And that’s what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us.”

.. read more

Newt’s Southern Strategy, by Charles M. Blow

“The ‘elite’ media, minority ‘privilege’ and Obama’s ‘otherness’.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/opinion/collins-opening-newts-marriage.html?ref=opinion

Opening Newt’s Marriage, by Gail Collins

“No Chevrolet jokes, please.”