Conservativism in practice 1

NAOMI KLEIN: I mean, what we just saw was lawmakers knowingly voting in favor of someone who has said that one of the classic modern torture techniques -- I mean, the classic torture techniques of the French in Algeria, for instance, were simulated drowning, electroshock and rape. These are the three main tools of contemporary torture. And this is a man who has said to the world that one of those key techniques, simulated drowning, water torture, is not illegal. So, with that knowledge, he was just endorsed.

And to elevate a man who has said this to the highest legal office in the country, I think, just puts everyone of those lawmakers, but particularly the Democrats who voted for him, into bold new territory. They have just crossed a line, because they can no longer pin this on Bush. They can no longer claim ignorance. Anyone who faces these techniques in the future, they will be complicit in those war crimes, in those crimes against humanity -- everybody who voted for this man.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071119/klein

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• conservative
• libertarian
• bush
• cheney
• ron
• paul
• shock
• doctrine
• naomi
• klein
• amy
• goodman

[fazoolius]

Pretty good investment if you ask me. $19,000 per year in insurance premiums to have your house saved. Hey, if you can afford it, do it. If not, stop whining and deal with life!

[madashelldude]

It's a scam. That $19,000 should have gone to taxes towards R&D preventing Global Warming the last 30 years, ever since Ronald Reagan removed Carter's solar panels from the WH roof. It is pretty stupid to think you are going to save your house year after year while your neighbors burn down: eventually no private insurance will save you. Also who wants to live in the middle of a neighborhood that's being devastated at an increased frequency as the planet burns up?!

[youngseandunn]

"stupid to think you are going to save your house year after year while your neighbors burn down: eventually no private insurance will save you" - it will save your wealth, which is the point. However your comments about global warming are substantially misguided. If global warming were to "Cause" wildfires that consistently put certain regions in jeopardy, insurance premiums will increase for those regions. Consequently, less people will demand high-risk property.

[madashelldude]

"substantially misguided" - now we are debating metaphysics....gosh you gotta love bs experts ;) Ok, if I am "misguided" the worst thing that will happen is we create a couple million jobs in the new energy sector, if your side is "misguided" and all major experts, and oh i dunno, major re-insurance companies in Zürich are correct we are in for weather and property damage extremes just before all life ends on the planet. "cost benefit analysis" anyone?!

[madashelldude]

google "reinsurance climate change":

Last February's Davos Conference set the tone. The Lloyd's delegation, headed by Chairman Lord Levene, told business leaders that it aimed to make them aware "that the past five years cannot be seen as a simple spike, but an indication of a growing trend of the rising economic costs of natural and man-made catastrophes."

You know they employ actuaries and they have the best experts money can buy....

[madashelldude]

google "Reinsurer warns of climate change":

Losses to insurers from natural disasters nearly doubled this year to just below $30 billion globally after an unusually quiet 2006, reinsurer Munich Re said Thursday, from winter storms in Europe, flooding in Britain and wildfires in the United States.

(...)

Wildfires in the United States in October caused insured losses of $1.9 billion

[bestinhouse]

Naomi Klein is the sexiest woman on earth. And she should be appointed attorney general with full subpoena power and right to arrest, impeach, and bring to trial all these criminals.

[highway234]

the real question to ask is, what if YOUR mom got rounded up and tortured because someone ELSE who was tortured falsely accused her of being a terrorist just so the torture would stop? guess you'd be all right with that, yes?

remember, most of these people are ultimately getting released without charges. there's no accountability, therefore the system isn't working and lots of innocent people are being tortured.

this is something youre helping happen by publicly supporting it.

[lacan75]

saludos desde el México zapatista..grande Naomi

[beancube2008]

Insurance companies need profit not jobs. Baby boomers are the major subscribers and executionists. They don't afraid of wars for there are profits. Rebuilding something what people lost does require new skill or innovation of disastor proofed measure. Anything burned down is still going to be burned down after rebuild.

[MariannaZF]

Thank you for posting this.

Good on you Naomi Klein, expose them.

[youngseandunn]

I disagree that most Americans are "proud" of torture. I believe that most Americans are afraid of a possible alternative - that a un-tortured terrorist will withhold information that could save American lives.

For the record, i do not subscribe to such a belief.