See other Dead Constitution Articles
Title: Scarborough: '90% of Americans' would approve waterboarding
Source:
Raw Story
URL Source: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Scarb ... ricans_would_approve_1019.html
Published: Oct 19, 2007
Author: David Edwards and Jason Rhyne
Post Date: 2007-10-19 21:11:47 by Zipporah
Keywords: None
Views: 214
Comments: 18
In a discussion about US Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey's refusal to rule out waterboarding as a method of gathering intelligence during confirmation hearings this week, Scarborough said the technique had achieved proven results. "For those who don't know, waterboarding is what we did to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is the Al Qaeda number two guy that planned 9/11. And he talked," said Scarborough. "A lot of people say torture doesn't work, torture doesn't work. And I'm not here saying that we need to torture. I'm just saying, for the record it is a matter of historical record, that when we water boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, he started talking, and he kept talking." "If you ask Americans whether they think it's okay for us to waterboard in a controlled environment," the host said later, "the New York Times editorial board will not like the results of those polls because 90% of Americans will say 'yes.'" Asked later if he thought waterboarding qualified as torture, Scarborough wasn't so sure. "You know, that's the debate. Is waterboarding torture?" he asked. "I don't want the United States to engage in the type of torture that [Senator]John McCain had to endure." Scarborough said that even though McCain was a staunch opponent of torture, he pointed out that that torture had in fact "worked" on the senator. When co-host Willie Geist mentioned that waterboarding was "not a new phenomenon" and that it had "been pinned on the Bush administration for years and years," Scarborough made light of the subject. "They did it at a fraternity on hell night," he said. The following video is from MSNBC's Morning Joe, broadcast on October 19, 2007. 
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough says that the controversial interrogation tactic known as waterboarding -- a method of simulated drowning used by interrogators to extract information from subjects -- is an effective practice that most Americans would overwhelmingly approve of if asked.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Zipporah (#0)
Wow...guess I'm not 'American' any more.
.. so sickening.. he so disgusts me.
You can't imagine how heartbroken I was first time I was told I cant be for Americas soldiers in our US Army and not to be supporting all our president.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
Bogus bs. This guy, whoever he is, is nuts.
Joe is such a simple minded jerk. Well, duh, yes water boarding and other types of torture gets people talking, Joe, but what they say is often unreliable because they just want the torture to stop. Joe's a perfect example of what passes for journalism on American teevee. Can anyone imagine someone on the BBC, for example, saying what Joe said just said? It boggles the mind that Joe has gainful employment spouting off such hokum.
I would approve of waterboarding certain individuals in Washington to see what they know about 9/11...
Dumber people than me have done it.
Stare as all human feelings die, we are leaving - you don't need us.
Joe's a perfect example of what passes for journalism on American teevee. Can anyone imagine someone on the BBC, for example, saying what Joe said just said? It boggles the mind that Joe has gainful employment spouting off such hokum. How dare you use common sense? :P Maybe Joe should back to the witch trials and the use of such horrible means of torture and the confessions people made .. "Next, all four were bound, stripped (the women were allowed to wear their shifts), and thrown in the nearby Mill-pond. One of the accusers, a very thin man, immediately began to sink, but the rest of them floated. The other accuser, a woman, began to panic when she did not sink and asked that she be dunked to facilitate her sinking. When she floated back up she declared, "That she believed the Accused had bewitched her to make her so light, and that she would be duck'd again a Hundred Times, but she would duck the Devil out of her." Meanwhile the accused man, growing nervous, told the crowd that, "If I am a Witch, it is more than I know." Finally some of the spectators sensibly decided that anyone would try to swim if they were bound and dropped in water, and so they dragged all four people out of the water. However, they decided that the women's shifts might have helped them float and agreed that they would have to be tested again, naked, when the weather grew warmer. "
He confessed to everything but the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. Torture doesn't work. It puts our troopers in danger.
..did he admit that he was a witch too? Scarborough is a total asshole.
Chinese water torture is much less dangerous to the, um, interrogated. Just drip, drip, drip, on the forehead until the, um, interrogated says what you want to hear.
Danger? Hey who cares.. as long as they're brought to the edge of death.. BFD!
BTTT
Press 1 for English, Press 2 for English, Press 3 for deportation Death of Habeas Corpus: “Your words are lies, Sir.”
A Death in the Congressman's Office Does Anybody in the Press Care About Lori Klausutis? By Denis Wright and Chris George August 8, 2001 (APJP) Once upon a time, the phrase "investigative reporter" actually meant something. It usually involved hard work, possibly even mentation. Now, it seems, they just make stuff up. Especially on the Fox News Channel, where an uninitiated viewer could easily think she/he had tuned in Comedy Central. It's "Chandra- Chandra-Chandra" with the occasional "Condit is just like Clinton" thrown in. Given our media's 24/7 obsession with the Gary Condit "scandal", you might assume that there is a real dearth of hard news to pursue. In reality, there is indeed a news story percolating out there. The story bears remarkable and ironic similarities to the Condit/Levy story. Both involve Congressmen, rumors of infidelity, and the fate of a younger female subordinate. The details are so similar as to remind one of two alternate universes. The difference between the two stories? First, in the Klausutis case as not in the Levy case, there is a real body, very dead. Second, the Klausutis case involves a Republican. The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a few very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest Florida Daily News, they were of the "Aw-what-a-shame/ nothing-to-see-here-move-along- now-folks" variety. But nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column: "FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide." Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons. Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became. Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the elements of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, where he presumably made a good livelihood. Although Lori hailed from the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the Emerald Coast Young Republicans and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough, she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She was a kind, generous person, so sweet. Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found slumped next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a constituent services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul play, nor were there signs of suicide. Scarborough's office released a statement several hours after the discovery: "My staff and family are greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Klausutis. I know Lori will be missed by the thousands of citizens who regularly contact my office to seek assistance with a variety of problems. May God grant Lori's family the grace, comfort and hope that will get them through this difficult time." The Congressman returned to Florida that same day, and his office was quick to point out that it was not unusual for him to fly home for the weekend. There was a great deal of ambiguity over whether Lori had suffered past medical problems. Scarborough's press secretary, Miguel Serrano, made mention of health problems in Lori's past, but could not be more specific. In response, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue is quoted as saying "That's part of our investigation, checking into her medical history." Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland said "She had a past medical history that was significant, but it remains to be seen whether that played a role in her death". Soon after a member of the immediate family rejected out of hand that Lori had any significant medical problems. She was, in fact, quite an athlete, having recently run an 8K with a very respectable time and she belonged to the Northwest Florida Track Club. The results of the mandated autopsy, however, were deemed "inconclusive" by Dr. Berkland, who ordered more specific toxicology tests. These results were expected by the middle of the following week, around the first or second day of August. Dr. Berkland commented at the time "This turns over several puzzle pieces in the case of her death and reveals more of the picture". Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune. Michael Berkland, it turns out, has a very interesting background himself. Recently relocated to Florida, it is a matter of public record that Dr. Berkland's medical license in the state of Missouri was revoked in 1998 as a result of Berkland reporting false information regarding brain tissue samples in a 1996 autopsy report. Berkland does not deny the charges. It's also a matter of public record that he was suspended from his position as Medical Examiner in the State of Florida in July, 1999. Quincy, he's not. Repeated requests to Dr. Stephen Nelson, Chairman of the Medical Examiners Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have failed to verify that Dr. Berkland's suspension was lifted and that his licensure and disciplinary record are clear at the present time. Dr. Nelson was appointed Chairman of the Commission by Governor Jeb Bush. As for Lori Klausutis, rumors began to swirl as time passed with no resolution to the case, rumors that included whispers of suicide, some emanating from inside the Beltway. Family members, angered at what they considered unfair and exploitive coverage wrote the editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News, Ralph Routon, saying "For those who knew Lori, the thought of suicide, as your published reports suggested, is absolutely unthinkable. Suicide was contrary to her faith and being. She did not suffer from seizures, nor did she have a history of medical problems." Meanwhile, the final report has been issued that Lori died as a result of a blow to the head because an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to collapse and fall, hitting her head on the desk. The initial reports from the Medical Examiner's office denied any trauma to the body that would indicate cause of death. But Berkland acknowledged on Monday, August 6th, that Lori had sustained a "scratch and a bruise" on her head and that his original denials were to prevent undue speculation about the cause of death. "The last thing we wanted was 40 questions about a head injury", he said. And so, what we have here is the death of a healthy young woman who died of a blow to the head and a lie from the Medical Director's office about this blow which was quite obvious to the naked eye. They then had to go search for some reason why she might have "fallen" and hit her head. And they have found an "undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia". But a number of questions remain to be answered, and we have requested opinions from Dr. Nelson, the Chairman of the Medical Examiners Commission. The questions are: - Were Lori's medical records thoroughly examined for any evidence of the pre- existing heart condition? It would seem that someone must have examined her heart if she ran 8Ks. - Did Dr. Berkland personally examine the site of death in undisturbed condition in order to support his later conclusion that the physical evidence was compatible with his later conclusions? Presumably the heart valve condition alluded to is Mitral Valve Prolapse. This may be associated with arrhythmias, but rarely with VTach (ventricular tachycardia) or VFib (ventricular fibrillation), the only arrhythmias which would stop the flow of blood to the brain. Generally, with syncope of whatever cause the "guarding reflex", wherein one raises a hand to protect the head, is preserved. There are several problems with the head injury. Generally, for a closed head injury to cause bleeding inside the skull, there is a much more severe injury on the outside of the skull. Do the autopsy notes, indeed, describe such a severe injury on the outside of the skull? In fact, the only closed head injury which usually may cause bleeding inside the skull involves a fracture of the temporal bone, with rupture of the underlying artery. The most important discrepancy that should be answered is how intracranial bleeding could continue if the cardiac arrhythmia had caused a cessation of blood flow to the brain! - Were the toxicology studies entirely negative? Was there evidence of any legal or illegal substance in the blood stream which could have caused her to lose consciousness? - Was she pregnant? If so, were fetal blood specimens obtained to determine paternity? These are the questions being asked by some in the medical community of Dr. Stephen Nelson and Dr. Michael Berkland, and they continue to go unanswered. Why is there a complete media blackout on this story? Why the complete preoccupation with the similar but largely speculative Condit/Levy story? What does this say about the state of our press? What does corporate ownership of the press do to what gets to be news? How much of what we think we know as fact is actually based on selective and distorted reporting? How does that "fair and balanced" cable network explain the complete hypocrisy and contempt for truth in their handling of these two similar tales? Will we ever know the truth of how Lori Klausutis died? Three Pivotal Questions by the Editors September 1, 2001 (APJP) -- Over at The American Prospect's message board thread concerning this very article, Phoenix Woman has asked a trolling Scarborough "defender" three pivotal questions. We'd love to know the answers ourselves: 1) If Lori's death was just a simple accident, then why did Rep. Scarborough and his spokesman Miguel Serrano feel the need to go to two different local TV stations within three hours of her body's being found and invent a nonexistent history of chronic medical conditions for her -- in other words, why did they feel the need to lie about Lori's health? 2) Would you trust without question the word of a Medical Examiner who lost his ME license in two separate states (Missouri and Florida) because he LIED about his autopsy work (for instance, saying he had autopsied some brains when he hadn't)? 3) Why should whoever wrote Ms. Klausutis's obituary feel it was appropriate to mention nearly everything about her life -- EXCEPT where she'd been working since 1999? A recent check of the Young Republican's web site found no mention of Lori or her contributions, nor any tribute to her memory nor comments about her passing. In fact, you will find no mention of her at all. If you go to The Pensacola News Journal's online pages, one of the few papers that actually covered the story, and search the site for "Klausutis" you will come up empty, even though the same search will pull up numerous stories matching "Scarborough". It seems as though someone wants to erase all traces of Lori Klausutis from the record and bury the story with her. It's an increasingly puzzling case. We are reminded of the famous Kitty Genovese case, in New York, in 1964, where a young woman pleaded for her life over the period of 30 minutes, while neighbors ignored her cries. The assailant returned three times to stab her. With Lori Klausutis, it seems possible that a corrupt North Florida establishment is determined to keep the lid on the case, even if that means silencing the news. And our esteemed news media, from the supposed mainstream liberal press stalwarts to the near delusional on air shouters of the channel that just reports so that you can decide, willingly turn the other way and ignore Lori Klausutis. But they continue to chatter endlessly in speculation over Chandra Levy. In so doing, they ignore the cries of truth, they deny their viewers access to the truth and they utterly, once and for all, betray our faith and trust in the media.
90% of Americans' would approve waterboarding of Joe Scarborough, perhaps. I like Joe, but sometimes he's really full of shit and this is one such time.
He zigged left, then lost his show. So now he will zag right and claim he's a nazi again. No one approves of torture, except those freaks who still support Bush.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
Yeah 24% .. you know if Americans are the stupidest people on the planet.. what does that make the 24% who still support Bush?
Hey Joe, How's that intern Lori doing these days? How is it that she cracked her skull up and died of asphyxiation??? Waterboarding is nothing compared to out right murder is it Joey? I hope that when you take your last breath Joey, you feel a little of what Lori felt when she died in your office.
Dying for old bastards, and their old money, isn't my idea of freedom.
Remember...G-d saved more animals than people on the ark. www.siameserescue.org
#2. To: who knows what evil (#1)
#3. To: who knows what evil (#1)
Wow...guess I'm not 'American' any more.
#4. To: Zipporah (#0)
#5. To: Zipporah (#0)
I'm just saying, for the record it is a matter of historical record, that when we water boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, he started talking, and he kept talking."
#6. To: Zipporah (#0)
#7. To: Zipporah (#0)
'90% of Americans' would approve waterboarding
I've already said too much.
#8. To: scrapper2 (#5)
Joe is such a simple minded jerk. Well, duh, yes water boarding and other types of torture gets people talking, Joe, but what they say is often unreliable because they just want the torture to stop.
#9. To: Zipporah (#0)
(Edited)
"For those who don't know, waterboarding is what we did to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is the Al Qaeda number two guy that planned 9/11. And he talked," said Scarborough. "
#10. To: Fred Mertz (#9)
#11. To: Zipporah (#0)
#12. To: rack42 (#11)
#13. To: Zipporah (#0)
#14. To: Zipporah (#0)
#15. To: Zipporah (#0)
#16. To: Zipporah (#0)
#17. To: Mekons4 (#16)
#18. To: Zipporah (#0)
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest