The memo written by John Yoo which permitted DoD officials and employees to use "coercive interrogation techniques," what we commonly call torture, was released publicly yesterday. Yoo wrote the memo in his capacity in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel and can be considered as a legal shield for those who violated the law. The Bush Administration put him in this position precisely so he would write these legal opinions granting them unlimited, extra legal, unconstitutional powers.
Every person who authorized or inflicted torture on human beings in our names did so because of Yoo's memo. Of course no one is actually above the law and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney could face indictment and conviction in Congress, something called impeachment, for these crimes.
I'm reading Naomi Klein's landmark book "Shock Doctrine" and in it she maintains the use of torture is necessary, in most cases, for corporatists to inflict their shock economic principles on an unwilling, uncooperative society. This flagrant authorization and use of torture by the Bush Administration sends chills down my spine as I read her book and see how everything from the past seven years is finally coming together to make sense.
The biggest question, of course, is, exactly why did George W. Bush invade Iraq? Why did he justify his invasion of that country by saying we were bringing "democracy" to Iraq? Why is there so little effective government in Iraq and why is there such rampant and open corruption with no accountability? The answers are all in this book.
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