Keep quiet about secret flights to secret jails, Rice tells Europe

[emad]

Times
From David Charter in Washington



CONDOLEEZZA RICE challenged European leaders to back controversial American anti-terrorism tactics yesterday as she robustly defended the CIA’s extrajudicial seizure, transportation and interrogation of thousands of suspects.

In a defiant statement delivered before flying to Berlin, the US Secretary of State responded to European demands for explanations of secret CIA flights from EU territory by insisting that aggressive US actions had “prevented attacks in Europe” and “saved innocent lives”.

Despite the uproar in Europe over America’s “extraordinary rendition” of suspects to countries such as Afghanistan, and claims that secret CIA prisons are located in Romania and Poland, Dr Rice said that she expected American allies to co-operate and keep quiet about sensitive anti-terrorism operations.

Abandoning the emollient tone that she has adopted towards Europe during her 11 months in office, she pointedly reminded European governments that they had helped the US for years in a “lawful” policy of rendition — the removal of suspects to third countries for interrogation.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1905660,00.html

[emad]

1. "CIA's new, low-cost, no-frills budget airline service 'Queasy-Jet'

just competing with all the other passeneger carriers on that all-important cross-Atlantic Cuban route".....

[Deep13]

2. Ixnay on the Ulaggay!

[tyne]

14. Good one!

"Ixnay on the Ulaggay!"

:rofl:

You should send that one in to Jon Stewart.

Pepsi

[newyawker99]

15. Hi tyne!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[tanyev]

3. Or else what, Condi?

[Lyle]

9. "Thank you for flying Air Torture"

"Your seat cushions may be used as a torture device. Please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened (around your neck)."

[emad]

4. 'Renditions save lives': Condoleezza Rice's full statement

The FULL RANT:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1905274,00.html


JUST one thought: "Rendition" - is that connected to the word rendering, as in evisceration carried out inj abbattoirs?

[emad]

5. Meanwhile: An innocent man's five months in CIA 'salt pit'

An innocent man's five months in CIA 'salt pit'
From David Charter in Washington



A GERMAN citizen held by the CIA in Afghanistan for five months is to start a lawsuit against the US Administration.
The case of Khalid Masri highlights the pitfalls of “extraordinary rendition”, says the American Civil Liberties Union, which backs his case.


Mr Masri, a father of five and of Lebanese origin, was detained in Macedonia on New Year’s Eve 2003 on suspicion of having a false passport and because his name sounded like that of an al-Qaeda suspect.

He was held for 23 days in a windowless motel room before the head of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Centre’s al-Qaeda unit in Skopje persuaded the Macedonians to hand him over.

A former CIA official told The Washington Post that the local agency chief “believed he was someone else”. The official added: “She didn’t really know. She just had a hunch.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1905661,00.html

[Peace Patriot]

6. Who ARE these prisoners, really? Do they have anything at all to do

with "terrorism," or are they Bush Cartel enemies--people who might expose their crimes--whose detention without trial, torture and deaths are being given the cover of anti-terrorism?

Anybody here think the Bush Cartel cares one hoot about your safety or that of the American people, or anybody else in the world?

I don't. And so I'm wondering who these people are, who are being whisked away on "black" flights to nowhere, with no names, no rights, no recourse at all to third party help, and who are at the complete mercy of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice?

People being 'disappeared.' People being tortured. People wholly without human rights of any kind, not even a right to be known. Not even the right to a marked grave.

Pinochet. Stalin. Hitler. Is this junta any better than these?

[Peace Patriot]

13. Not one single public accusation, not one single prosecution, not one

single lawful imprisonment has resulted from ANY of the secret detentions of these so-called "enemy combatants." Not one!!!

And so, I ask again: WHO ARE THEY?

Nor has there been any visible purpose or result from the indefinite detention without charge, torture and deaths of ANY of these unlawfully held people. And, at this point, after years in US torture chambers, who could believe anything they said? They have been rendered useless as witnesses, and unprosecutable by any real court, with such treatment.

So, WHY ARE THEY BEING HELD? Is THAT the point--to render them useless as witnesses? Witneses to what--besides Bush Cartel war crimes within these hell-hole prisons?

I have grown exceedingly suspicious of this whole story--and of Rice's defense of it. Who have you got there in a black hole cell in middle Europe, Condi? Enemies of Chevron? Waivering participants in 9/11 who know what really went down? Whistleblowers? Covert arms dealers who wouldn't play along with your nefarious schemes?

WHO ARE THEY?

[Punkingal]

7. I wish someone would tell her...

to go fuck herself. That would just make my day.

[sui generis]

8. Condoleeza Rice is practicing TERRORISM

in this speech she threatened not to work with European countries that were under threat of terrorism.

I take that to mean, if we had intel of a threat, we would not share it with countries that had displeased us.

Witholding knowledge of terrorist activities is how she justifies torture of alleged terrorists, and we have gone to great lengths to equate inaction on terrorism with support of terrorism.

So Condoleeza Rice has advocated the use of terrorism against allies who don't support our torture policy.

[warrens]

10. I heard that psychotic bitch on NPR this morning

With that quavering, self-righteous, squeaky voice, just OFFENDED that anyone would think us capable of even THINKING about torture. They tell a dozen lies before breakfast, this bunch.

[Loonman]

11. Hey, Condi what do you say!

How many lies have you told today?

[sniffa]

12. o muerta!

tough taLk from a chickenhawk.