Geheime Staatspolizei

President of the Universe George Dubya has acknowledged the existence of "secret" CIA prisons. The word "secret" is important there. What "secret" means is that the world did not know about them and consequently that they were not subject to any scrutiny whatsoever. In other words, while the world could rant and complain about the inhuman treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo, Dubya set up other prisons out of sight of the general public. "Secret" is never for a good reason. Not in a democracy.

Dictators on the other hand- they love secrets. Hitler, for example, had his very own "Secret" police. I'm not sure about the spelling behind the acronym for his Secret State Police - GESTAPO (Geheime Staatspolizei). What is sure is that whatever the naughty Dubya wanted to do, was better off being done in secret. At least Dubya thinks so.

Bush claims that these GESTAPO-style prisons were a valid tool in the war on terror and that they gathered intelligence that saves lives. He assured the world that the CIA/GESTAPO treated the prisoners humanely. And why did Bush decide to share his little secret with the world?

Mr Bush said he was making a limited disclosure of the CIA programme because interrogation of the men it held was now complete and because a US Supreme Court decision had stopped the use of military commissions for trials.

Don't you just love him? The GESTAPO programme was complete. So now that nothing is going on we get the right to know about it. The US Supreme Court ruled against Bush's methods of interrogation and imprisonment - so Bush CHOSE to stop. Let me see. How much choice does one have when a court orders you to do something? Normally not much. Unless you can afford to ignore the courts. Which would not be very democratic.

Mr Bush said the CIA had used an "alternative set of procedures", agreed with the justice department, once suspects had stopped talking. But he said: "The US does not torture. I have not authorised it and I will not."

More delusions of grandeur. We will never know what the euphemism "alternative set of procedures" really means. Dubya says that the US does not torture... and then he goes on to say that he has not authorised it... as though it were in his power to authorise it and we are just being granted clemency by this magnanimous world leader.

(...)

- Daddy why does Bush want to invade Iran? - Because Iran is a dangerous country with a dangerous leader and now it will have nukes. - So daddy, if every country with a dangerous leader and nukes should be attacked and disarmed...

Yeah yeah. I know you've read it all before. But it still baffles me to this day.

source: BBC NEWS