Tag Archives: Gitmo

May200925

Jacob

1

The Current #137

The Current #137
Hosts: Jacob Bodnar and Logan Sparrow

Topics (bolded topics are available as separate audio segments below): Obama/Cheney spar on torture and Gitmo, Pentagon report shows 1 in 7 Gitmo detainees went back to terrorism, Pelosi stonewalls question on CIA comments, lawmakers divided on whether Pelosi knew or not, 12 of 16 Congressmen under investigation are democrats, US close to losing AAA rating, Obama says we’re running out of money, GM to head into bankruptcy, Obama’s new fuel standards, Republicans happier than Democrats, Gaffama of the week, Paid Vacation act introduced, and Woman hand cuffed and fined for not holding escalator rail.

The word of the week is Torture…and Gitmo
Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney had competing speeches this week about torture and Guantanamo Bay. Both speeches were opposite of each other. Obama said that torture didn’t work and we need to shut down Gitmo, Cheney said torture worked and Gitmo needs to remain open. What specifically did each have to say, and who’s right?
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/obama_cheney137.mp3]

We’re out of Money but don’t worry I’m Spending More
It was released this week that the United States is dangerously close to losing it’s AAA rating. Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner has correctly said we need to lower the deficit, but he didn’t mention spending cuts just “policies” that need to be adjusted. Could he be talking tax increases? Probably. Also, Obama said this week we’ve run out of money and then tried to defend spending billions more on health care. Listen to how he’s trying to deceive the public about our debt.
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/deficit_spending137.mp3]

The Real Criminals
Ya know the handrails on escalators, who really uses those? Well apparently if you’re in Montreal, Canada and you don’t use them you can be fined upwards of $100. Just ask Bela Kosoian, she wasn’t just fined $100 she was placed in a “small holding cell” as well. All for not holding the rail.
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/escalator_fine137.mp3]

You’ll hear all those topic and much more in the full episode.

FULL EPISODE
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/thecurrentep137_96.mp3]

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64kbps | 96kbps

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May200922

Jacob

0

The Bodcast #25

Heads up to all, I’ll be doing a live episode of The Bodcast every Friday at 8pm from now on. The show will be broadcast live on UStream every Friday.

Here is the replay from Friday May 22, 2009, a high quality audio version is available below the video.

Video Version

Audio Version
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/bodcast/audio/bodcast_25.mp3]

–jb

Jan200926

Jacob

0

The Current #122

I’ve used up all my burn sayings
Seriously, I can’t think of anymore sayings, song titles, or movie quotes with the word burn in them. Maybe that would make a good burning question? Hmmm…either way, last week’s question was about the old administration, so this week’s question is about the new administration.
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/question_122.mp3]

Here’s how you can answer…
Comment on this post
Email question@thecurrentpodcast.com
Text/video response to the YouTube video (available Tuesday)

The Coronation of Barack Obama
Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a “coronation” in the technical sense, but there were a lot of screaming and crying people. Jacob and Logan discuss how the speech might have been a little cliche, and they also play audio from an after party hosted by some rappers that will shock you.
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/inauguration_122.mp3]

Hitting the Ground Running
It didn’t take long for Obama to get some things done, well actually undo things. In his few first days he signed orders to close down Guantanamo Bay, use only the Army Field Manual for interrogation, and setup a panel to review inmates at Gitmo. Jacob and Logan both think all three orders lower our national security, however will Obama actually go through with it?
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/gitmo_122.mp3]

Unsportsmanlike or a lesson in failure?
There was an interesting story this week that had Jacob torn. A girls basketball team in Texas defeated another team 100-0. According to spectators at the game the victorious team continued to hit three point shots, even after being up 59-0 at halftime. Because of this mess the winning coach was fired, meanwhile the losing team, who only had eight girls on the team (most of which had never played basketball), were invited to a suite to watch an NBA game. Did this situation go too far?
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/segments/basketball_122.mp3]

FULL EPISODE
[audio:http://www.thecurrentpodcast.com/episodes/thecurrentep122_96.mp3]

DOWNLOAD 64kbps | 96kbps

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Jan200923

Jacob

2

Don’t Make it Obvious

Barack Obama signed a few executive orders yesterday.

One set a timetable for the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. The other telegraphed to our enemies what they can expect from interrogators when they’re captured.

You think I’m kidding? I’m not.

The executive order signed by Obama forces all government agencies to adhere to the Army Field Manual’s guidelines for interrogation. This means no more “enhanced interrogation” by the CIA. The major problem with this order is that the Army Field Manual is available online in a PDF format. Again, if you don’t believe me check it out here.

So if the only interrogation methods allowed are published online for the whole world to see, what’s the point of even using interrogation methods. The idea behind these methods is to force information out of a suspect, either by using logic in words, or by using physical force. However, if the terrorists are trained against these methods, it becomes a lot easier for them to keep their mouths shut.

In yesterday’s press conference Robert Gibbs insisted that the orders signed by the President were intended to make America safer. How does handing our enemy our interrogation manual make us any safer? The left operates on the notion that if the rest of the world likes us somehow we’ll be safer.

Uh…no.

Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah don’t care how France or Russia feels about the United States. They’re going to attack us regardless of the world’s public opinion.

However, The Politico is reporting that these new executive orders may just be a move to please the far left.

There may be less than meets the eye to the executive orders President Obama issued yesterday to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and prohibit the torture of prisoners in American custody. Those pronouncements may sound dramatic and unequivocal, but experts predict that American policy towards detainees could remain for months or even years pretty close to what it was as President Bush left office.

The Politico also points out that while Obama did order all agencies to use only the Army Field Manual, he is also putting together a commission to determine other methods that are appropriate.

However, the order also created an interagency commission which will have six months to examine whether to create “additional or different guidance” for non-military agencies such as the CIA.

The good news is that there is a way out of this insanity. The bad news is it’s being decided by yet another commission. What is with the government and forming commissions on everything? Where are the leaders that will just make the decisions? Do you think our founding fathers put together commissions to make every decision?

Here’s what Obama should do. He should tell the CIA interrogators and anyone else interrogating terrorists to be creative but use their better judgment. If they think a method might be borderline torture, don’t do it. If they’re caught committing torture, they’re fired.

Instead of putting his trust in some stupid commission, Obama should put his trust in the people handling these terrorists. Let them make the decisions about the methods to use, but give them a stern warning that he doesn’t want any funny business.

We’re already telling the enemy when we’re leaving Iraq, we just told them yesterday how we’ll be interrogating them, what’s next? Are we going to give them the nuke codes?

–jb