Sanitized For Your Protection

If you needed further evidence of how much of a bubble the residents of the Empire live, work, shop and play in, look no further than this piece appearing in the nation's paper of record. Purporting to discuss the issue of high governmental officials' involvement in the despicable practice of torturing suspects to obtain information (or, perhaps, just for the hell of it), the reporter cannot or has been forbidden to actually use the word "torture." So, what we have instead are the creative use of euphemisms: "brutal techniques," "harsh interrogation methods," "harsh treatment," "aggressive techniques," and finally, "abuse," this last coming from an actual person, Sen. Carl Levin, who should know better. Of course, this is not new, or novel, in any way; residents of the Empire do not wish to gaze upon the truth about themselves and their complicity in rape, murder, genocide, and torture in their Imperial adventures. Chaos could say a good deal more about how the words one uses defines their reality, limits their options for action, etc., but really, what would be the purpose? The most uncomfortable fact is that there exists in this benighted nation a large percentage of the population who approves of these barbaric practices, and why would anyone expect this to change?

Change You Can Believe In...Not

Periodic Special Torture Edition:

Item: President Obama preserves the right of the CIA to outsource torture, i.e., the euphemistic "extraordinary rendition," in which agents kidnap "suspected" terrorists, and transport them to countries who are willing and able to torture them at the US' behest. The mangling of the language to accomodate the conduct is notable:

"The role of the CIA's controversial prisoner-transfer program may expand, intelligence experts say." (emphasis Chaos')

Oh, and even better news: the US may "expand" the program. Nice. No, Chaos has no reason to change the belief that the US has become a rogue nation. For more, check out this one, an up close and personal look at the US military's torture school, which of course remains open (the writer of the piece calls for its closing: fat chance).

Read This Book! Really!

Readers may have noticed that Chaos rarely recommends books anymore. Somewhat depressingly, there are apparently few works being produced that significantly advance those mentioned in the Edge's bibliography, and anyway, Chaos is well aware that book reading is becoming more rare with each passing day. However (knew this was coming, didn't you?) Chaos has recently completed a surpassingly profound piece that begs to be read, for those wishing to understand the developments in globalization, the CIA's role in developing torture techniques, the war in Iraq, the 2004 tsunami, and other disasters. The book is The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein, and Chaos cannot recommend it more. If reading a book is too much, there is also a short film here, but Chaos cannot recommend it, since the simplification to film robs the relatively complex metaphor which forms the core of the book of most of its power.

Innocent Americans Imprisoned: The Empire Strikes Back

Ok, a somewhat maudlin title, but still, it gets one's mind off the immediate horror which comes from reading this account of how an American whistleblower working for the FBI was wrongfully imprisoned for 97 days in one of the many mini-gulags around the world (this one happened to be in Iraq, but it could have been anywhere). One's depression is heightened by how this is only "news" since it concerned a citizen of the Empire, and not one of those lesser brown peoples whose lives we tend to disregard, or at least, discount. (In the case of Iraqis, we tend not to count them at all). Still believe we wear the white hats? Oh right, Chaos forgot, the Empire is fighting them over there so as not to fight them over here.