THIS MODERN WORLD

In his closing argument, Capt. Chris Graveline, one of the prosecutors, recounted incident after incident of alleged abuse, buttressing many with photos and video taken inside the prison in November 2003, to make the case that Graner was a sadistic soldier who took pleasure in seeing detainees suffer…

“It was for sport, for laughs,” Graveline told jurors. “What we have here is plain abuse. There is no justification.”

Defense lawyer Guy Womack countered that his client and other Abu Ghraib guards were under extreme pressure from intelligence agents to use physical violence to prepare detainees for questioning.

Story.

I was just thinking the other day that somebody really needs to repurpose that symbol. And now I see that someone has.

I think my cartoon from last September still pretty much sums up what I think about that particular tempest in a teapot.

From Daily Kos:

We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.
Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor
CNN Late Edition
9/8/2002

But for those who say we haven’t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they’re wrong, we found them.
George W. Bush, President
Interview with TVP Poland
5/30/2003

We are greatly concerned about any possible linkup between terrorists and regimes that have or seek weapons of mass destruction…In the case of Saddam Hussein, we’ve got a dictator who is clearly pursuing and already possesses some of these weapons.. A regime that hates America and everything we stand for must never be permitted to threaten America with weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Detroit, Fund-Raiser
6/20/2002

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Speech to VFW National Convention
8/26/2002

There is already a mountain of evidence that Saddam Hussein is gathering weapons for the purpose of using them. And adding additional information is like adding a foot to Mount Everest.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Response to Question From Press
9/6/2002

After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon.
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

We’ve also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

Follow the link, there are many more.

If you follow the link below, you’ll come to what appears — to a layperson — to be a fairly compelling argument that the clearly visible bulge under Bush’s jacket in the first debate (and under his t-shirt in a 2002 photo taken at his ranch) is a “wearable defibrillator,” a medical device for “persons at risk of cardiac arrest.” (Which brings to mind one immediate thought: if Bush and Cheney both have heart conditions…President Hastert, anyone?)

On an intuitive level, it makes a lot of sense. A lot of people — myself included — first assumed the bulge was a transmitter of some sort. The problem with that theory is, well, that 2002 photo. Does Bush wear a transmitter everywhere he goes, even on the ranch? Does Karl Rove softly whisper in his ear 24/7? Anyway, presidents always cover up and deny health problems. And something’s clearly wrong with the guy. There was some footage floating around the web for awhile from his Texas gubernatorial run, and the difference between then and now is shocking. In the early footage he’s articulate, able to think on his feet — it’s like watching a completely different person.

But.

One of this site’s more learned readers is not persuaded by the defibrillator theory:

I am a psychiatrist, but I do have some knowledge of cardiac problems. let
me say that the houstonindymedia site is quite misguided. I have little
doubt that bush had something under his jacket, but he jumps they make on
the site are unrealistic.

here are few reasons.
a transient ischemic attack (TIA) is by definition an incident that has no
lasting signs. if it did, it would be a stroke. bush’s mouth is likely
just the way he is. it is not the result of a tia, to be sure, and it is
not likely to be a stroke. a stroke resulting in that muscular deficit
would almost assuredly affect his speech quality.

the treatment for atrial fibrillation is NOT to wear a defibrillating vest.
one would most likely be treated with medications that would prevent the
arrhythmia. a defibrillator is used when people have a significant risk of
a fatal arrhythmia or heart block. usually the defibrillator is implanted
(like cheney’s) and is not noticeable at all under clothing. it is a
relatively straightforward operation, with extremely low risks. it is silly
to believe someone in dire need of defibrillation would wear a
defibrillating strap on device for two years.

to say that bush’s thought process reflects wernicke-korsakoff syndrome is
equally absurd. korsakoff’s syndrome comes about through chronic
alcoholism and malnutrition. bush may have been an alcoholic, but he was
highly unlikely to have been malnourished. at any rate, the cardinal
feature of korsakoff’s syndrome is short term memory loss — to the extent
that one cannot remember what day it is, what one had for breakfast, etc.
wernicke’s syndrome is the prodrome to korsakoff’s and is more likely to be
detected through acute changes.

whatever problems bush has, he does not have korsakoff’s syndrome and he
does not have ongoing transient ischemic attacks. it is nearly impossible
that he would wear a defibrillating vest for two years.