Tuesday, March 01, 2005

ACLU and Human Rights First Sue Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Over U.S. Torture Policies

Media Alert March 1, 2005 ACLU and Human Rights First Sue Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Over U.S. Torture Policies

Very little about this so far in the mainstream media....not the kind of story that this administration or the corporate-owned and corporate-controlled mass media want people thinking and talking about--they'd prefer we remain IN THE DARK.

Reuters covered it briefly, so the story is certainly available to the mass media. WQAD (Iowa) and the Kansas City Star ran a story on their websites, apparently provided by the Associated Press, so again the mass media are certainly aware of the filing of this lawsuit.

Since the story of Abu Ghraib broke a little less than a year ago, I've been fascinated by the way this story has been covered--as well as how it has not been covered. We've had the denials ("Abu Ghraib was an isolated incident perpetrated by a few bad apples"), we've had the obfuscations ("Well, sure we rough 'em up a little--they're terrorists, after all--but the US would NEVER engage in torture"), we've had the justifications ("This is a new kind of war with a new kind of enemy, and we've got to respond with every means possible"). But I see very little "reporting" in the mainstream media that points out the fact--and it is a FACT--that torture is wrong, morally reprehensible, and completely and absolutely UNAMERICAN.

Or would this somehow be evidence of a liberal bias....?

I'll give the media the benefit of the doubt. It's early still (just around noon CST). We'll see pages and pages on this lawsuit tomorrow morning, and the evening newscasts will run it as their lead story, right?

Stay tuned.

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