GITMO Anniversary and Satan's Spy

January 5, 2012 will mark the tenth anniversary of the Guantanamo Detention Center.  The use of torture to obtain information varies from country to country and differs also by culture. The timeliness and importance of the information needed are also factors.  The use of torture is typically denounced and at the same time used continuously -- even by the countries that denounce it.

Internment of one's enemies is also a tactic that is used and it, too, is perceived differently by other cultures.

And then there's capital punishment.  What a can of worms!

These issues and more are all included in a best selling novel by Andre Le Gallo, Satan's Spy. We spoke recently and I asked him about these topics.  Here is his reply:

Le Gallo:  Both the internment of Japanese Americans and the use of Guantánamo reflect national security policies crafted to deal with the perceived threats of the time.   To my knowledge there was no popular outcry at FDR's  executive order and the use of Guantánamo has now received bipartisan imprematurs by two very different administrations, Bush's and Obama's.   An interesting, and unintended, consequence of  leftist uproar  over the Bush counter terrorist policies has been an increase in the loss of life and intelligence. Rather than face opposition from its core supporters, the Obama administration has chosen to kill rather than capture enemy combatants in spite of their intelligence potential.

Interesting comments from a former CIA agent.

My review of Satan's Spy can be found HERE.

Is torture ever appropriate?

For some people, the mere presence of a K-9 in the same room is torture.

For some people, going to work is torture -- especially if the wrong associate is there and is on a tear.

My most recent article as National History Examiner looks into the subject.  Please check it out and share in the social media. Tweets and FB "Shares" are especially welcomed!

Global Warming -- Which side are you on?

Climatism! by Steve Goreham hit the streets back in April, 2010.

Here's an excerpt from my review and the link to the entire article:

Regardless of which side of the global warming issue you find yourself, have you been successful in converting anyone who doesn’t agree over to your point of view? That might be as easy as getting Michelle Obama to become a Methodist Republican — or getting Rush Limbaugh to become a Zen Buddhist Democrat!

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-climatism-by-steve-goreham/#ixzz0z7laIXWk

Rush Limbaugh! An Army of One

On August 12, 2010, Zogby International released poll results showing Republicans leading in this fall's elections while the presidential approval rating remains at 43%.

A June 2010 Gallup poll shows that people who consider themselves to be conservative outnumber their liberal counterparts by 2:1.

It's not common for the party in control to dominate the mid-term elections, but these numbers at lease raise eyebrows, especially considering the way Democrats dominated the last national elections.

Can observers credit Limbaugh as having influenced this turnaround? USA Today founder, Al Neuharth, reports in the August 6 edition that Limbaugh's daily radio show is carried on almost six hundred stations and has a daily listenership of "between 15 million and 20 million". He even claims to be a frequent listener himself.

Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers, the leading trade publication covering talk radio says, "Limbaugh is more -- not less -- important than he thinks he is."

Lanny J. Davis, a lawyer, political columnist, and former Clinton aide says that Limbaugh is dangerous because "millions of people believe him."

I recently reviewed the new biography of Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh An Army of One,by Zev Chafets, for Blogcritics.org. I was surprised to learn that Limbaugh's January 2009 comment about the new administration, "I hope he fails." set the Republican strategy for the November 2010 elections. Limbaugh's role models included Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, and Muhammed Ali. He privately supports gay unions and does not feel strongly about capital punishment.

It was interesting to note that Limbaugh's basic tenants, belief structure, and modus operandi haven't changed much, if any, from his statements in the 1993 Playboy interview. Whether you are a loyal fan, or hate is guts is irrelevant. You will benefit from this book either way. Read the complete review here.