Olbermann: Tortured American Sues Rumsfeld, Who Was 'Intimately Involved in Our Torture Programs'

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 08:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8VLaYnsrCw   Posted on YouTube: August 06, 2011 By YouTube Member: MiniRtist Views on YouTube: 171   Posted on DU: August 06, 2011 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 2549

 
Current TV Countdown w/ KEITH OLBERMANN - 5 July 2011: Interview with Donald Vance, a U.S. Navy veteran, former defense contractor, who says he was held and tortured in an American-run prison in Iraq for nearly 100 days after he alerted the FBI about illegal weapons trading involving U.S. military personnel. He is expecting a ruling on his case from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, with the next step the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vance was held in "Camp Cropper," which he says Rumsfeld gave clear instructions to 'Gitmo-ize' Camp Cropper. Vance says he endured food, medical and sleep deprivation, and 'walling,' where the prisoner would be stood up against a wall and then slammed against it repeatedly.

OLBERMANN: "Given that this, following your narrative, given that you wound up in that place for essentially doing the right thing for telling on people who were doing the wrong thing in the name of this government and this nation, how did you summon within you the wherewithal, the fortitude, to say 'o.k. I'm going to do this again; I'm going to put myself at risk for what's right again?"

VANCE: "Meaning my lawsuit?"

OLBERMANN: "Yeah. Because a lot of people would just take the money and run."

VANCE: "Anger.

Incredible amounts of anger. Wanting to know: Why this happened? Why did it happen to me? Who authorized it? How does this program work?"

- snip -

OLBERMANN: "Why did you make that decision to become the FBI informant in the first place in this case?"

VANCE: "You know, when you're growing up as a kid, your parents and, you know, Joe Friendly Officer comes into the classroom, they always tell you 'when you see something wrong, you're supposed to tell Mr. Policeman,' and I thought that's what I was doing. You know, I came home and I approached my local FBI office and I spoke to an agent about what I was seeing, what I was experiencing, what I had access to. And right away they gained a tremendous amount of interest, and said 'we need you, we need you to help us.' And I said yes."

OLBERMANN: "Well, here it is. This is a nation saying we need you to help us now, and I'm glad you still have within you whatever it takes, whether it's anger or patriotism or a combination there of, to pursue this..."

MORE including Olbermann's disgusted weary sigh IN VIDEO

[Mnemosyne]

1. Probably directed on a live feed. I recall something about that a few years ago, iirc.

Anyone else remember that?

Thanks Hissy! Needs kept out there for all to see.

[Hissyspit]

3. Dec. 2007: Rumors based on destroyed CIA tapes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2458482&mesg_id=2458482

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174873/greg_grandin_on_the_torturable_and_the_untorturable

"Here's Gorman's money passage, just dropped into the middle of the piece without further explanation or discussion: 'One former official said interrogators' faces were visible on at least one video, as were those of more senior officers who happened to be visiting.' Happened? Visiting? Keep in mind that we're talking about CIA officials in a torture chamber, not tourists at a local landmark."

[Mnemosyne]

6. Thanks Hissy, I knew there were serious questions at the time. Sickening.

:hi:

[JDPriestly]

2. Is this story covered anywhere other than on Countdown?

I really appreciate Olbermann's efforts in getting these facts out to the public.

[Hissyspit]

4. Associated Press:

This is the other anonymous case. Vance is mentioned at the end of the article.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/03/2343856/judge-allows-american-to-sue-rumsfeld.html

[newfie11]

5. KnR

[civilisation]

7. Again why does the Obama Junta hold none to account??

the pattern is quite clearly visible,. the current administration has no will (or ability?) to hold anyone to account for anything. No 9/11 investigation when they came in, no prosecutions for the banking scam,. no arrests on vote manipulations,. torture, gitmo,. etc.., nothing, nowhere,. the these guys are asleep or already dead.

[Amonester]

8. More like COMPLICIT than asleep, IMO.

But, hey, shhhhh. They Don't Want Us To Ask for Details.

http://october2011.org/freedomplaza

[LostinNY]

13. I think I read the Obama justice dept. Is defending Rumsfeld

Sorry no link can't remember where I saw it. But I guess if you're going to perpetuate wars and civilian deaths, you've got to protect those that came before you and did the same.

[DirtyDawg]

9. One of God's Ironies...

...for those that might not be aware, Donald Rumsfeld purchased a place on the Maryland Shore of the Bay a few years back that at another time in it's history had been a 'plantation' where captured runaway slaves were taken to be 're-indoctrinated'. The former name of the place was Mt. Misery - aptly so. Not sure if Rummy knew this at the time, or cared...my cynical guess is that the SOB decided it was exactly the place for him to live out the rest of his life because where else would the sadistic bastard be happy and comfortable?

[libodem]

10. Ewww

Gross. Sad. And so wrong. On so many levels. Where is the divine retribution?

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[sabrina 1]

12. This is the second lawsuit against Rumsfeld allowed to go

forward. I watched the interview last night and it's clear this man, a patriot who was trying to do the right thing, is intensely angry, not just by what happened to him, but what it says about the country he thought he was serving.

Maybe these two lawsuits are a beginning?

The other plaintiff, I believe, has remained anonymous.

And I have not seen Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blitzer talk to this man yet.

So grateful that Keith is back.

Jeremy Scahill was on the night before, talking about the other lawsuit, I believe.

Rumsfeld is one sick man. I remember reading he was present in Guantanamo Bay when torture 'techniques' were being used on a detainee there.

[99th_Monkey]

17. I heard Rummy had live feeds to his "enhanced interrogations" (AKA torture sessions) nt

[DirkGently]

14. I thought the point about cute semantics was important. There was water, but no "board." Uh huh.

[Solly Mack]

double post/edit

Run time: 08:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8VLaYnsrCw   Posted on YouTube: August 06, 2011 By YouTube Member: MiniRtist Views on YouTube: 171   Posted on DU: August 07, 2011 By DU Member: Solly Mack Views on DU: 2549

 

[Solly Mack]

15. K&R

and yet....

[William769]

16. kick.

[fasttense]

18. We are no longer a nation of laws. We have become a fascist state.n/t