The Senate Intelligence Committee is preparing a review of the CIA's controversial interrogation programs under the Bush White House. There was a great deal of controversy on the interrogation practices when George W. Bush was in office, so now they are being looked into by the Senate. At first, I must admit that I did not see the value of the review. In the beginning of the article it does not provide exactly what they hoped to get out of completing the review. It reads, "The intention is not to find evil-doers or lawbreakers," according to the aide, but "the information will go where it goes." This is not very specific at all and leaves a great deal to the imagination. I thought that the article was very vague at the purpose of the review initially, but I now understand what exactly they hope to attain.
Evidently the committee will take a look at how the agency carried out interrogation tactics and decide if useful knowledge or information was attained from it. They say the review could be announced as early as Friday. In January President Obama issued an executive order that the CIA programs be reviewed to see if anything should be kept and used by his administration. I feel that this is a good idea. While he did call for change, there may be some good things that former President Bush used that might work for his administration as well. This is a very wise move on the part of the Obama team. The "enhanced interrogation techniques" included water boarding, a method that simulates drowning and is considered torture by the new administration and around the world. Obama has been very outspoken about his determination to ensure that the United States does not use torturous practices such as water boarding. I have heard him talk about this time and time again, so it is obviously something he is passionate about.
They will also look into the detention centers and secret prisons that were supposedly used in the past. CIA Chief Leon Panetta said he would cooperate with any congressional reviews or inquiries. "If those committees are seeking information in these areas, we'll cooperate with them," Panetta said Wednesday. "I think that we have a responsibility to be transparent on these issues and to provide them that information." I think this is the best way to go about things because a house divided will surely fall. If we are to be a great nation that we claim to be, we must work together and be transparent with one another; besides, the government should not hide any secrets from itself or the people.
It is in the best interests of all parties involved if the CIA complies with all reviews and investigations of the tactics used in Bush’s administration. They are saying that the review could take up to a year to complete. I hope and pray that some good comes out of this review so that we can move on to new heights as a nation.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Clinton to deal with Korean tension
Secretary of State Clinton was in Asia Thursday to lower tensions between North and South Korea. She has been in Asia for the week making her first overseas trip as Secretary of State. The stop in South Korea was the third leg of her four-nation tour in the continent. Apparently, the United States government has evidence that the North Korean government was on the verge of a launch of a long-range missile. Clinton’s visit came as tensions between the two are rapidly heightening, as evidenced by the alleged plans to launch the missile.
North Korean officials have disputed the claim and have said that Pyongyang was preparing to launch a satellite. Pyongyang said Thursday that it was ready for an "all-out confrontation" with South Korea, calling South Korean President Lee Myung-bak a traitor and accusing him of "frantically inciting hostility" toward North Korea and "kicking up ... war hysteria," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. It seems as though the North is being very aggressive in its talk and actions, if those things are true. "It's seen as an attempt by North Korea to increase uneasiness about security and widen the ideological divide within South Korea," said Kim Ho-Nyun, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry.
As Clinton spoke on Thursday she said that the alleged launch was, “a matter of great concern”. Clinton is being smart about this and trying to remain neutral and hear all sides. She will supposedly speak with the leadership of South Korea and China on what they think should be the next steps in dealing with the North. It is important to confer with those surrounding nations on how to move forward because they are in the region and know best what is actually going on with North Korea. Clinton remarks, “"We obviously do have some ideas. ... But we do want this to be shared responsibility." It is in the best interests of all parties to ensure that this is being dealt with in the proper manner and all perspectives are kept in mind.
It is believed that North Korea is about to go through leadership changes as Kim Jong Il’s health is deteriorating. He reportedly had a stroke and some observers claim he may not be fully in charge of the country. With this in mind Clinton plans to be even more cautious and cognizant of what can and might happen if tensions are not resolved quickly. There is increased pressure, Clinton added, because of questions over succession issues for the North's leadership. "If there is a succession," Clinton went on, "even if it is a peaceful succession, then that creates more uncertainty. It may also encourage even more provocative action as a way to delegate power within the society."
The important thing to remember is that when potential world threats of North Korea’s nature decide to do something, they often act irrationally putting many lives in jeopardy. I’m sure that Clinton is aware of this and will act accordingly in her tactics to smooth things over on all fronts. If nothing else, Clinton seems to have the beginnings of a plan. "Our goal is to try to come up with a strategy that is effective in influencing the leadership of North Korea at a time when the leadership situation is somewhat unclear."
The secretary of state said the aim now is to rebuild the commitment by the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea into a "united front" to deal with the North. That will be very key in the strategy to deal with this situation. You must have allies, and should not go alone in matters of this magnitude. Clinton reports that talks with these countries have produced some results, “but we are still dealing with the reality of North Korea not only possessing, we believe, some number of nuclear weapons, but showing very little willingness to get back on track." I hope Clinton is ready for the job because as we’ve seen in the past it won’t be easy.
North Korean officials have disputed the claim and have said that Pyongyang was preparing to launch a satellite. Pyongyang said Thursday that it was ready for an "all-out confrontation" with South Korea, calling South Korean President Lee Myung-bak a traitor and accusing him of "frantically inciting hostility" toward North Korea and "kicking up ... war hysteria," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. It seems as though the North is being very aggressive in its talk and actions, if those things are true. "It's seen as an attempt by North Korea to increase uneasiness about security and widen the ideological divide within South Korea," said Kim Ho-Nyun, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry.
As Clinton spoke on Thursday she said that the alleged launch was, “a matter of great concern”. Clinton is being smart about this and trying to remain neutral and hear all sides. She will supposedly speak with the leadership of South Korea and China on what they think should be the next steps in dealing with the North. It is important to confer with those surrounding nations on how to move forward because they are in the region and know best what is actually going on with North Korea. Clinton remarks, “"We obviously do have some ideas. ... But we do want this to be shared responsibility." It is in the best interests of all parties to ensure that this is being dealt with in the proper manner and all perspectives are kept in mind.
It is believed that North Korea is about to go through leadership changes as Kim Jong Il’s health is deteriorating. He reportedly had a stroke and some observers claim he may not be fully in charge of the country. With this in mind Clinton plans to be even more cautious and cognizant of what can and might happen if tensions are not resolved quickly. There is increased pressure, Clinton added, because of questions over succession issues for the North's leadership. "If there is a succession," Clinton went on, "even if it is a peaceful succession, then that creates more uncertainty. It may also encourage even more provocative action as a way to delegate power within the society."
The important thing to remember is that when potential world threats of North Korea’s nature decide to do something, they often act irrationally putting many lives in jeopardy. I’m sure that Clinton is aware of this and will act accordingly in her tactics to smooth things over on all fronts. If nothing else, Clinton seems to have the beginnings of a plan. "Our goal is to try to come up with a strategy that is effective in influencing the leadership of North Korea at a time when the leadership situation is somewhat unclear."
The secretary of state said the aim now is to rebuild the commitment by the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea into a "united front" to deal with the North. That will be very key in the strategy to deal with this situation. You must have allies, and should not go alone in matters of this magnitude. Clinton reports that talks with these countries have produced some results, “but we are still dealing with the reality of North Korea not only possessing, we believe, some number of nuclear weapons, but showing very little willingness to get back on track." I hope Clinton is ready for the job because as we’ve seen in the past it won’t be easy.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Plane Crash in Buffalo, NY
Plane crashes into suburban Buffalo home; 50 killed
Late Thursday night, a Continental Airlines plane nosedived into a home in suburban Buffalo, New York. All forty-eight passengers, including the crew members were killed. Also, a person in the home was killed, with others having to be rushed to the hospital. According to the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville, the four that were injured on the scene were treated and released from the hospital later. They had minor injuries as well as smoke inhalation that the firefighters helped treat.
The Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 74-seat turboprop, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it went down at around 10:20 p.m. ET. One of the most painful things to deal with is the fact that the plane crash occurred only about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. These people didn’t have much farther to go to arrive at their destination, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
Dave Bissonette, Clarence Center's natural disaster services coordinator, said "The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail". This makes sense because all of the reports are saying that it went straight down into the house, which would cause the rest of the plane to be destroyed. By this description, the only possible explanation is a nosedive by the plane. The plane crash resulted in a blazing fire that officials are saying will keep the crash site until at least noon on Friday, which is fourteen hours after the crash. Some are trying to figure out just what caused the crash. One thing that is being considered is the mix of sleet and snow in the area when the crash happened. Other planes headed to the airport arrived safely, so officials are very unsure as to the cause.
CNN has listened to a tape of communications between air traffic control and the flight crew. It was determined that the first officer had no sign of stress in her voice. The plane was cleared for approach. About two minutes later, the air traffic controller came back, with stress in his voice. Radar contact was lost. All the evidence will be reviewed in the coming days in further detail.
Area residents were stunned at the uncommon happenings. Area resident Keith Burtis said he was driving to the store about a mile from the crash site when he heard the plane go down. "It was a high-pitched sound," Burtis said. "It felt like a mini-earthquake." Other witnesses told CNN they saw the plane nose-dive toward the ground. "I felt the impact ... sounded like a large explosion," said Brendan Biddlecom, who told CNN he lives two blocks from where the plane crashed. They had to require that twelve residents in the area be evacuated for safety reasons.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crew, the passengers and our residents on Long Street," said Clarence Supervisor Scott Blylewski.
Thursday's incident is the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since August 2006 when Comair Flight 5191 crashed when it attempted to take off from the wrong runway. A very unfortunate happening has woken this country to a grave reality once again. Hopefully some valuable information will be disclosed and the families will be supported during the trying times.
Late Thursday night, a Continental Airlines plane nosedived into a home in suburban Buffalo, New York. All forty-eight passengers, including the crew members were killed. Also, a person in the home was killed, with others having to be rushed to the hospital. According to the Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville, the four that were injured on the scene were treated and released from the hospital later. They had minor injuries as well as smoke inhalation that the firefighters helped treat.
The Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 74-seat turboprop, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo when it went down at around 10:20 p.m. ET. One of the most painful things to deal with is the fact that the plane crash occurred only about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. These people didn’t have much farther to go to arrive at their destination, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
Dave Bissonette, Clarence Center's natural disaster services coordinator, said "The only recognizable piece of the plane left is the tail". This makes sense because all of the reports are saying that it went straight down into the house, which would cause the rest of the plane to be destroyed. By this description, the only possible explanation is a nosedive by the plane. The plane crash resulted in a blazing fire that officials are saying will keep the crash site until at least noon on Friday, which is fourteen hours after the crash. Some are trying to figure out just what caused the crash. One thing that is being considered is the mix of sleet and snow in the area when the crash happened. Other planes headed to the airport arrived safely, so officials are very unsure as to the cause.
CNN has listened to a tape of communications between air traffic control and the flight crew. It was determined that the first officer had no sign of stress in her voice. The plane was cleared for approach. About two minutes later, the air traffic controller came back, with stress in his voice. Radar contact was lost. All the evidence will be reviewed in the coming days in further detail.
Area residents were stunned at the uncommon happenings. Area resident Keith Burtis said he was driving to the store about a mile from the crash site when he heard the plane go down. "It was a high-pitched sound," Burtis said. "It felt like a mini-earthquake." Other witnesses told CNN they saw the plane nose-dive toward the ground. "I felt the impact ... sounded like a large explosion," said Brendan Biddlecom, who told CNN he lives two blocks from where the plane crashed. They had to require that twelve residents in the area be evacuated for safety reasons.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crew, the passengers and our residents on Long Street," said Clarence Supervisor Scott Blylewski.
Thursday's incident is the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since August 2006 when Comair Flight 5191 crashed when it attempted to take off from the wrong runway. A very unfortunate happening has woken this country to a grave reality once again. Hopefully some valuable information will be disclosed and the families will be supported during the trying times.
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