Revealing the Secrets in Room 101- By Scott Horton

[kpete]

April 18, 10:35 PM, 2009 · No Comment · Previous · Next

Revealing the Secrets in Room 101
By Scott Horton

On Thursday the spirit of George Orwell visited America, three times.

The first visit can be found in four memoranda prepared by Bush Administration lawyers which gave the actual go-ahead for the use of specific torture techniques on specific individuals, thus demolishing forever the absurd contention that the torture lawyers were ever only engaged in some abstract exercise without any direct application to incidents of torture. Here, we discover that Room 101 of the Ministry of Love (Miniluv) has been faithfully recreated by the Bush Team. In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Room 101 contained whatever a prisoner feared most, which would be let loose against him in an act calculated to inspire pure terror in the victim, to break him as an individual and to produce human material suitable for reconditioning. As a reminder, here’s the way the disclosure of Room 101 is realized in the excellent film version directed by Michael Radford (it begins at roughly 3:20 in the clip):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uES4cp3Kb6A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fharpers%2Eorg%2Farchive%2F2009%2F04%2Fhbc%2D90004803&feature=player_embedded


Indeed, we learn that Miniluv even attempted to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant or any form of special authorization because Miniluv was convinced that the congressman was communicating with a person they distrust.

Miniluv’s voracious appetite is chronicled a bit further in a follow-up piece yesterday from Lichtblau and Risen in which we learn that it is on the verge of perfecting its ability to “collect and analyze every e-mail message, text message, and Google search” you’ve ever performed. But this is the least of it. They know your favorite pizza toppings, the medications you use, the color of your socks, the size of your t-shirt, the books you thought about buying on Amazon.com, and the movies your ordered from Netflix—as well as the ones you paused over, thinking to order. They will use all of this information to protect you. Unless, of course, some day you find yourself invited to Room 101.

Can anyone be surprised to learn that the new guardians of these vast and unchecked powers, while piously promising to reform and stop breaking the law, also feel that there is no really compelling reason to enforce the law–in the process breaking the oaths they just took a few weeks ago to uphold that very law? Is it not indeed amazing that these claims can be made on the public stage without being greeted with the peals of derision they deserve? Now comes the test of our democracy–will we close the door and walk away, or demand to know what’s been done in our name and hold those who guided any abuses to account for their misconduct? President Obama tells us there’s nothing to see here, just move along. But this will be a test of whether we have a citizenry worthy of that name.

more at:
http://harpers.org/archive/2009/04/hbc-90004803

[leftstreet]

1. Interesting article

Thanks for posting

[That Is Quite Enough]

2. Room 101 was the first thing I thought of after reading about insects and coffins.

"You asked me once, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world." - O'Brien, 1984.

[bleever]

3. God bless Scott Horton.

Living through the Bush years was horrible, and horrifying, and I thought when they ended the worst was behind us.

But telling the truth about what happened is harder, and more urgent, than I had expected.

[Senator]

4. Obama's Crime Is Worse Than Bush (yes, really)

Because while criminals like bushcheney may come and go, a corrupt police force institutionalizes approval for all their crimes.

The rest of the impeachophobic beltway "leadership" is just as guilty of this far worse offense.

--

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[flyarm]

6. Scott Horton is a treasure to democracy! so are you kpete! K&R thanks! eom

[truedelphi]

13. kpete so often makes my day. K & R for this topic

And solidarity with you in your appreciation of Kpete.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

7. K&R

[bertman]

8. Recommend. I read this and thought to myself, we've known this is what was happening.

Anyone who bothers to read a "liberal" blog or an anti-Bushco book knows that this is the path our leaders have chosen to take. Yet we wring our hands and write our Congressional representatives and talk to our friends as if any of this will change. Some of us hoped that a President Obama would somehow defy what Candidate Obama made abundantly clear--that he would look forward, not back (Newspeak for protect the accumulated power of the Executive). So, now our hopes (and illusions) are dashed and we have to act or surrender to the tyranny.

General strike?

National mobilization day to march on Washington?

I'm in.

[wuvuj]

9. Room 101 is...

...your life. And the more info they have on you...the easier it is for them to manipulate you....not in some room...but in your day to day life. And a lot of the intelligence gathering was privatized and the info is now in private hands?

How is it used? The "cops" maintain a profile on many people...and kind of blacklist. Do you find things seem to go wrong or obstacles are put in your way?

Is there is a justice system outside the one you know about?

http://www.gangstalkingworld.com/Handbook/TheHiddenEvil.pdf

[midnight]

10. I have spent the last several hours pouring through this site.

I'm encouraging many here to re-look at why our justice system is not working. Just wow!

[truedelphi]

11. Just wow.

Our business website was attacked yesterday, not even 10 days since we moved to Internet Explorer Eight. RW fanatics now calling us Anti-Christ, etc.

Am gonna check out this site.

[truedelphi]

12. Just wow.

Our business website was attacked yesterday, not even 10 days since we moved to Internet Explorer Eight. RW fanatics now calling us Anti-Christ, etc.

Am gonna check out this site.