White, American, Navy Vet is Illegally Detained, Tortured, and Tried by US Government

I was waiting for the story to come along. If it is, in fact, the story. It will be interesting to see, if we will repeat the "Weimar incident" or grow wiser to the threat. Wait, is Jack Leno on?

The lawless nature of Mr. Bush's war on terror has already cost the nation dearly in terms of global prestige, while increasing the risks facing every American serving in the military.

Someone think we are really giving Bush-supporters a hard time? "Lawless nature"... Does that mean Bush is a war criminal? How does that reflect on people who still think Bush-jokes are uncivil? Hmmm.... Just wondering...

Would like to add to the above quotation: ...and, perhaps, everybody else...

Why the hell is this article being ignored?

Someone think we are really giving Bush-supporters a hard time?

The Liberal bias in the USA re: Iraq is a myth. The debate is so sanitized that it is almost a free pass for the administration. Real anti-war "bias" would include airing regularly footage of what is going on inside iraq on a daily basis. This occurs FAR mor regularly in the UK and other places

Back when these detentions started I, along with many others, was shocked and angered. Verbal protests of the unconstitutionality of all of this garbage were frequently met with "well it's necessary for security and if you haven't done anything wrong you shouldn't be afraid of this."

Not suprisingly, we now see that argument was a load of crap and the detentions are moving along the same dangerous trajectory that so many of us were afraid of when they started.

"whistle-blower"

See, Bushco will still respect your civil rights, so long as you keep mum.

I remember this photo from a demonstration in the US some years ago; there was some young radicals with a banner saying:

"Liberals, can we riot now?"

(To CIA: I'm not saying anything. Please don't come and torture me. Just an anecdote.)

This is absolutely sickening. Not because he was white or a Navy vet, but because he effectively became an "unperson" for reporting a suspected crime to the FBI. Where the @!$%# is this Goddamned country going? Everyone in any way responsible for this should be arrested and sentenced to at least ten years. For what it's worth, I'm also seeding it with a link here and comments disabled.

Say anything? Ok, this does not surprise me. This is why the new Congress needs to immediately have hearings to expose the excesses and the illegal acts that the Bush administration has covered up. We all need to do more than just comment on this article. We need to contact our Senators and Representatives and force them to take action. They need to feel a little heat from the people they are supposed to represent. Maybe if enough is uncovered it will force some resignations or an impeachment. We all need to take action. Our future of our country depends on it. Take action in whatever way you can!

The abuse that whistle blowers take is one of the more depressing parts of a society that portrays itslef as free

6....5.....4....3....2....1...countdown to?

a society that portrays itslef as free

We are kind of past that point, aren't we? I'd say we are somewhere 'round about you better watch what you say or do. And you better pray you don't get in touch with the wrong people, get your hands on the wrong information, or get suspected of just about anything.

They got us locked down good and tight. There are about 100 ways of making people disappear without anyone knowing it. You can slip them a radioactive cocktail like somebody did in London. Criminals could suddenly visit like they do in Moscow, always four shots to the chest I have noticed. Which robbers use four bullets to the chest? You could be asked to go for a ride in the countryside. They could slip you a mickey. They could plant a package of white powder on you. They could send a letter with white powder to you. You can be on the phone one minute, then suddenly somewhere in South Saharan Africa strapped to a chair. Or in an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn, same scenario.

But we are peaceful people. We do no harm. We rant a little here on the 'vine, around about 500 other souls safely collected, IP addresses registered, real names and addresses categorized, profiled, indexed, monitored and psy op'd.

The West, once benign, now malicious and unstoppable, devouring its own children.

As a Canadian living only an hour from the US border, I am appalled by what has been going on the past 6 years and particularly the past 3. There are so many scandals and so much chipping away at or bypassing the constitution that I honestly fear for America's survival.
The one encouraging factor is that more and more Americans seem to be getting it, as evidenced by the November election results. Even those, however, don't seem to have put any pause into Bush's agenda but at least he is starting to be seen for what he is.

As usual, not a peep from those that previously -- and vociferously -- defended the administration's abuses of power. Where are you? Why aren't you defending your crooked leaders now?

I am appalled, disgusted, concerned...but unfortunately, not at all surprised.

Whenever I read about the illegal wiretapping, suspension of habeas corpus, secret prisons, withholding on the right of an attorney, I felt physically sick.

My Mom grew up in Korea during WWII and right after the Korean War, so our family has first-hand experience with time in jail, restriction of liberties, suspension of freedom of the press, beatings by police, propaganda--from both the Japanese and then later the American-sponsored dictators trying to restore order. My Dad is Lithuanian and his family fled the country when the Soviets took it over, leaving that frying pan to land in the fire of pre-WWII Germany. Not only did they suffer under Hitler, they were caught up in the post war politics and had to flee at night to escape East Germany while under fire from border guards.

I can't believe they made it to America only to have our nation trade in our valuable freedoms and protections for the mere hope of greater safety. And I'm all for greater security, but I don't want it at the cost of truth, democracy and the Bill of Rights!!!

If anyone thinks these kind of things can't happen in the US, they are dead wrong.

Come January, I'm pretty sure the 110th Congress will move to pull us out of this tail-spin into fascism. Yuh-huh. The 110th Congress may take its cue to reform from the dissatisfaction evidenced by results of the midterm election.

Could happen. Don't let bad-news/outrage-fatigue keep you from speaking up.

We should urge them along with emails, faxes, phone calls in the first week of the 110th Congress, demanding public review of the Military Commission Act (legalizing torture and abandoning habeas corpus), NSA-surveillance breaches, the Patriot Act... everything the BushWah has sleazed into law under the pretext of its bogus 'war on terror'.

Yes, we can.

This sucks. Why would they do that to the guy that tipped them off? Thats just FUBAR.

Just one thing, I've been poking around at news sources, and do we actually KNOW that Donald Vance is white? (Of course the account stands on its own regardless but we don't want to go around crowing that a white guy finally is being treated badly if he's not.. white.)

Good catch Killfile :)

I wish people would start understanding that stories like these are the ones that are caught. How many out there have not seen the face of day yet? That is the scary part.

Killfile, I've only been on Newsvine a couple of weeks now, but dammit, your column alone is providing me with more info than BBC news does each morning. Congrats and don't let up.

In regards to this story - it was really only a matter of time. What matters now is the reaction of the average Joe Bloggs on the street in America. How outraged I am is irrelevant (I've been outraged enough without needing to find a white American citizen being tortured by his own Government). Anyway, I'm not American so I'm not really going to comment on this much further. I've been pretty pissed at my own countrymen being sent halfways round the world and tortured with absolutely no evidence by a bunch of wannabe (soon to be? That'll be up to Joe Bloggs and his mates) fascists.

Time to stop being a patriot and start being human. @!$%# Nationalism, it time to fight extemism of all kinds.

Does anyone have links to the two articles referenced to in this editorial? I mean just going by this alone there is no proof whatsoever. No sources were sited, not even anonymously. I'd like to see the original reporting and see if they name any sources. I'm reserving judgment until then.