We were back live today for the first BradCast on KPFK/Pacifica Radio since the holidays.
First up, a few incomplete words on the breaking news of today’s horrific terror attacks at the satirical Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris.
Then, BRAD BLOG’s legal analyst Ernest A. Canning joined us to discuss his own father’s detention and torture (including water-boarding) under the Japanese Kempetai at the notorious Shanghai Bridge House during WWII. After the war, his father, James Robert Canning, testified against his captors [PDF] at the Hong Kong War Crimes Trials, where some members of the Japanese Imperial Army received life sentences — and, some, the death penalty — for many of the same crimes against humanity carried out by the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 attacks [PDF], as Ernie wrote about here recently.
Then, we cover what we hope might be the last report of the 2014 election, the (good news on several accounts) solution to the great Maine Ballot Mystery!
Finally, as ever, Desi Doyen joins us for the latest Green News Report to quickly cover all that happened in the green news world while we were off for holiday break at the end of the warmest year for the planet in recorded history…
Download MP3 here or listen online below…
The BradCast with Brad Friedman 1/7/2015Torture Still a War Crime: KPFK ‘BradCast’ | The BRAD BLOG's Ernie Canning on his father's torture during WWII and on accountability for the same war crimes by the U.S. today... · · · · · Torture Still a War Crime: KPFK ‘BradCast’ | The BRAD BLOG's Ernie Canning on his father's torture during WWII and on accountability for the same war crimes by the U.S. today...0:00 0:00
Brad, I had missed the subtle duplicity in George W. Bush’s 2003 statement that “the people who mistreat the prisoners will be treated as war criminals.”
In that statement, Dubya’s use of the word “prisoners” applied only to American POWs. The threat to prosecute for war crimes was directed only to Iraqis who mistreat American POWs.
At the time Bush made that statement his administration was attempting to evade the Geneva Convention by claiming that “suspected terrorists” were not POWs–a position that was rejected by the Supreme Court.
The greatest surprise to me is the number of evangelical Christians that tell me they support Bush for doing this. Is it any wonder that so many people are turning against religion?
California Rules!