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The Daily Show Comes Clean On Torture, Since The White House Won't [VIDEO]

Posted by Manila Ryce at 3:09 PM on October 9, 2007.


Apparently, the commander-in-chief also has the power to change the definition of our words to fit his own misunderstandings of them.
The Daily Show Comes Clean on Torture, Since the Bush Adminstration Won't

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This post, written by Manila Ryce, originally appeared on The Largest Minority

Like loud rock music to a sleep deprived prisoner at Guantanamo, the torture debate has once again delivered a rude awakening to those Americans naïve enough to believe that our country has any moral high ground over our supposed evil enemies. The Bush administration has been playing its own version of “it depends on what your definition of ‘Is’ is” for several years - only their game of semantics is about torturing defenseless prisoners and not a blowjob. Apparently, the commander-in-chief also has the power to change the definition of our words to fit his own misunderstandings of them.

Stewart plays a quick game of “Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading, or O-Tay”, and talks with John Oliver afterwards about why this secret Justice Department memo endorsing torture is a triumph for our nation. Oliver reminds us of how awesome a place our country is that we can actually talk openly about the people we torture without being arrested and well, tortured I guess. The fact that we can bitch openly about the human rights abuses our country commits makes us the greatest country in the world, and if you use your right to freedom of speech to disagree with that statement then you’re obviously a traitor who ought to be tortured (if we did that sort of thing).

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Tagged as: stewart, daily show, torture

Manila Ryce is a regular blooger for The Largest Minority


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What's so GREAT about America?
Posted by: Cathyc on Oct 9, 2007 5:00 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Nothing.

The fact that we can bitch openly about the human rights abuses our country commits makes us the greatest country in the world

There is nothing "great" - not even normal - about any group/society/family that builds its "greatness" on the murder, rape and torture of human beings. Nothing at all!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: What's so GREAT about America? Posted by: Nedtheredhead
What is so great about America?
Posted by: Scientz on Oct 9, 2007 5:17 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The fact that they've managed to dupe large segments of the populace into being so ignorant about the rest of the world that they think they are still its greatest country.

Considering today's multimedia information age, that's quite a feat.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Great stuff!
Posted by: l_m_n on Oct 9, 2007 5:22 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I go back and forth on whether I like the Daily Show.. so often in their attempt to make fun of the MSM, they fall into the same stereotypical traps as those they are ridiculing and so perpetuate the myths.

This clip is especially good, even though Stewart might have been able to call Oliver's Admin-esque character something a bit harsher than "childish"! I like that they call out the Admin on 1) butchering our language, 2) thinking that we are too stupid to notice, 3) torture, and 4) pointless slander, all in the same segment.

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» RE: Great stuff! Posted by: Tombo
» RE: Great stuff! Posted by: lavonneann
» RE: Great stuff! Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive
well written, sardonic, and wonderfully clever
Posted by: KaptainSpiffy on Oct 10, 2007 2:57 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
is what i think of most of my own comments i post on all topics, whether i know anything about them or not.

as to the jon stewart piece, really one of the best, delivered by two of the best. one of the most 'relevant' programs since 'all in the family'. if you didn't know better, i'd say i'd written it myself, but then, i'd have alternet remove it, due to copyright infringment.

peace out, ya'll chaps

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5
Posted by: kepstein7777 on Oct 10, 2007 3:25 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Brilliant. More of this stuff, please.

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stevor
Posted by: stevor on Oct 10, 2007 7:37 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Redifining words is nothing new for a President - "I did not sleep with that woman, Monical Lewinski."

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» RE: stevor Posted by: Tombo
» RE: stevor Posted by: hughk
» RE: stevor Posted by: ad132
» RE: stevor Posted by: raneforst
» RE: stevor redux Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive
Definition of Torture
Posted by: tenzing on Oct 10, 2007 10:53 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
: 8 years of Bush and Cheney.

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Gene
Posted by: Dr T on Oct 10, 2007 6:42 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
John Stewart and the Daily Show writers are spot on with the torture skit.

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Grim, Tortuous Fairy Tales, By Bush Administration; Ghost Writer, Justice Department
Posted by: Betsy L. Angert on Oct 10, 2007 9:50 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Dear Manila Ryce . . .

This is quite a tale. I only wish I might laugh. Tears flow as I consider that even a dictionary does not help to define the terms the White House uses. You may have seen former President Jimmy Carter speak of this tonight on the Situation Room.

Jimmy Carter: U.S. Tortures Prisoners

Washington (AP) — The U.S. tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday, adding that President Bush makes up his own definition of torture.

"Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights," Carter said on CNN. "We've said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we've said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime."


Although the framers feared absolute power, and purposely designed a system of checks and balances, one in which the President would not have total control, it matters not. The Constitution no longer guarantees rights. Terror rules. We have now become a society as fantastic as those found in fairy tales.

I too penned a reflection on this topic. I invite your thoughts on . . .
Grim, Tortuous Fairy Tales, By Bush Administration; Ghost Writer, Justice Department

Betsy L. Angert
BeThink.org

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I think everyone's distracted from asking the right Question
Posted by: common intelligence on Oct 10, 2007 9:51 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The question we should be asking is why are (we) torturer anyone. What could be any possible intelligence (we) could get or use, to do what....except to hide the truth! Find the one's that could testify against Bush & CO. is the only reason. ('Wonder why they aren't torturing US?)

Saddam Hussein wasn't allowed to give full testament as to how the US provided so much of his materials and funding and WMDs. He wasn't allowed to give any testamony that would be televised except for highly edited pablum for the US media.

I suspect the only reason to torture anyone is to protect the US (the Bush and cronies) from being made accountable for escalating an uncalled for war, pillaging and plundering the people of Iraq out of the wealth of thier nation.

Yah torture is absolutely a sick thing to think of but doing it and saying it's to protect Americans is even sicker. Because the only people that want (need) protecting is the fascists that started it all. And that's not a bunch aof Arab idiots with box cutters!

What a sad excuse for a government we have here. What are we going to do? What??????

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» What are we going to do? Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive