This from the authoritative Council of Europe. The torture prisons were run primarily in Poland and Romania with British logistic help as well as collusion at multiple levels in other countries.

The leaders of our country should to be in prison. Torture is never acceptable and permitting and encouraging it makes a hypocritical lie of the democracy and freedom the White House and Congress pretend to honor.

Are Democrats in Congress screaming for an investigation about this, demanding the CIA explain itself? I didn’t think so. About all they’re doing is wheezing about whether the White House should have told them more, like it’s just a turf battle. Pathetic. They are as culpable and and morally sick as the neocons, maybe more so. At least the neocons have principles they will fight for, unlike the Democrats, who appear to have few.

The use of phrases such as “enhanced interrogation” and “extraordinary rendition” need to be recognized as the Newspeak they are, deliberately manipulative language used to confuse and mislead, and to make the unacceptable become palatable. The proper words for the above phrases, of course, are “torture” and “kidnapping.”

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The state of California say San Bernardino County isn’t taking greenhouse gases into account when planning for growth, and is suing to force them to do so. This important test case will be closely watched. Many cities and counties in California may well be taking quick, remedial action to also avoid getting sued.

I can already hear the shrieks of terror coming from politicians and builders in San Bernardino.

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The G8 leaders have been confined inside their own fence. German newspaper Die Zeit has reported that no ships can land at Heiligendamm. With ten thousand protestors currently blocking the two gates into the resort, the heads of state and their baggage are effectively locked in.

This from Derek Wall, “Principal Male Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales.” Greens are playing a important role in the G8 protests and are a model for what the US Green Party could do, when and if it resolves its incapacitating internal struggles.

The US Green Party is alone among the Green Parties of the world in not examining and criticizing capitalism. GP-US mostly takes a “small is better” view of economics which accepts capitalism as a given and is hostile to exploring alternative systems like socialism. In other Green parties, one may or not be socialist, but at least the topic is discussed (and people know what it is, unlike the US where people are mostly ignorant about it.)

This disguised red-baiting does explain some of the attacks on Peter Camejo, who ran for president on the Socialist Workers Party ticket in the 1976. In fact, he titled his brilliant exposure of the rottenness of the two party system The Avocado Declaration because an avocado is green on the inside and on the outside, and not a watermelon, which is green outside and red inside, “watermelon” being European slang for a socialist green. It was his little jest to be sure, but indicative perhaps of the hostility of US Greens to socialism.

Meanwhile, Derek Wall in London says “Ecosocialism or muerte!” as do many other Greens.

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They are gorgeous as well as green. The world needs more of them. Ecogeek has the details. The image is of the Bahrain WTC, which is under construction. Note the wind turbines.

TreeHugger notes that while the Dubai building is dazzling indeed, the uncontrolled development there is not sustainable.

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