Truth Commission

A Real Truth Commission for Honduras

Bertha Oliva | Posted 05.25.2011

Bertha Oliva

Honduras desperately needs a truth commission to investigate the coup and the many killings, rapes, beatings and illegal detentions that occurred after June 28.

One Year After the Honduran Coup: Isolation, Insecurity, Impunity

Daniel Altschuler | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel Altschuler

The Honduran political establishment and the Obama administration were banking on the country moving beyond the coup domestically and normalizing relations with the world. But this stance has proven naïve.

Honduras's Truth Commission Controversy

Daniel Altschuler | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel Altschuler

Supporters of last year's coup are demanding that the government let sleeping dogs lie, while their opponents fear The Truth Commission will fail to deliver an honest account of the coup.

When War is Unjust Should Soldiers Just Say No?

Greg Barrett | Posted 05.25.2011

Greg Barrett

Military regulations recognize an individual's right to refuse combat for reasons of faith or conscience, but the CO status does not distinguish between wars of national defense and those of preemptive strikes.

Another Hurt Locker

Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph. D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph. D.

Another, different "hurt locker" haunts these wars: it is the veteran hurt locker of hidden casualties.

What We Need To Hear About the Torture Report

Daphne Eviatar | Posted 05.25.2011

Daphne Eviatar

On Friday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the investigation into the Justice Department memos that authorized the torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the Bush administration.

President Obama, Find Peace Through Truth

Kristen Breitweiser | Posted 05.25.2011

Kristen Breitweiser

What better way for Obama to begin his labors of peace on the world stage than by impaneling a Truth Commission to investigate the wrongdoings of the Bush administration regarding their pre-emptive war with Iraq?

Assassinations, Peace and State Violence in India and Pakistan

Abdul Malik Mujahid | Posted 05.25.2011

Abdul Malik Mujahid

As Indians mark the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi, Sikhs renew their call for justice, and Pakistan bleeds with terrorism, it is important to reflect on justice, reconciliation and forgiveness.

Tell The Truth: You're a Real Storyteller

Richard Laermer | Posted 05.25.2011

Richard Laermer

The success of Angela's Ashes taught us that the most popular stories that seem to resonate with readers and spur new and positive changes are often the true ones.

Obama's "Drip, Drip, Drip..." Intelligence Problem

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

Obama faces a steady drip, drip, drip of stories leaking and becoming public. Wiretapping stories, torture stories, and secret CIA covert stories were all in the news in the past week alone.

Report on Cheney Shows Why We Need The Truth

Jon Soltz | Posted 05.25.2011

Jon Soltz

Did Dick Cheney knowingly send intelligence officials to Congress to mislead them about the use of waterboarding? Did the Vice President himself?

No Way Around an Investigation in Moving Forward

Morton H. Halperin | Posted 05.25.2011

Morton H. Halperin

The American public should hear directly, in open-door hearings, from victims of the detention, rendition, and torture.

General Ricardo Sanchez Calls for War Crimes Truth Commission - VIDEO UPDATE

Jack Hidary | Posted 05.25.2011

Jack Hidary

Last night, General Ricardo Sanchez, the former commander of all coalition forces in Iraq, became the first senior military officer from the Iraqi theater to call for a truth commission.

Friday Talking Points [79] -- Judicial Activism And Bias

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

"Judicial activism" (or, alternatively, "legislating from the bench") is defined -- no matter what your political beliefs -- as "judges not ruling the...

Sunday Roundup

Arianna Huffington | Posted 05.25.2011

Arianna Huffington

This week, Barack Obama reiterated that he has "no interest in spending our time re-litigating the policies of the last eight years." He may have no interest, but Dick Cheney certainly does. And he's got nothing but time on his hands. Which means we will keep re-litigating those policies until we get to the bottom of things. But Obama and his administration needn't spend even a second of their time on this. Leave that to a bipartisan Truth Commission. Look at how much we found out this month, including the fact that waterboarding was used in an attempt to extract backup for Cheney's fantasy of an Iraq/al Qaeda connection, and imagine what revelations subpoena power would bring. Without a full accounting of the Bush administration's use of torture, there will never be closure. Only endless re-litigation.

Col. Wilkerson: "Cheney Kept Some Things From the President"

Cenk Uygur | Posted 05.25.2011

Cenk Uygur

We interviewed Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, the former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell and he had some very interesting things to say about Cheney and Rumsfeld.

Three Uneasy Questions About Torture

Kenneth C. Davis | Posted 05.25.2011

Kenneth C. Davis

What happened? Why did it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again and again?

Obama Still Opposes Truth Commission On Torture

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

WASHINGTON — Despite calls in Congress for an independent "truth commission" to look into the interrogation policies of President George W. Bush...

Spock vs. Rambo

Christine Pelosi | Posted 05.25.2011

Christine Pelosi

Watching President Obama and former Vice President Cheney duel on terror suspects: can Spock replace Rambo in the approach to Gitmo?

Jason Linkins

Rachel Maddow Finds Flaw In GOP's Pelosi Gambit (VIDEO)

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

One of the particularly nonsensical ideas that the media has cheerfully accepted, is that briefing the Democrats somehow immunized all parties and magically transformed torture policies into perfectly legal activities.

What, Exactly, Was Pelosi Supposed to Do?

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

Pelosi can be defended for being in an impossible situation at the time. Even if she disagreed with the policy, there simply wasn't much for her to do about it.

Jason Linkins

Poll: Pelosi Gets More Support Than CIA In Dispute

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Greg Sargent highlights a Rasmussen poll today that indicates that after several days of the media flogging Nancy Pelosi's inept press conference and ...

Torture Commission: A Gift to the Republican Right?

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 05.25.2011

Hoyt Hilsman

It is a bitter pill to swallow that those most responsible for the terrible abuses of the past decade are those who are most likely to benefit from an investigation into the truth.

Video: Why we need a Truth Commission

Sen. Patrick Leahy | Posted 05.25.2011

Sen. Patrick Leahy

In spite of all the recent news, some in Washington still need to be sold on the idea of creating a truth commission to investigate Bush-Cheney administration.

Seen But Not Heard

Steven Weber | Posted 05.25.2011

Steven Weber

Why no hearings to divine the truth behind this country's practice of torture? Why, really?