Antiwar.com Blog

PEN American Center, “the largest of the 141 centers of International PEN, the world’s oldest human rights organization and the oldest international literary organization,” has decided to give Sibel Edmonds, the “most gagged person in American History” their First Amendment award:

“Translator Fired from FBI for Blowing Whistle on Intelligence Failures to Receive 2006 PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award

“New York, New York, March 29, 2006—PEN American Center has named Sibel Edmonds, a translator who was fired from her job at the FBI after complaining of intelligence failures and poor performance in her unit, as the recipient of this year’s prestigious PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award. Ms. Edmonds will receive the $20,000 prize at PEN’s annual Gala on April 18, 2006 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

“In announcing the award today in New York, PEN Freedom to Write Program Director Larry Siems praised Edmonds’ commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy. “It is hard to think of a position in public service more valuable to the nation in these turbulent times than a language specialist who is engaged in making important international information accessible to government officials and policymakers,” said Siems. “Sibel Edmonds understood the importance of her position and carried out her work with energy and honor – only to face retaliation and dismissal. Unintimidated, she has fought to inform Congress and the American people on the urgent need for better translation services in areas vital to our national interests. PEN is proud to recognize her for her work as a language specialist, her heroic efforts to improve our country’s translation services, and her current efforts to organize and protect government whistleblowers.”

Ain’t it about time something went her way?

Update: Sibel informs me that she will be accepting the award on behalf of all the National Security Whistle Blowers.

Howard Kaloogian, California congressional candidate and co-founder of Move America Forward, gets busted passing off a photo of Istanbul as evidence of a bloodless, bustling Baghdad. Kaloogian pleads confusion (scroll down to actual Baghdad photo, apparently taken by the Cassini-Huygens probe).

Previews of David Hare’s new play Stuff Happens began last night at New York City’s Public Theater. The play explores the reasons for the war in Iraq using characters ripped from the headlines; actors actually play Bush, Powell, Blair, Rice and Rumsfeld, transforming real life into profound drama. John Lahr of the New York Times has said "In his best political play yet, Hare brings us an exhilarating account of the genesis of the current Iraq War." Hare is already well known for the provocative political and social commentary of his works, which include The Absence of War (a meditation on the thoughts and actions of modern politicians and the nature of leadership) and Via Dolorosa (an autobiographical one-man show about traveling in Israel and Palestine).

A special discount is being offered to Antiwar.com readers who wish to see the production: go to www.broadwayoffers.com and enter the code SHEMB67 to save 15% on tickets.

when he says,

“I wish Iraq well, but I as a foreign policy analyst from the United States am not willing to take responsibility for what takes place in Iraq.”

It is your responsibility, not simply for being an American, but because you pushed it.

when he says,

“The only way to drive U.S. influence out of the Muslim world, bin Laden has long maintained, is to tie it down in a series of small wars that bleed it financially. The nearly $10-billion-a-month wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are doing just that. Iraq, as even Bush admits, has become an incubator, magnet, and call to arms for anti-American jihadists across the Muslim world.”

Of course, it would be easier (and cheaper) if we just learned from the mistakes of the past, or at least heard advice from those who learned.

Via Scott Horton, the human rights attorney (no relation):

Eric Haney, the former command sergeant major of Delta Force, and a key advisor to CBS’s program “The Unit” gives an interview to the LA Daily News and puts it straight.

“Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney …

A: (Interrupting) That’s Cheney’s pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It’s about vengeance, it’s about revenge, or it’s about cover-up. You don’t gain intelligence that way. Everyone in the world knows that. It’s worse than small-minded, and look what it does.

I’ve argued this on Bill O’Reilly and other Fox News shows. I ask, who would you want to pay to be a torturer? Do you want someone that the American public pays to torture? He’s an employee of yours. It’s worse than ridiculous. It’s criminal; it’s utterly criminal. This administration has been masters of diverting attention away from real issues and debating the silly. Debating what constitutes torture: Mistreatment of helpless people in your power is torture, period. And (I’m saying this as) a man who has been involved in the most pointed of our activities. I know it, and all of my mates know it. You don’t do it. It’s an act of cowardice. I hear apologists for torture say, “Well, they do it to us.” Which is a ludicrous argument. … The Saddam Husseins of the world are not our teachers. Christ almighty, we wrote a Constitution saying what’s legal and what we believed in. Now we’re going to throw it away.”

Read the rest.

Update: I have received several emails saying that Haney was not a founding member of Delta, nor was he ever CSM of it.

Now I get this message from his wife, Dianna Edwards:

“Please correct CSM Haney’s title for the record. ( trust me – there is at least one former delta officer who would swift boat Haney for such a mistake ). He was not the CSM of Delta and has never claimed to be. He retired as CSM of the Batt in Panama following Just Cause.
Thanks.”

Haney’s apparently brand new website where he’s claiming less credentials than the Los Angeles Daily News gave him is here.