May 28th, 2008
Posted by Rachel Myers, ACLU at 12:27pm	National Security

Knee-Jerk Redaction?

After CIA Director Michael Hayden publicly admitted that the CIA has, in fact, waterboarded detainees, the agency could no longer cling to its last excuses for covering up the use of the very word “waterboarding” in CIA records. As a result, yesterday we obtained several heavily redacted documents in response to an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by the ACLU and other organizations seeking documents related to the treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody overseas.

While the documents do, in fact, reveal the word “waterboarding” or some variation, they leave pretty much everything else to the imagination. The pages that haven’t been completely withheld (many of them contain the words “Denied in Full” instead of any actual content) have the clandestine blacked-out look that’s become a sort of trademark of this administration. This is my favorite:

Click the image to enlarge

One of the documents is a heavily redacted version of a report (PDF) by the CIA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on its review of the CIA’s interrogation and detention program. The report includes information about an as-yet-undisclosed Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion from August 2002. Interestingly, this opinion appears to be the same OLC memo authorizing specific interrogations methods for use by the CIA that is being withheld by the CIA as a classified document in the ACLU’s FOIA litigation — but the OIG report refers to this document as “unclassified.”

The CIA continues to withhold many more documents that should not be secret. The incomplete response to the ACLU’s demand for records reflects a complete disregard for the right of the American public to know when and how often the government has employed illegal interrogation methods.

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1. Canis Says:
   May 28th, 2008 at 1:17pm

   You should make a fund-raising T-shirt of that page.

   The shape already suggests a T-shirt, with the redacted title at the top kind-of like the neckline, and the image as a whole is... emblematic.

   Presumably, if the document is US-govt produced, it's in the public domain, and as it only uses one ink it should be cheap to screen-print.

2. Max Says:
   May 28th, 2008 at 2:08pm

   I'd buy one.

3. TooFunny Says:
   May 28th, 2008 at 2:46pm

   First, lol at the document. Thats just retarded. It can't be real.

   Second, if it is indeed real, they wonder why Americans always have conspiracy theories and such.

   Why so sterotypes exists? Mostly because the majority of the time they are true.

   I believe our government cover up much of what they do. Either for national safety or because they know its illegal.

   Either way you can't really stop them and good luck to those who try.

4. Anonymous Says:
   May 28th, 2008 at 4:07pm

   The conduct of this administration with regards to interrogation and detention is truly appalling. Waterboarding, as with other forms of torture, is not only morally wrong and endangering to out troops but is also ineffective. The sooner this administration (or the next) lets up the better.

   http://forumforforeignaffairs.blogspot.com/2007/09/
   as-bush-maintains-stranglehold-on.html

5. Adam Says:
   May 28th, 2008 at 6:54pm

   I'd buy one too. For real.

6. Randy Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 9:47am

   I'd buy one. I think it should have some sort of caption on it like "freedom of information act".

7. Belarm Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 1:31pm

   I'd suggest a caption along the lines of 'if this is what they'll show us, what are they hiding?'

8. Chagrin Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 4:05pm

   It is "redacted", not "retracted."

9. Badmoodman Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 4:06pm

   Looks like a document put out by The Onion.

10. Jim Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 4:07pm

    This is a complete JOKE. I'm beyond being embarassed and beyond being surprised by this kind of behavior. We have, what, 8 more months of this?

11. Mar Caribe Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 4:20pm

    Now what if that document falls into the wrong hands? You know what the terrorists can do with those 6 words?

    These Enhanced Techniques Include: Water Board

    IT IS AN ANAGRAM FOLKS:

    Nineteen squid headaches threaten crowd be cul

    Obviously the department of homeland security is nervous about news regarding 19 squid headaches to come as a result of terrorist threats. LET'S INVADE SOMEBODY!

    Just try to remain calm and "b cul".

12. Radley Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 4:35pm

    I'd buy it.

13. Robert Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 7:22pm

    Yep, I'd buy one too. Is that a quorum?

14. Mark Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 8:36pm

    Here is a shirt with the page on it:
    http://www.cafepress.com/foonman

    The document name (FOIA DOC 90) is top right, and the page is resized a bit to fit otherwise it's as shown. I tried a few different captions, (including the good ideas here) but it seemed to speak loudest just on its own.

    There's zero mark-up on the shirts. They're sold at the cost Cafe-Press charges to make them.

    If for some reason this is out of line let me know here and I'll remove them.

15. Tim Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 10:53pm

    Anyone else notice the resemblance of the blacked-out text to a vodka bottle?

    Caption suggestion: ABSOLUT EVIL

16. Chris Says:
    May 30th, 2008 at 5:02am

    wow, they are sick and corrupt, how can this go on?

    chris @ www.gofrostfir.ecom

17. John Says:
    May 30th, 2008 at 6:37am

    This is absolutely horrifying.

18. Canis Says:
    May 30th, 2008 at 9:29am

    The "Made in the USA" badge CafePress use in their gallery just adds an extra layer of irony...

19. Harryfreeloader Says:
    Jun 2nd, 2008 at 2:19pm

    I don't want anybody in the U.S. Government torturin anyone in my name. After Vietnam I swore I'd never take up arms to defend those bastards in Washington again. I don't give a damn what their foreign policy is. Let them go fight their own damned wars and leave the citizens of the United States alone.

20. Segodnya Says:
    Jul 1st, 2008 at 7:27am

    This certainly is revolting, horrifying, and loathesome. And as repugnant as the current Administration's activities have been, let's not let its predecessors off the hook so easily. The NSA has been co-opting the largest communications companies for 70 years to spy on our electronic communications, and for 70 years they've been getting immunity for it. Republicans, Democrats - it doesn't matter. The Special Rendition Program apparently began in 1996 under a Democratic president. I say this not to defend President Bush, but to illustrate that Bush has capitalized on a general erosion of all our rights and made it the central focus of his presidency. We should insist not only that the infringements on our freedoms he's engineered be undone, but that ALL restrictions and usurpations of the last 70 years be undone. Presidents have a duty to interpret the Bill of Rights expansively, providing maximum restraint on government power. Until one of the current candidates addresses that, I'm not voting for any of them. Let THAT be the change we can believe in.

21. Kevin Chavis Says:
    Jul 7th, 2008 at 10:39pm

    This is real. And people wonder why our government needs more accountability?

    The American people sorely need to become informed as to how corrupt our government is and how it is not leading us into a peaceful future.

    Torture is one of the myriad of symptoms the "Peace through strength" mantra has taken us to. I pray that we can move towards creating a truly Non-killing and Compassionate Society.

22. Lina Smith Says:
    Jul 24th, 2008 at 12:55pm

    I found this site called URAjerk.com maybe you can use it. It seems to help get me through the issues of dealing with some of the jerks I know. At least I can vent about these jerks, plus I get a kick out of sending them some cards.

23. AT Says:
    Aug 13th, 2008 at 1:00am

    why didn't the FBI Salt Lake city field office released my files?

24. good Says:
    Oct 14th, 2008 at 11:35pm

    the CIA needs to beat these terroist.. it is a good thing they didnt release the info to you clowns.. all terrorist must be beat and the cia is the team to do.. certainly none of you clowns are willing to protect america

25. so what Says:
    Nov 30th, 2008 at 12:31pm

    So what if they waterboarded those poeple. there not american they dont have the same rights and they dont believe in your american rights. In there eyes they have every right to kill you and be carefull one of them may be your neighbor. Cicil liberties union should move to iran and tend there busines there and then you will realize how good your lil plushie job is in good ol USA!

26. mr.b Says:
    Nov 30th, 2008 at 3:40pm

    I recently tried to get a copy of my record at the CIA. I di some work for them in a Marxist country in Africa in the '70's.

    I was refused due exemptions of the Privacy Act (j)(1), (k)(1)& FOIA (b)(1) & (b)(3). So much for freedom of information. It is a nice thought that the bureacrats have turned into a joke on us.

27. eBuster Says:
    Dec 6th, 2009 at 3:19pm

    I made a request under the freedom of information act having seen first hand that our police are turning a blind eye to serial fraudsters on eBay selling hundreds of cars using multiple eBay accounts from around the Birmingham area and despite being presented with overwhelming evidence the police would not investigate, would only reply to registered letters and yes I tried the so called Independent Police Complaints Comity (IPCC) only to find they were as helpful as a chocolate tea pot and are quite happy to except standard replies from the police that could be sent out to anyone complaining about everything from police brutality to inaction by the police. Since the Police palmed my case off to the trading standards (as documented at www.ebuster.co.uk) I will also warn that the Birmingham trading standards like to play you along for three months saying they are waiting for information from eBay and then finally when it does arrive with no reliable contact details the trading standards turn around and say it’s your job to provide the contact details which is not so easy with professional fraudsters hence my insistence the police needed to be involved all along. Anyway having read about the merry relationship eBay has with the police and coming across reports much like mine I soon discovered that eBay was providing so called special training to our police which knowing eBays reputation worldwide is a bit like the Mafia proving our police with gun control training so I tried to gain more specific information under the freedom of information act that was not specific to eBay but cyber crime in general only to receive a two page letter months later detailing why this information was not available with the excuse that crime statistics were only held at local level. This of course is incorrect as where else would the national crime statistics come from so be warned if you happen to have dealings with eBay then you had better be ready to take on eBay, Police, IPCC, Trading standards and department of justice who all seem to have a soft spot for eBay. I keep reading that it’s simple to make a request under the freedom of information act but how do you go about ensuring the authorities respond to that request without having to endure being played around by the likes of the IPCC who are all controlled by the same hidden hand or is it at that stage were we should just throw in the towel and hope someone else takes up the battle. Bottom line as I see it is we have high taxes and no accountability which is a bi-product of the corruption that is consuming today’s society so all I can do is make sure I don’t drive with bold tyres or resist arrest