Richard Burr is no Sam Ervin

Published December 12, 2014

Editorial by News and Observer, December 11, 2014.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's response to the report on CIA torture is an embarrassment to the state that once proudly claimed Sam Ervin as a senator who would stand up to the abuse of power.

Burr, the incoming head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has dismissed the summary of the 6,000-page report as a partisan and flawed telling of what the CIA did to detainees after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Most of the country and much of the world are appalled by the summary's account of secret prisons, waterboarding, "rectal feeding," days of sleep deprivation and men shackled and abused until until they were broken. Worse yet, the summary said, the techniques yielded no crucial information, and at least 26 of the 119 detainees were not involved in terrorism.

Along with dismissing the findings and any lessons they may teach the nation, Burr promises that any further public scrutiny of the torture issue by his committee will end in January when he takes charge.

"I just don't know what you would accomplish with hearings," Burr said. "Put this report down as a footnote in history."

Not surprising, but nonetheless discouraging, is that North Carolina's Sen.-elect Thom Tillis agrees with Burr that what was bad about the report wasn't what it says, but that the American public was informed.

"I think it's something the Democrats have chosen to release," Tillis said, referring to the executive summary of the report, which was prepared by Democrats. "I think they need to be very careful about the safety and security issues it may raise, not only in terms of our consulates or embassies but also people who partnered with us in a very difficult time."

The claim that telling the truth endangers the United States and its allies reveals an unsettling perspective on the part of two senators who are supposed to be looking out for North Carolina and the nation. It's surely not the way Sen. Ervin saw things.

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December 12, 2014 at 10:14 am
Norm Kelly says:

The Noise & Disturber is genetically required to support the DemoncRAT party report on torture and required to oppose ANYTHING that comes from a Republican or conservative. This post is no different. If they didn't disparage Richard, they would probably be out of business within 24 hours due to the massive exodus of Editorial Board members and other employees! Someone in the demon party leadership would probably find a way to penalize them into bankruptcy.

Richard Burr is not the only one who is calling into question the Demoncrat Party report on torture by the CIA. I obviously have not finished reading this tripe from the N&D, so they MAY point out that this is a Senate Demoncrat Party report, where major players in the situation were NOT interviewed. It's also possible that the N&D will point out how many other people have called this report 'crap'. I won't hold my breath. I may not even finish reading since it's bound to contain so much useful information. Usually listening to what spews forth from the occupier is as useful as reading N&D posts. Then again, listening to or reading the racist garbage that is put forth by the buffet slayer is as useful as either the occupier or N&D posts. But I choose to waste my time right now, so I'm going back to read some more until I just can't stand it.

How do we know that the N&D is working with their allies in the DemocRAT party? Simple, when the Senate Democrats refer to rectal feeding, they don't bother to include the information that this act was done to prevent prisoners from assuming room temperature. You see, these prisoners had gone on a hunger strike. Knowing that deaths in prison would only spur on the enemy, leadership at the prison decided that force feeding was better than allowing these 'people' to starve to death. The answer was the gross act of rectal feeding. Does the Senate DemocRAT report mention this? Did the N&D know this? Or is the N&D editorial board simply trying to bolster their allies, the demons? I suggest the N&D is once again, as always, supporting their allies. How many readers of the N&D trash wonder what the N&D gets out of this unholy alliance between the paper and the socialist party?

Telling the truth about how we treated enemy combatants must be considered with how it will spur on our enemies to attach even more. How much effort are Senate DemocRATS, or ANY demoncrats, putting in to getting to the bottom of, and punishing participants, in the IRS targeting of political enemies? How much time & effort are ANY Demoncrats putting in to finding out what happened with Ben Ghazi? You know, that guy in the middle east who attached our embassy. The one that the N&D is ignoring because it may shed a bad light on their allies in Washington. How much time & effort are the Demoncrats and the N&D putting in to finding the truth about Fast & Furious? How about doing some research on issues that ABSOLUTELY affect the American populace just slightly more than how we treat enemy combatants? People on the outside who are trying to kill us are relatively easy to identify and do something about. People on the INSIDE who are trying to either destroy us or kill us are much harder to identify and/or do anything about. People on the inside use RACE or WEALTH to divide and conquer. It's the ONLY tool being used by the current occupier. How does the N&D report on this? They disparage TEA people, reprint stories about senile Demon Senators referring to conservatives as anarchists because we want to follow the US Constitution. When was the last time the N&D actually supported ANYONE who wanted to enforce the US Constitution? When was the last time the N&D printed ANYTHING positive about TEA people, conservatives, or those of us who support the Constitution? When was the last time the N&D or DemocRAT party supported those of us who earn a dollar keeping the majority of that dollar?

If the N&D or demon party supported actual American citizens, Republicans, conservatives, TEA people, producers/earners, as much as they support our enemies, those who want to kill us, those who break the law, or the demon party schemes/socialism perhaps their readership wouldn't be at such low numbers. And perhaps if the demon party showed an interest in supporting American citizens as much as they support law-breakers, they wouldn't have lost the recent election quite so badly.

I was right when I started reading this N&D trash. It was a waste of time, only supported their allies, and relied little on truth. What a surprise!