> America No. 1?
>
> America by the numbers
>
> by Michael Ventura
>
> 02/03/05 - - No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character
> than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest."....
>

I just know we got the best hackers. But we have the best nature too. I mean, we have great deserts, wonderful mountains, great forests, nice beaches, great cities, and many many great animals.

And we got good food too like hamburgers, pizza, and tacos.

Great drinks like Coke, Pepsi, and root beer.

We also got football and Hollywood.

We are the greatest country.

Oops, I forgot to mention that we also have Kirsten Dunst -- she's so sweet.

The Guardian visits Afghanistan and finds 'One Huge U.S. Jail' with a "floating population" of more than 10,000 "ghost detainees."

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Senior defense officials have described the CIA practice of hiding unregistered detainees at Abu Ghraib prison as ad hoc and unauthorized, but a review of Army documents shows that the agency's "ghosting" program was systematic and known to three senior intelligence officials in Iraq.


Army and Pentagon investigations have acknowledged a limited amount of ghosting, but more than a dozen documents and investigative statements obtained by The Washington Post show that unregistered CIA detainees were brought to Abu Ghraib several times a week in late 2003, and that they were hidden in a special row of cells. Military police soldiers came up with a rough system to keep track of such detainees with single-digit identification numbers, while others were dropped off unnamed, unannounced and unaccounted for.

The documents show that the highest-ranking general in Iraq at the time acknowledged that his top intelligence officer was aware the CIA was using Abu Ghraib's cells, a policy the general abruptly stopped when questions arose.

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