Government

Fed Court Clears Another Torture Lawsuit Against Donald Rumsfeld

Judge Clears Donald Vance, Nathan Ertel Lawsuit Against Donald Rumsfeld

CHICAGO (The Blaze/AP) — A court says two Americans who worked for an Iraqi contracting firm can move forward with a lawsuit accusing former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of being responsible for U.S. forces allegedly torturing them.

Last week, The Blaze reported on another case in which an Army veteran who says he was imprisoned unjustly and tortured by the U.S. military in Iraq has been cleared to sue Rumsfeld personally for damages.

The ruling Monday from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rejects arguments that Rumsfeld should be immune from such lawsuits for work performed as a Cabinet secretary. Bloomberg has more:

“We conclude that plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that Secretary Rumsfeld acted deliberately in authorizing interrogation techniques that amount to torture,” U.S. Circuit Judge David Hamilton wrote for the three-judge panel.

Whether Vance and Ertel can actually prove that assertion “remains to be seen,” the court said.

Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel claim they were tortured in 2006 after blowing the whistle on alleged illegal activities by the contracting company. They say they were subjected to sleep deprivation, blasting music, hunger and various threats.

U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen in Illinois last year found that the two could pursue claims that they were tortured using Rumsfeld-approved methods. This most recent decision was the former Defense Secretary‘s appeal to Andersen’s position, which he lost. Below, watch Vance discuss the case:

The lawsuit describes such practices as torture and alleges Rumsfeld personally took part in approving the methods for use by the military in Iraq.

Comments (117)

  • hogtrashhd
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:20pm

    love ya rumsfeld…. love ya….

    Report Post »  
  • Robert999
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:16pm

    American do NOT torture. Waterboarding and other extreme interrogation methods are legal when performed by Americans for the good of the nation and are not legally defined as torture.

    Report Post »  
    • Professional Infidel
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:54pm

      Rightfully So. and got the job done. Professional Solder.

      Report Post »  
    • thinkinghuman
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 12:00am

      GET ‘IM. Get that torturer RUMSFELD, he is a bad man.

      Report Post » thinkinghuman  
    • R.A. Bullseye
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 1:27am

      Amen !

      Report Post »  
    • BurntHills
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 1:33am

      we can’t wait for the day when obama is hauled to his lamp post like mussolini. or let him walk saddam’s last 20 steps as is only fitting. letting obama end his reign of destruction and meet History on a sofa in a bunker like his idol did in April 1945 would be too soft on that monster who just got 30 Americans (incl 22 SEALs) killed. obama has demoralized, broken, destroyed and endangered America enough. time to prosecute obama.

      Report Post » BurntHills  
    • thelonious
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 4:28am

      @Burnthills, You’re being dramatic and you know it. I used to be taken aback by how mean-spirited liberals were towards Bush in 00-08, but you and your kin have created a surreal fairyscape of America where Obama is every negative aspect of history rolled into one. I’m scared of our country because people have begun spewing opinions before forming them.

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    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 7:02am

      Well I’m sure those same courts will bring Obamam up on war crimes for targeting and kill innocent civilians with unmanned drone…..RIGHT?

      Report Post »  
    • ashestoashes
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 8:30am

      Oh but it is defined as torture whten you have an islamic leader and a pro-sharia law cabinet, and how many communist czars running the country.The muslim brotherhood here, who has also caused the uprising in the middleeast ..in the name of freedom is pushing for the beheading of our “friend to the United States” dethroned leader of Egypt..I am sure that Hilary and hussein are very proud, and I am sure that they don’t think of that as cruel and unusual punishment.

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    • ishka4me
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 8:34am

      what ever you want to call them: enhanced interogation, torture, water boarding; they work. was recently at a cookout and some liberal windbag i know was spouting the torture doesn’t work. I put him in a pain compliance technique bending his wrist and cranking it a little. as he winced in pain i had him do a few tricks then released him, and said to him, i quess that didn’t work either. he is reconsidering his view at this point.

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    • txn4justice
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 9:26am

      Mr Rumsfeld is a great American.

      Report Post »  
    • Trance
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 11:52am

      If these allegations are true, Rumsfeld should be given life in prison as far as I’m concerned. You‘re so worried about the government using Nazi tactics except when it’s done by a Republican? The enemy is not determined by their party affiliation, it is determined by their actions.

      Report Post » Trance  
  • TheWholeTruth
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:51pm

    It saddens me and most of all scares me when I read the responses so far. People, you have yet to take the blinders off and really see what is going on. “They” play both ends against the middle and it would see most are still falling for it.

    If a Republican does it, it’s okay.. if a Democrat does it, it is not. On the other hand, if a Democrat does it, it’s okay.. if a Republican does it, it is not. Truth is they BOTH do it and it is NOT okay either way. There is no Left/Right Rep/Dec anymore. They are all one in the same and they COUNT on this sort of thing among us. Divide and conquer and ‘we’ are playing right into their hands.

    Report Post »  
    • ICRedifURBlue
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:14pm

      When you go to War……especially as a private contractor, Sh*t happens……….suck it up and stop the whining, it’s embarrassing.

      Report Post »  
    • TheWholeTruth
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:18pm

      To clarify what I was talking about before, I wish to give this scenario..

      If this man had worked for the ATF and was going to quit due to seeing them running guns into Mexico: If this man blew the whistle on them to the FBI: If the FBI had gotten him to keep going and become an informant for them to keep track of who, what, when and where: If his cover had been blown and he was subsequently taken in the middle of the night to a place where he was treated in this fashion by the people he had informed on……….. What would you think then? Would you be calling for Holder’s head on a platter? OF COURSE YOU WOULD as you SHOULD. THIS is no different.

      Same stuff… different actors

      Report Post »  
    • JMorcan
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 12:59am

      “When you go to War……especially as a private contractor, Sh*t happens……….suck it up and stop the whining, it’s embarrassing.”

      That’s probably what the Japanese said when they were injecting our guys with anthrax and typhus.

      Report Post » JMorcan  
    • Drinkingoutacups
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 9:39am

      @ Thewholetruth

      I totally agree with you. It‘s ridiculous how some of these people commenting on this don’t realize that this is a fight concerning our liberties that have been givin to us from the constitution!!! It saddens me that just because it’s Donald, republicans are in a uproar over this. But if it was democrat I’m sure the comments would be calling for his head.

      An American being imprisioned, with no evidence at the time, for nine months regardless if torture was involved or not goes to show how strong and unchecked our government is becoming. Next the President is going to say he has the capability to assasinate whoever he thinks is a terrorist… Oh wait

      Report Post »  
    • JRook
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 11:22am

      @TheWholeTruth You are right on the money. But of course the first thing people have to realize is that one should never listen or support someone who tells you everyday the they are the source of truth. To paraphrase Shakespeare “methinks thou dost promote too much” It doesn’t matter if it is Governors stealing the right to organize or Congressmen extending regulations that create barriers to entry ….. follow the money. We have the best politicians money can buy. We have the best talk show hosts money can buy.

      Report Post »  
    • Paula
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 5:55pm

      And this is exactly why the Tea Party was formed. There are plenty of Republican Progressives in the party. Heck, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin’s cousin was a progressive.

      Report Post »  
  • neverending
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:42pm

    So once we have the opportunity to clean out the whitehouse and the senate then the courts need to be cleaned out as well.. This is so completely and totally outrageous. Wonder who they will allow hasan to sue?

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    • mystery1
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 2:42am

      THE DICTATOR/TYRANT/TERRORIST, PELOSI, REID, HOLDER, AXELROD, GEICHTNER AND ALL THE THIEVES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEED TO BE “WATERBOARDED” TO GET THE TRUTH ABOUT THE REAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE, THE LOST STIMULUS TO “UNKNOWN AREA CODES AND TOWNS, CITIES THAT DON’T EXIST”, HOW MANY ARAB COUNTRIES THAT THE TYRANT HAS “SOLD US OUT” TO, THE EXACT DATE THAT THE RADICAL MUSLIMS WILL BE ALLOWED TO TAKE OVER AMERICA WITH THE TYRANT’S BLESSINGS, WHEN HE THOUGHT THE CAMERAS WEREN’T ROLLING HE SAID, “WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH, I WILL STAND BESIDE THE MUSLIMS, I AM MUSLIM! THESE THUGS, GOONS, AND CRIMINALS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (EVERY DEPARTMENT) SHOULD BE WATERBOARDED, ASAP, ARRESTED, PROSECUTED AND FACE THE FIRING SQUAD. THEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IRS NEEDS TO BE ABOLISHED, ASAP AND LET THE STATES TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. THEY CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN THE THUGS IN D.C. HAVE OVER THE DECADES OF THEIR CRIMES. NOW IS THE TIME TO FACE THE FACTS OF “THE ABUSE” THAT AMERICANS ARE BEING SUBJECTED TO AND STOP IT. THESE THUGS ARE IGNORING OUR CONSTITUTION AND OUR RIGHTS ESPECIALLY, THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS BECAUSE THEY WANT AMERICA “UNARMED” SO THEY CAN TAKE US OVER MUCH EASIER. THE TYRANT AND HILLARY CLINTON AND MANY OTHERS SURE ARE TRYING TO “SHUT US UP” IN MANY WAYS. IT NEEDS TO STOP, ASAP!!!!! THE IDIOTIC POLITICALLY CORRECT NEED TO FACE, WAR AS WAR AND NOT A FRAT PARTY SPAT. Get a life, war calls for “rigid” decisions and actions.

      Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 7:53am

      “Donald Rumsfeld was on President Reagan’s transition team and the day after he took office he appointed an FDA Commissioner who would approve aspartame.
      http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive15.htm

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 7:56am

      then there is the dyncorp and halliburton child sex trafficking
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IwqxnRM8TE

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 7:58am

      now you know the rest of the story

      http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/010106sexslavescandal.htm

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
  • Danola
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:42pm

    If this is okay, then we should all prepare our lawsuits against Obama and his cabinet and czars for destroying our country and torturing us. The lawsuits will be plentiful in 1 1/2 years from now. Or do we even have to wait til then?

    Report Post »  
  • gregjackie1
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:32pm

    I will give you some of the differences in supposed torture of the US and real torture of other countries in the past.

    Waterboarding:
    US- Subject is laid on a table with a cloth over their mouth. Water is then poured over the face to simulate drowning. pouring can last no longer than 20-40 seconds at a time. While this is going on a doctor is present to monitor vital signs.

    Japan during WWII- The officer would take the subject and lay them on a table. They would then take the most vile water that usually has things like kerosene, vomit, feces, and other such things down the subjects throat until they actually drown3 Then jump on the subjects stomach, expelling the vile liquid, reviving the subject and then doing it again.

    Cambodia: Pol Pots people would take civilians, tie them up by their feet and put them headfirst into a barrel. Then fill the barrel with water. Then leave the civilian in the barrel of water to drown and not revive.

    So how is America’s version of waterboarding torture? It is done to our own special force troops for training. Would you submit to one from say Japan during WWII or Cambodia?

    Report Post »  
    • JMorcan
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 1:01am

      You’re a moron.

      Report Post » JMorcan  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 10:22am

      Why don’t we water board you and see if you enjoy it. I’ve argued this already in the past, training is training. The soldier knows they won‘t go to far and they won’t do it for too long. When you are a prisoner, you don’t have the luxury of that knowledge. So it only lasts for 20-40 seconds at a time? How about going through that for hours each day, think you can still handle it? Oh you can? Why, because it’s actually clean, distilled water and there’s a biased doctor present?

      I really wish some of you could get water boarded, even in the most humane method possible, to see if you could do that for hours at a time during a real interrogation and for how many days you’d last before you consider it torture. Sure, you may last the first time without calling it torture, how about the second? The third? The 10th? The 100th time it‘s done to you in one sitting or over a course of a day’s interrogation? You can’t just say “Ok, I’m done, training over.”

      Some of you have a warp sense of reality.

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
    • jkendal
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 10:29am

      @JMorcan: “You’re a moron.”

      No, you are the moron. gregjackie1 just laid it out for you. Waterboarding isn’t torture. What the communists did and the terrorists are now doing to our troops is most certainly torture. How anyone can even compare the two is utterly stupid.

      Report Post »  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 11:24am

      @ American Soldier. Yeah right. I served decades ago before all this PC crap. The techniques used in water boarding the three terrorists were actually more lenient than that used to train our special forces. Take the blinders off/ You completely ignore the comparison of other countries. Would you like a little more?
      How about in Nazi Germany. One technique would be to open up the thigh put in a type of spreader and spread the bones. Or in China it is death of a thousand cuts. How about North Korea. Where elite military would train to kill by using civilians in prison.

      Report Post »  
  • Danola
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:31pm

    If this is okay, then we should all prepare our lawsuits against Obama and his cabinet and czars for destroying our country. The lawsuits will be plentiful in 1 1/2 years from now. Or do we even have to wait til then?

    Report Post »  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:13pm

    Keith Olbermann… Keith Olbermann! I don’t believe anything that airs on his show.

    Report Post » The-Monk  
  • Affirmative Blaction
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:13pm

    Best defense: It wasnt torture, we were testing to see how long he would last if captured by the enemy. Apparently not very long.

    Yea, yea alright so this guy got the crap beat out him, for awhile. What if he had been giving up secrets? What if he had been comprimised? Mabey he is guilty. How do you know he isnt? But most of all, why is donald getting sued, and not the US Gov?

    Report Post » Affirmative Blaction  
    • apollo18
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 2:10pm

      Why doesn’t Rumsfeld have immunity, since he was acting as an agent of the US govt, with practices and procedures authorized by federal legal opinion?

      Report Post »  
  • rienheart
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:06pm

    They Know Not what torture is. Here in America, your tortured if you spill hot coffee on your lap. In Iran, Iraq or any other Islamic Country, inserting you feet first into a Meat grinder then letting you slowly sink into it, is just foreplay before the real torture begins.

    Report Post »  
  • Ookspay
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:00pm

    Donald Rumsfeld is a true American hero, we all owe him a debt of thanks!

    Did he make mistakes? Sure, anyone with that level of responsibilty and tasks at hand will always screw up some of the time.

    Report Post » Ookspay  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:55pm

    I wonder how fast these two wieners, Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel would have broke if the taliban had tortured them? Throw the suit out!!

    Report Post » banjarmon  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 10:24am

      Oh so that makes everything alright, as long as we are slightly better than our enemies. I thought we were suppose to be better, significantly better, than our enemies…. my mistake.

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
    • gregjackie1
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 11:29am

      Hey American soldier. I bet you never even served. Why don’t you go and study interrogation and torture methods from other countries that they currently do now and those in the past. Do a side by side comparison. Or better yet. Move to a middle eastern country and commit a crime there and see how you get treated.

      Report Post »  
  • olddog
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:54pm

    Let‘s all take a guess that the federal judges that ok’d thid we’re LIBERALS….
    Not much of a guess was it?

    Report Post » olddog  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:50pm

    Oh good, this means we can sue Obama and company for their torturous treatment of America!
    Can you say class action lawsuit. The American People vs Obama.

    Report Post » The-Monk  
  • semihardrock
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:45pm

    does the DOJ and Obama SERIOUSLY think that stirring up OLD Bush Policies will get HIM re-elected? SERIOUSLY……Thats the game Plan! ………GOOD LUCK wit dat!

    Report Post » semihardrock  
  • jzs
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:45pm

    So, is it, like, against the Constitution of the United States of America to torture people?

    Report Post » jzs  
    • MODEL82A1
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:48pm

      See, there’s one now!

      Report Post » MODEL82A1  
    • GREENINFIDEL
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:57pm

      Lmao @ 82!!!

      Report Post » GREENINFIDEL  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:59pm

      Ah, like, yo, like, ah, yeah! The US Government can not torture American citizens….. like, dude, it’s, like, wrong.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • HUNITHUNIT
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:49pm

      It is indeed, like, against the Constitution of the United States to torture Americans.

      Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 1:17am

      HUNITHUNIT
      It is in fact against the Constitution to torture anybody. The word citizen does not appear anywhere in the Bill of Rights because the government does not bestow rights on people as a gift, it promises to protect the God-given rights of all people under its power.

      Report Post »  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 10:27am

      Exactly. The Constitution says the right of the people, not just the right of American Citizens. They could have easily made it state that the constitution only applies to citizens of this country, but they didn’t. The constitution applies to the Government, to protect people (in general) from it’s abuses regardless of nationality. The founders come from a time where the British enjoyed a large empire and knew throughout history, countries did bad things to their neighbors. The constitution was set in place to limited the government, not just limit them from what they can do to their own citizens but limit them in general.

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:45pm

    these people are garbage; take ‘em out on trash day.

    Report Post »  
  • MODEL82A1
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:43pm

    Oh, this one will bring out the Lefty Imbeciles, like, fer sher.

    Report Post » MODEL82A1  
  • SheriS
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:42pm

    Just sounds another disgruntled idiot who is trying to blame everyone else for his own stupdity! Sounds to me like a bunch of garbage!

    Report Post »  
  • ashestoashes
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:42pm

    Grandma…our enemies are in power here

    Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 8:09am

      Iraq war was about oil
      http://www.illuminati-news.com/iraq-euro.htm

      Who authorized the use of Depleted Uranium ?
      That was a crime against humanity
      which will come back to haunt our soldiers exposed over there.

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • apollo18
      Posted on August 9, 2011 at 2:04pm

      tower7femacamp: Galileo tried to convince overwhelming public opinion that the sun didn’t revolve around the earth. “After all”, they claimed, “can’t you believe your own eyes?” He had to argue against the obvious. There is nothing that will change your quixotic babbling. Pat Tillman wasn’t killed because of a conspiracy, but the Army tried to cover up the facts, so what? What was the malicious intent? The Iraq-A-stan war is about oil? Pretty simple-minded. (Why did the Japanese invade China and attack Pearl Harbor? Why do most wars start?)
      If you argue facts, it’s conservative. If you argue based on emotion (hate Palin, Bush, Tea Partiers, Rush, FNC?) you’re a liberal social democrat. Which one are you?

      Report Post »  
  • I.Gaspar
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:39pm

    The inmates have taken over the asylum,
    The leftist activist judges are out of control and we have a president doing everything he can to collapse the system.
    Can we survive until November 2012?

    Report Post »  
    • Ookspay
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:57pm

      Leftist whacko’s are just showing their true colors under the belief that they have won and can now do whatever they want. As usual they over-reached and perhaps the American public will finally see these socialist’s as the horrible, unqualified leaders that they are.

      Yeah we will survive ’til 2012… The nipple feeding under class may riot, pi$$ and moan, but in the end they will all be chased back in to there smelly little holes.

      Got Sig?

      Report Post » Ookspay  
    • loriann12
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:31pm

      The lefties are desperate to create more discontent. Race wars, class wars and now insubordination in the ranks.

      Report Post »  
  • Quagaar Warrior
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:39pm

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Karl Marx said that we not be destroyed from without but that we would be destroyed from within.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Report Post »  
    • rienheart
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:51pm

      That was Kruschev while he was banging his shoe on a table

      Report Post »  
    • Benbit
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:56pm

      “Your Children’s children will live under communism without a shot being fired..
      You Americans are so gullible.
      No, you won’t accept Communism outright; but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of Socialism until you will finally wake up and find that you already have Communism.
      We won’t have to fight you; we’ll so weaken your economy, until you fall like overripe fruit into our hands.”
      Nikita Khrushchev, 1959

      Report Post »  
  • 13th Imam
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:36pm

    When I went to college I suffered from sleep deprivation, blasting music,hunger, and various threats. Who do I sue??

    Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • Epic Fail
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:36pm

    Can I sue Obama for my 5% loss in my IRA today?

    Report Post » Epic Fail  
    • MODEL82A1
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:47pm

      What? You haven’t been in 100% collectable gold coins since Glenn Beck got syndicated? Lol!

      Report Post » MODEL82A1  
    • NDPINDNT
      Posted on August 8, 2011 at 11:59pm

      I want to sue him for torturing me by having to see him on tv giving a press conference just about every day since he’s been elected. Maybe we can do a class action lawsuit and lump everything like the left does. Need to find a conservative circuit court if there are any left in this country.

      Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on August 8, 2011 at 9:34pm

    This is so much bs! Our enemies are our enemies. They are NOT friends. HELLLOOOOO!

    Incredible that our government would stoop to honor those who would kill us.

    May GOD HIMSELF take note of you and your treasonous actions and your black, evil hearts.

    And, may HE have mercy on this HIS MOST BLESSED COUNTRY, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. In JESUS’ precious name, amen.

    Report Post »  

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