Yesterday, The New York Times, in a very lengthy and detailed article by Scott Shane, David Johnston and James Risen, reported that the United States government secretly approved torture methods by the military and the CIA in their also secret prisons throughout the world.
These abhorrent methods and procedures, detailed in the report, deserve the condemnation of all people in our country and the rest of the world.
It is imperative that a Nuremberg-like international tribunal be established to bring to trial Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Gonzales for crimes against humanity. On conviction, they should be hanged.
October 5, 2007 reaction:
New York Times: Debate Erupts on Techniques Used by C.I.A.
NYT's Mike Nizza: Severe Reactions to Severe Interrogation Report
George W. Bush and his gang of neocons have violated the constitution, federal statues, the laws of war, and international human rights.
IMPEACH!
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A very good blog comment by Anne:
7.
On October 4th, 2007 at 9:37 am, Anne said:
I just finished reading the NYT article and it has predictably left me feeling nauseated, angry, sad and frustrated.
The decisions these reprehensible people made in the name of “national security” have effectively silenced America’s moral voice. No longer do our words about bringing freedom and democracy to oppressed people and nations ring true, when behind them is the reality that we not only engage in torture, but had an entire office and branch of government staffed with people whose job it was to issue opinions “legalizing” it.
Dana Perino stood in the WH press room the other day and opined that what was happening in Burma was “distressing.” The irony of expressing distress at actions and activities and treatment undertaken by another government, when our own government has said is legal when we do it, well, it just leaves me shaking my head.
When Osama bin Laden decided to attack this country while George Bush was president, he set into motion something that has succeeded probably beyond his wildest dreams. He has had the opportunity to watch this country slowly but steadily erode from within, he has seen us pitted against each other, he has seen us making all the decisions that guaranteed our decline in world opinion, and taken us off the moral pedestal. He has seen us lose the world’s assumption that we were acting for good, and made it easier for other nations to wield power that represses and oppresses because they can hold us up as the example.
No longer can America stand before the nations of this world and call for respect for liberty, for the rights of the people, for the end of repression and fear – because those in charge of our government have no respect for liberty, and pursue their own acts of repression through the use of fear.
My frustration comes from knowing – or having reason to believe – that nothing will come of this.
My sadness comes from knowing that unless and until we fix this, and return to a place where we repudiate the kind of inhumane treatment that the Bush administration has approved, we will not have the moral authority to help anyone. And even if we pass new laws – who will trust that those laws are the ones that control, and not some secret memo that says, “pay no attention to these laws – we will do what we want?”
The nausea is self-explanatory.
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www.americanfreedomcampaign.org.
The American Freedom Campaign Agenda
At critical moments in our history, Americans have been called upon to protect our Constitutional guarantees of liberty and justice. We face such a moment today. The American Freedom Campaign is a non-partisan citizen's alliance formed to reverse the abuse of executive power and restore our system of checks and balances with these ten goals:
Fully restore the right to challenge the legality of one's detention, or habeas corpus, and the right of detained suspects to be charged and brought to trial.
Prohibit torture and all cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Prohibit the use of secret evidence.
Prohibit the detention of anyone, including U.S. citizens, as an "enemy combatant" outside the battlefield, and on the President's say-so alone.
Prohibit the government from secretly breaking and entering our homes, tapping our phones or email, or seizing our computers without a court order, on the President's say-so alone.
Prohibit the President from "disappearing" anyone and holding them in secret detention.
Prohibit the executive from claiming "state secrets" to deny justice to victims of government misdeeds, and from claiming "executive privilege" to obstruct Congressional oversight and an open government.
Prohibit the abuse of signing statements, where the President seeks to disregard duly enacted provision of bills.
Use the federal courts, or courts-martial, to charge and prosecute terrorism suspects, and close Guantanamo down.
Reaffirm that the Espionage Act does not prohibit journalists from reporting on classified national security matters and that they may do so without fear of prosecution.
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