| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
06 Jan 2005 08:43:16 AM |
| Object: |
My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
For decades, military commanders' resistance to allowing torture had
rested in part on fears that abuses could expose American POWs to
greater risks of mistreatment.
From a Courier-Journal editorial, 1/6/05:
http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/editorials/2005/01/06/opin-top0106-3631.html
Reversal on torture
Since the Bush administration doesn't admit mistakes, doesn't hold its
top officials accountable and shrouds itself in secrecy, it's never
easy to determine the role of key players in the serial disasters of
this presidency.
For example, it would be nice to know more -- much more -- about
Alberto R. Gonzales' part in the now-repudiated legal review that
condoned torture in the name of national security.
Mr. Gonzales, the White House counsel who has been nominated to
replace John Ashcroft as attorney general, advised President Bush in
January 2002 that human rights protections of the Geneva Conventions
did not apply to prisoners taken in Afghanistan.
Mr. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld promptly eased
limitations on coercive questioning of detainees, over stout
objections from Secretary of State Colin Powell and top generals.
For decades, military commanders' resistance to allowing torture had
rested in part on fears that abuses could expose American POWs to
greater risks of mistreatment.
Later, in August 2002, the Justice Department's Office of Legal
Counsel -- at the request of Mr. Gonzales and without the involvement
of Mr. Ashcroft -- provided a ludicrously narrow definition of torture
and declared that the President had inherent power to sidestep
national laws and international protocols forbidding torture.
Because the White House has refused to release supporting documents,
it's unclear how actively Mr. Gonzales intervened.
It is known that he chaired meetings connected to preparation of the
Justice Department report.
Participants recall that he did not challenge permissive views on
torture and influenced the discussions through pointed questions.
What is certain is what the administration's break with American
traditions regarding torture has produced: Abu Ghraib; reports of
widespread abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay; and broad
international condemnation of U.S. policies befitting a Latin American
dictatorship.
After nearly four years, the administration finally reversed course
last week and rejected torture as "abhorrent."
But as the Senate now takes up Mr. Gonzales' nomination, we hope he
and the President will remind us:
Why, if Mr. Gonzales seemed so terribly wrong on a matter of
fundamental importance and decency, is he a good choice to be attorney
general?
_____________________________________________________________
"Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the
torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself."
James Anthony Froude
Harry
.
|
|
| User: "Daniel" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
06 Jan 2005 10:00:16 AM |
|
|
Perhaps you can cite the articles of the Geneva Convention that covers
terrorists and terrorist groups?
.
|
|
|
| User: "ouroboros rex" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
06 Jan 2005 10:44:26 AM |
|
|
"Daniel" <sabot120mm@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105027216.826860.85780@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Perhaps you can cite the articles of the Geneva Convention that covers
terrorists and terrorist groups?
perhaps you can cite the rules concerning taxi drivers and curfew
breakers? lol
Still not one terrorist conviction.
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Frank Provasek" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
06 Jan 2005 11:09:58 AM |
|
|
"Daniel" <sabot120mm@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105027216.826860.85780@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Perhaps you can cite the articles of the Geneva Convention that covers
terrorists and terrorist groups?
It's prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Charlie Wolf" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
06 Jan 2005 01:02:39 PM |
|
|
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 17:09:58 GMT, "Frank Provasek"
<frank@frankcoins.com> wrote:
"Daniel" <sabot120mm@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105027216.826860.85780@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Perhaps you can cite the articles of the Geneva Convention that covers
terrorists and terrorist groups?
It's prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
which doesn't apply to terrorists and murders from other countries
who are not part of a uniformed force -
Regards,
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
07 Jan 2005 08:47:15 AM |
|
|
Which acticle?
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "Daniel" |
|
| Title: Re: My, my. America will appoint an attorney general who condones torture. |
06 Jan 2005 10:00:25 AM |
|
|
Perhaps you can cite the articles of the Geneva Convention that covers
terrorists and terrorist groups?
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
