Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TheUrbanMyth]

[patongpanda]

As an aid to the discussion, here's a whole bunch of allegations in a handy Venn diagram:

http://www.slate.com/id/2195892/

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

What the president ought to be answerable for should include this.

U.S. government's secret torture memos released

Posted: 2008/07/26

The 81-page memo, sent to the Pentagon on March 14, 2003, asserted that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators when they questioned captives because the president's ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes.


WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Justice Department has allowed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to torture jailed terror suspects, according to the three torture memos made public Thursday.

"These documents supply further evidence, if any were needed, that the Justice Department authorized the CIA to torture prisoners in its custody," said Jameel Jaffer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

A memo released by the U.S. Justice Department in 2002 told CIA interrogators that they would not violate the anti-torture laws unless they "have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering" on terrorist suspects.

"Because specific intent is an element of the offense, the absence of specific intent negates the charge of torture," said Jay Bybee, then assistant attorney general, in the memo dated Aug.1, 2002.

It also said that the interrogators would not be prosecuted if they believed in "good faith" the interrogation tactics did not cause prisoners a "prolonged mental harm."

The 18-page memo was obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act request and had been heavily redacted with only a few paragraphs left on eight pages.

The other two memos were the CIA's request for legal advice on interrogation techniques.

A 2003 memo, signed by then-CIA Director George Tenet, instructed interrogators to record the sessions where "enhanced interrogation techniques" were employed.

A 2004 memo said the employment of "water boarding," a form of simulated drowning, would not be considered a violation of anti-torture laws.

The Bush administration's authorization of harsh interrogation techniques on terror suspects was made public in 2004 when the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal was revealed.

However, the administration has consistently denied the U.S. government has tortured any detainee.

An unclassified memo released by the ACLU in April revealed that the Justice Department had authorized military interrogators to use harsh tactics on terrorist suspects.

The 81-page memo, sent to the Pentagon on March 14, 2003, asserted that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators when they questioned al-Qaeda captives because the president's ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes.

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

Impeachment: Bush Accused of Tyranny and Murder

Saturday, 26 July 2008, 4:41 pm
Opinion: Michael Collins

House Justice Committee Hears Kucinich Resolution

Today's hearing on the abuse of presidential powers before the House Committee on the Judiciary turned into a devastating political ambush by Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), committee Democrats, and the extraordinary panel of witnesses.. At least 12 Democratic Committee members were present plus the Chairman while only four Republicans bothered to show up.

Belying their casual appearance in the committee chambers, the Democrats presented a well coordinated, hard hitting case against President George W. Bush. This lead to a double climax in the form of surgically erudite testimony by conservative legal scholar Bruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official, and former Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's stunning summary statement. The best the Republicans could offer was inappropriate humor by Rep. Don Lundgren (D-CA) and a request to clear the chambers when the audience cheered Mr. Bugliosi's remarks.

The hearing resulted from the non stop campaign for the impeachment of President George W. Bush by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). That effort received an overwhelming endorsement last week with the votes of a 238 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 229 Democrats and 9 Republicans voted to refer the single count impeachment bill to the House or Representatives Committee on the Judiciary chaired by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).

The Kucinich Resolution - H.R. 1345 outlines the case for the impeachment of President Bush. Specifically, as president, Bush:

"Deceived Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to fraudulently obtain support for an authorization for the use of force against Iraq and used that fraudulently obtained authorization, and then acting in his capacity under Article II, Section II of the Constitution as Commander in Chief, to commit US troops to combat in Iraq."

There was speculation prior to the hearings that the Republicans might scuttle the entire process due to House rules that prevent disparaging comments about the president. Apparently they failed to read the entirety of House Practice, Sec. 25 which lists a number of negative comments that House members have used in the past and makes clear they're available in the present.

"Few issues more important"

Chairman Conyers opened the hearing by noting that there are "few issues more important" than the actions of Congress to curtail the abuse of presidential powers. As a member of the House committee that heard the Nixon Impeachment case, he speaks with a certain authority. He listed the various abuses of presidential power by Bush laying out the case that his fellow Democrats would elaborate. The senior member of the committee, Republican Lamar Smith (R-TX) responded that he'd seen a lot from this committee but today's hearing was like "hosting an anger management class."

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), a strong advocate for the hearings, responded by pointing out that given the evidence of high crimes, this isn't a Democratic or Republican issue, it's an American issue. The Democrats continued the theme of gravity with Cong. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) referring to Bush as "the worst president our country has ever suffered"

Cong. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-X) returned to what would lead to the most devastating and startling charges of the hearing - the basis for the invasion of Iraq and the disregard for civil liberties through the torture of foreigners and the domestic assault on privacy. Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) responded that the hearing was nothing but "a do-over that amuses our terrorist friends."

"If lying about casual sex" is an impeachment issue, "then certainly lying to the American people about invading Iraq" is, responded Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), another strong supporter of impeachment, continued the hard hitting attack

The Republicans were still not taking the hearing seriously when Cong. Don Lundgren resorted to nothing more than wise cracks in response.

Murder & Tyranny

The peroration came from conservative legal scholar Bruce Fein's testimony about the Bush administration's descent into tyranny. Had Bush showed up at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, he would have been barred at the door by George Washington, Fein said with confidence. He made the comment in a fashion that betrayed contempt for any defense of the Bush administration's behavior. Bush was labeled a tyrant from one of the best and brightest of the United States' legal establishment.

The finale was the testimony of former Los Angeles District Attorney, Vincent Bugliosi. As DA, Bugliosi tired and convicted Charles Manson of first degree murder gaining a death sentence even though the state admitted that Manson was never at the seen of the murders. In the past, Bugliosi has said that preparation is the key to winning cases and that he knows that he's won after the opening statement. With only five minutes, he had a tall task but the syllogism he established was air tight.

On October 1, 2002, President Bush was told that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction (WMD). On October 7th, Bush clamed that Iraq was a threat to the United States due to the possession of WMD. He then used this claim to justify the war in Iraq making him guilty for the death of over four thousand U.S. soldiers and over 100,000 documented deaths of Iraqi civilians.

There were other members of the witness panel, including the author of today's hearings Dennis Kucinich (D-O), Republican Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC). But it was the patient and cagey Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, his supporting cast of Democrats and the two star witnesses, Fein and Bugliosi who made charges of rule by tyranny and murder - charges that will not be easily forgotten no matter how much the mainstream media and politicians choose to ignore this issue.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

Tell President Bush that he must allow executive branch officials to testify or he will face impeachment

On September 26, congressional oversight may be dead. The Constitution that has served our nation so well since 1789 may be hopelessly and forever diminished. Our federal government and, in turn, our nation may never be the same.


Those are the stakes.


In order for our government to function, we must have checks and balances. In order to prevent a president from assuming king-like powers and to ensure that all presidents are held accountable for their actions, Congress must have effective congressional oversight ability. And, of course, our presidents must respect that power.


George W. Bush does not.


It is time to put an end to this defiling of our Constitution. The U.S. House of Representatives has set September 26 as a target date for adjournment. By that time, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Josh Bolten must comply with the congressional subpoenas they have been issued � and which a federal judge has ordered them to follow.


If they do not, then George W. Bush must be impeached and removed from office.


If he is not removed from office, Congress will have established a standard under which a president may deny Congress�s investigative power without penalty. That simply cannot happen.


Show your support for the �Testify or Impeach� campaign by clicking on �Send My Message!� to send an E-mail to the White House.

[TheUrbanMyth]

BUMP

That was July. This is November. Still waiting...

[Gopher]

We are still waiting for W. Bush's next 9/11 and supposed coup followed by lifetime dictatorship, too. Remember that?

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Jandar]

October, everything is supposed to happen in October.

[Gopher]

Remember this?

[canuckistan]

Impressive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_to_impeach_George_W._Bush


The putsch of the AG's office has disgusted me the most--basically blocked anyone from investigating any "misconduct" by this admin--that's putting it mildly too.