The Justice Department appears close to re-opening nearly a dozen prisoner abuse cases that were all but buried by the Bush Administration. The move comes after a recommendation of the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility. The Obama Administration, however, is still blocking any investigation into war crimes and the torture program. I discussed the appointment of Mr. Durham in <a href="“>this segment of Countdown.
The Justice Department is expected to release details on prisoner abuse this week, which will add pressure for re-opening these cases. The Bush Administration rejected any prosecution after sending the cases to the Eastern District of Virginia. The Eastern District has had a number of controversial terrorism cases and has been criticized for extreme views of the law. Critics charged that the office effectively buried the cases.
This announcement also comes with the disclosure that the CIA officers used mock executions and a power drill to interrogate detainees, here.
The cases include the controversy over the death of Manadel al-Jamadi, who died in 2003 in C.I.A. custody at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. While prosecutors dismissed the case by saying that he probably suffered the wounds in his capture, Navy seals who captured him deny that.
Rather than proceed on this piecemeal approach, the Obama Administration should simply appoint a special prosecutor with full authority to investigate the torture program and all detainee abuse –without limitations. Instead, Attorney General Holder appears to be struggling to game the system to protect officials for any war crimes prosecution — a politically difficult move for the Obama Administration.
For the full story, click here.
I guess the “greater good” tops U.S. law and the Constitution. That is precisely why neither is on the verge of mattering anymore. Only what is for the “greater good.” The problem is, the definition of the “greater good” is dependent upon your PERSPECTIVE.
I can guarantee that from my perspective, and I am most certainly an American citizen, that the “greater good” would be served much better if we 1.) stopped all torture immediately and 2.) prosecuted EVERYONE involved in these cases.
I suspect many torture supporters would say that torture is for the “greater good.” I say fine and dandy, but try having your psychiatrist check your dosage.
That is my perspective and it is just as valid as yours. Period.
This is ridiculous.
We have people in custody who have demontrated an inclination towards killing Americans – not just have said they would if they could or would like to, but people whom have already done so.
If in order to save the lives of Americans we need to demonstrate our will by intimidating terrorists with guns or power drills or mock executions, so be it.
This is an example of where the “greater good” argument is correct, and we need to forgive the people in our society who did what was necessary to preserve the republic.
For those who are so quick to support torture, I ask you to imagine for a minute YOUR CHILD (or another family member) captured by enemy forces. Imagine they are stripped of all their clothes, put into an isolation both where the temperature is lowered to near freezing, kept up for days with loud music and lights, imagine them being flung around the neck by a towel into the wall, imagine your child being strapped to a chair for hours and an electric drill used to intimidate him. Maybe your child would start crying, pleading for his freedom, pleading for his mommy and daddy. Does this scene hurt somewhere inside? If not, I suggest some reflection and some prayer to a merciful God!
PS. The notion that everyone the U.S. captures and interrogates in the war on terror is a “bad guy,” is idiotic at best. I’m sorry, if you believe that, you are a total fool. Many are innocents who get picked up because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Do they deserve torture and death just for being them? Give me a break!
Liberals such a the bigot Holder do not serve in the military. They go to college and complain cause things are not right. I want the liberals to prosecute all the republicans in office. Send them to jail! Then the liberals will one day lose the office and then I can Eric Holder and Obama in a cage.
Funny how Obama goes on Vacation and this comes up. Almost like hey the boss is gone lets see if we can stir the hornets nest. Now he won’t have to face the press until the vacay is over.
Obama White House v. CIA; Panetta Threatened to Quit
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8398902
I think we should ask the suspected terrorists for information, and if they don’t comply it’s no pudding for dessert and a strongly worded letter of protest to Al Qaeda ! They’ll learn that we mean business!!!
Erik,
You’re a poopy head!
I watched a movie that shook me up even more than “District 9”. This movie showed how trivial and inconsequential the lives of our soldiers, our civilians and the people of the nations of those we attack truly are to our ruling elite. It’s called: “In the Loop”. I wondered if something was more horrifying than the violence of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and our “war” on terror. I found it in the banality of evil. The decision to torture is one such banality.
Here’s a short history of torture and the lies surrounding it. This records only goes through the Bush administration. Torture taking place under Obama is also covered at this site. Further, the failure of Obama and Holder to uphold their oaths of office to faithfully execute the laws of our nation is one more example of the utter contempt with which people are held by our ruling elites. This contempt most certainly consititues a truely, banal, utterly immoral evil.
“Arrogance And Torture: A History of Guantánamo
21.8.09
If you’re looking for an introduction to the extra-legal horrors of Guantánamo, and the casual, almost mundane manner in which randomly-seized prisoners, who were not even screened according to the Geneva Conventions, found themselves the victims of a torture policy designed to make them reveal their mostly non-existent secrets, then you may like this article, which I wrote for the Future of Freedom Foundation, for whom I write a weekly column.”
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/08/21/arrogance-and-torture-a-history-of-guantanamo/
Gyges,
Grow up.
Erik,
No it didn’t work. Wow, that was easy.
Did it work? If so, case closed. We still have people doing awful things to others for the good of the whole. Ask any Sierra Club member, global warming fanatic, etc, We can’t use the words “In God We Trust” because the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. Not Torture to be sure, but along the same lines. Good luck stopping this in the future and finding out about it in the past.
I agree Chazz, about the need to get information that protects the citizens of our nation. That’s one reason why I don’t suport torture and do support prosecutions for anyone who ordered, attemped to “legalize” and/or engaged in torture. Professionals who know how to gain information do not torture. Professionals want to get information, not confessions and babble.
Torture is against the law. The damage done to our reputation in the world has already put our people, civilian and military, in harm’s way. We will only regain the moral highground by following our clearly delinated law agaist the use of torture for any reason.
As Nadler and many scholars of Constitutional law point out, neither Obama nor Holder have any legal right to refuse prosecution for any action, no matter how high ranking the official, associated with torture.
Chazz,
Who needs Moral absolutes. The Golden rule is for pansies. We should only enforce the laws against the people that break them, not the people that break them trying to protect us from people breaking the law.
Hmmmmm, couldn’t type that with a straight face, guess I get to keep my “human being” card one more day.
Get over it, if information is needed then do what ever you need to in order to protect the CITIZENS of THIS country. Let the countries that allow this sort of behavior to go on deal with what we have to do. Use what ever force is needed and when they are done throw the remains in the waste bin to be burned with the rest of the garbage.
Excuse me, but what rights are we talking about again? Anybody recall Noriega after the CIA got through using him and he was no longer valuable to us we did what now? And did not the Sct say the 4th Am has no applicability outside of the US? Hummmm, makes me think people forget. I thought the decision was bad then and do now.
The proof will be in the eating of the pudding.
No, whooliebacon, it can’t change because it clearly designates, Justice Denied!
Dredd,
I saw that story also, which essentially lays out the facts. there’s nothing for Holder’s delicate sensibilities to deliberate. Torture, trying to make torture “legal” and ordering torture are all illegal. Prosecutions are mandatory.
Interestingly the Justice Denied is going after the ACLU for showing their clients in Gitmo public domain pictures of CIA interrogators who may have “worked with” them. Amazing that the JD can move with alacrity on this act of atty. intimidation. Also amazing is that the “news” of a possible inquiry comes out the very same day the CIA report is due even though the evidence has been in the administration’s custody for 7 months–but I’m certain that’s just a coincidence!
Here’s the story from the ACLU:
“NEW YORK – The Justice Department is looking into whether three military defense lawyers for detainees in the Guantánamo military commissions showed their clients photographs of CIA interrogators.
The American Civil Liberties Union, partnered with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, is working with the under-resourced military lawyers to provide legal counsel for several of the Guantánamo detainees in the military commissions system as part of its John Adams Project.
The following can be attributed to Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU:
“This is nothing more than a misguided effort to shut down the vigorous defense of defendants at the sham Guantánamo proceedings and an attempt to divert the public’s attention from the torture and abuse of detainees by their CIA interrogators.
“It’s ironic that the Justice Department is so concerned about defense attorneys’ use of lawfully obtained photos of CIA interrogators, when they expressed no concern that photos of the architects of the CIA’s torture program were plastered all over the New York Times last week.
“It’s an essential part of defense work to compile lists of individuals who have interacted with defendants. Identifying who may have tortured our clients and under what circumstances is crucial to their defense.
“We are confident that no laws or regulations were broken as we investigated the circumstances of the torture of our clients. The Justice Department should be investigating the government officials who authorized and carried out the torture, not the military lawyers who have exemplified American values of justice by stepping up to defend these clients and fighting for due process in the otherwise broken Guantánamo proceedings. The real scandal isn’t that we’re investigating the torture of our clients, but that the government isn’t.”
Can we just stop referring to this as the justice department.
A House member says the administration is violating the law by failing to prosecute:
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/24/obama-violating-law-prosecuting-bush-officials/
“The Obama Administration, however, is still blocking any investigation into war crimes and the torture program.”
And they are suffering the consequences:
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/08/obama-polls-downward.html