With Barack Obama refusing to allow the investigation, let alone the prosecution, of CIA employees or Bush Administration officials for our torture program, human rights and civil liberties groups are calling on Canada to fulfill international obligations and arrest George Bush on his planned visit to that country.
Groups like Human Rights Watch are citing “overwhelming evidence” that both Bush and other senior officials in his administration carried out a torture program and thus committed alleged war crimes. They note that Canada is legally bound under the Convention against Torture to prosecute individuals who have been implicated in carrying out such acts. Of course, that responsibility rests first and foremost with Obama and his administration, but the President has made it clear that this is not a convenient or optimal time for such action. Soon after taking office, Obama made clear that he would not allow any prosecution of a CIA employee for torture — a position he later expressed in a speech at the CIA. Later, his Administration refused to appoint a special or independent counsel to look at other possible targets and then issued a much ridiculed rationale for not prosecuting anyone for the torture program. As noted in recent columns, many Democrats have rationalized this clear violation of international law by noting that it would only serve to divide the country — the very argument used by countries like Syria to refuse to investigate war criminals. Such investigations are never convenient or popular. This is why countries had to come together and agree that, regardless of the time or popularity, they would fulfill their responsibilities under these treaties.
Previously, the public was informed by Wikileaks that the Obama Administration put great pressure on Spain to scuttle the work of its previously independent judiciary to investigate Bush officials. No doubt it is putting the same pressure on the Canadians. Some Canadians however may be reluctant to adopt the position of the U.S. that these laws should apply to other countries. We have already seen groups like the Taliban and countries like China cite our own inaction (here) on torture to dismiss any statement from the United States on human rights.
Source: RT
” . . . there’d be no reaction to the prick.”
We’re still talking about Bush’s arrival in Canada?
Barry Eysman – here’s an idea… We can’t send you to Hussein because he’s dead. So let’s find another suitble terrorist and you can go live in his country. President Bush kept us safe and went after the terrorists but now we have certifiable nutjobs that want to arrest President Bush. So, if these nutjobs love terrorists that much, they need to live in the same country with them.
Elaine,
If I can have my owe brigade…and a well armed militia….I’ll be there…otherwise…I have to explain to customs why I am slipping weapons in….I did not like it when they searched my vehicle back in the early 80’s….and did I get lucky….woe was the thought…..
In honor of Sanpete
No, George Bush will not be arrested anywhere. Neither will any of his men or women who did these horrible things. The racism in this country will increase. Stupidity will rule. Our country is going down the toilet. The greenhouse effect will continue, the ozone layer eaten through, the rain forest destroyed. We’ll keep killing each other. Evangelical Christian will become totally insane. History will record that George Bush was a hero. Homosexuals will kill homosexuals who are not their kind of homosexuals. Christians will kill each other because they are not of the right denomination. People will kill people because they don’t come from the right country or speak the right language with the right accent. What do we do? It’s what Michael Moore asked Kurt Vonnegut “Is it worth it?” Vonnegut replied, “no it’s not, but you got to keep doing it.” He’s right, you gotta keep doing it.
Elaine,
I am so paranoid, that I am already under the wagons! The only problem is my tinfoil hat is too tall and keeps getting knocked off by the floor of the wagon.
I always feel like an anthropologist when I go to a site and some nitwit is busier attacking the posters or the forum or attempting obfuscation and false equivalence as a propaganda tactic than presenting the so-called contrasting ideas they bemoan not being addressed because they don’t like they results when those ideas are addressed (which is by in large due to their ideas being crap and being handily exposed and disposed of as such by rational people).
I feel just like an anthropologist who has discovered a propaganda troll in the wild.
As Yogi said, “It’s deja vu all over again.”
Blouise, Otteray, AY, rafflaw, et al–
Who wants to be put in charge of circling the wagons?
Way to go Blouise. From one paranoid person to another! Hey, isn’t it time to do our explosive materials homework???
Blouise,
To much…to handle…..
Sanpete,
If you have a desire to become an anthropologist, I’d advise that you not go to Florida. Gov. Rick Scott says they don’t need anthropologists there.
Rick Scott:
“We don’t need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It’s a great degree if people want to get it, but we don’t need them here.”
.
Your concern is duly noted.
Hmmm. I always feel like an anthropologist when I visit sites like this. Red State, Democratic Underground, Mark Levin, Jonathan Turley, doesn’t matter what the sacred ideology is, it’s the same group dynamics and defense mechanisms preserving it in the discussions. As long as you aren’t blowing up buildings I suppose I shouldn’t disturb your world with criticism or (gasp!) foreign facts and reasoning.
Has anyone noticed the delicious irony of conservatives calling themselves Red. Joe McCarhy would turn over and sing “Log Tall Mary,” I support your right to be Commies, but can’t believe this has not dawned on you. .Every time one of you says “America has gone red,” I think if anything explains Bush, this does. I also howl with laughter.
Maybe we can invoke, “He, who shall remain nameless.”
On second thought, never mind.
Lunch time … but first an email to a dear friend.
He, who shall remain nameless, would be so proud!
And there you have it … gone is the pretense … now we are an “extremist website” .
Blouise,
See! I told you you paranoids were hard to ignore–and so are the rest of us extremists.
Hilarious! It’s always the same with extremist websites. Troll = someone who doesn’t agree with “us.” Circle those wagons! Can’t let unapproved ideas to get through the filter! This is how beliefs that can’t stand rational scrutiny are preserved.
Blouise,
“…unless they’ve wised up and learned to ignore me…”
Paranoids are hard to ignore, doncha know?
😉
Blouise, yep, there it was–right on cue. Another thing about them, they are all too predictable.