WP:
"Memo Offered Justification for Use of Torture"
NYT:
"Lawyers Decided Bans on Torture Didn't Bind Bush
So today we
learn that the U.S. Department of "Justice" has been describing what
methods of torture its boss -- the President of the United States -- may
"legally" use on prisoners. It's a bit surreal, one cannot believe they
are actually saying these things. Even worse, these prisoners to be
tortured are the very same prisoners being detained outside of the U.S. in
an area (Guantanamo Bay) over which the Bush Administration claims they
have sole jurisdiction and authority. All of the prisoners have been
denied the most important protections against abuse from our very own Bill
of Rights:
The Right to "a speedy and public trial"
The Right to
legal Counsel
The Right to confront the witnesses against them
The
Right "to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation"
Protection from "cruel and unusual punishment"
So the President's
minions tell us these people are exempt from U.S. law because they are
"enemy combatants." This is a contrived status, designed to circumvent
both U.S. law, and the treaties to which we are a party, such as the
Geneva Convention. The desired result being the Bush Administration can
do whatever they want, without the least bit of restraint from any other
entity, be it Congress, the courts, or other governments whom have the
right if not obligation to protect their own citizens.
And yet the
situation is even worse. Because in what is probably the best
demonstration of why this is all so horribly wrong, the FBI arrested a
American citizen on U.S. soil because his fingerprint reportedly showed up
on material linked to a terrorist bomb in Spain, and he is conveniently
Muslim. But the FBI then ignored mounting evidence that they've screwed
up the fingerprint work, and had an innocent man in jail. How close was
this innocent U.S. citizen to being deported to Guantanamo Bay, and
"acceptably tortured" because, of course, he's a terrorist, just like all
the other people there who've been denied access to counsel, most not even
charged with a crime?
The bottom line is that the Bush Administration
is out of control. They are running roughshod over this country's most
basic and fundamental beliefs of freedom from tyranny. No one in this
country is safe. According to our Department of "Justice" you can now be
arrested, denied all of your constitutional rights and protections, held
indefinitely without charges, denied counsel and tortured in the name of
"national security."
Does everyone understand? YOU, each and everyone
of YOU can be ARRESTED DEPORTED, INDEFINITELY IMPRISONED, AND TORTURED
(within the constraints of what your jailers feel is "legal"), all without
charges, or access to legal counsel or the judicial system.
And that
assault rifle you might have in your closet won't do anything but provide them
an excuse to drop a bomb on your house, unless your fellow citizens
are willing to help defend your rights when the tyrant's minions come for
you.
I'd really appreciate if everyone reading this would think about
it, come November.