Bush Speech September 6, 2006
Okay.
So I somehow managed to (mostly) listen to Bush's speech this afternoon without vomiting. And without any pre-medication, either. Let me see if I've got this all straight now...
His administration has violated the laws of war, international laws, the Geneva Conventions as well as basic tenets of human rights and common decency. They have acted illegally, in violation of the US Constitution, according the the US Supreme Court.
They have maintained secret CIA prisons in other countries, also outside the protection of any national or international human rights conventions or organizations. They lied about the existence of CIA prisons in other countries when directly questioned. I'm sure it's a national security concern...I know I'd be concerned about any government which would do that. They have engaged in extreme interrogation techniques which cannot be construed as anything other than torture, inhumane or degrading treatment.
They have probably violated the rights of many of the detainees to the extent that they could never be successfully prosecuted in any corner of the present US legal system. Well, maybe in Texas.
Based on that, he wants Congress to sanction his illegal actions, retroactively, and allow the government to basically do whatever they want without regard to national or international laws, conventions and treaties, not to mention basic human decency. He wants approval to treat citizens of other sovereign nations who are being detained by our government / military in a manner that, should American citizens be held in the same circumstances, we would be at the UN or the Hague or, more likely, calling up the Reserves so quick it would make your head spin.
He wants Congress to condone the use of military tribunals, with no real options to appeal through US courts, for exacting "justice" in these cases. Under the military system, the "Commander-in-Chief" would be the sole, final arbiter of these cases and the destinies of all "enemy combatants" currently in military custody, and any future "terrorism suspects" he might decide to throw in the Gulag would be "at the pleasure" of the President, and him alone.
Can we all say 'martial law'??
Can we not see that this could be any one of us who dissents???
Is there anybody else out there who thinks this is not a good idea???
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush Wednesday asked Congress to pass legislation to help prosecute terrorists accused of war crimes. (Click to read more from UPI via Political Gateway.)Can we start at the top and just work our way down?
tags: civil rights / human rights / international law / US politics
posted by Cheryl @ 5:08 PM
2 Comments:
What a great post - the sarcasm is dripping on my keyboard! I think you got it just about right! Glad you took the time to listen and blog on what you heard.
Not even Texas could hand the Bush administration a conviction without using the kangaroo II rules he proposed today. I too was amazed by his sleight of language today - it will give us much to dissect until the next speech.
If Congress does not move his proposed rules out of the kangaroo space, it will just mean 5 more years of litigation (and educating Americans on our constitution - who knows we may even get a couple more hamdan like decisions?)
It has taken a while for most Americans to understand that we have a president that may exceed Nixonian abuses? Today's plea for an exemption from prosecution may have as much to do with him as the "patriotic" torturers?
Sorry about mucking up your keyboard. I hate when that happens.
It sickens me that he is trying to play on the emotions of the US voting public at a time of terrible vulnerability (with the upcoming 9/11 anniversary) by continuing to tie Iraq to "the war on terror."
Iraq wasn't an issue in the war on terror until he invaded. Now it's a hotbed of hatred against the US. How can he say we're safer?
January 20, 2009.
Though, hopefully, we'll be able to start putting the brakes on after November 7, 2006!
Register and vote, y'all!
Thanks for stopping by, anon!
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