annie

The Right to Torture Americans
by Jacob G. Hornberger

(see the entire post here:)
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2009-06-24.asp

Hornberger's Blog
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Conservatives are protesting a federal judge's ruling that torture victim Jose Padilla's civil lawsuit
against former Justice Department attorney John Yoo be permitted to continue. The conservatives feel that Yoo,
who authored some of the infamous torture memos for the Bush White House, should be immune from lawsuits from
Americans who were tortured as a natural consequence of such memos.

Let's sum up what conservatives (and neo-conservatives) are saying about the America in which we now live.
They'e saying that the federal government now wields the power to torture Americans and that Americans had better
get used to this new way of life. Any American who is tortured should forget about ever suing any federal official
who either does the torturing or who authorizes or facilitates it.
...................
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn? point out that when it comes to torture,
liberal icon Barack Obama has turned out to be no different from conservative icon George W. Bush.
They both utter the same anti-torture mantras (We don't torture or We won't torture anymore
while steadfastly insisting on civil and criminal immunity for federal torturers and steadfastly
opposing official investigations into the federal governments torture regime.

Who is Jose Padilla?

http://www.nndb.com/people/295/000023226/

In early 2003 a federal judge ruled that under Presidential war powers,

Bush can order any citizen imprisoned as an enemy combatant, but that Padilla

must at least be allowed to see a lawyer. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

refused and instead appealed the case to a higher court. Letting Padilla talk to a lawyer,

Rumsfeld argued, might make him less willing to talk in his ongoing interrogations.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?Search=padilla&type=Site

On the merits, the court accepted the Government's contention that the President has authority as

Commander in Chief to detain as enemy combatants citizens captured on American soil during a time of war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Padilla_(prisoner)

Padilla was held for three-and-a-half years as an enemy combatant after his 2002 arrest

in a purported al Qaeda "dirty bomb" plot. His trial with co-defendants Adham Amin Hassoun and

Kifah Wael Jayyousi on conspiracy and material support charges does not include those allegations.

Padilla has been in custody since his May 8, 2002, arrest at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

His journey through the legal system was unprecedented. His lawyers fought for years against President Bush's

decision to designate him an enemy combatant, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. With that case drawing closer,

the Bush administration decided in late 2005 to add Padilla to an existing Miami terror support indictment

and drop the enemy combatant designation.

On March 2, 1933, Hitler was asked by a correspondent of the Daily Express whether

the suspension of liberties was permanent. He answered in the negative saying that

full rights would be restored as soon as the Communist danger was over.

Veterans reveal the truth about Iraq and Afghanistan

Strumming For Vets

As I watch these guys while I'm teaching them, you can see that the music is just filling their soul.
They get so much enjoyment from it.They'e not in a wheelchair anymore. They'e not in that bed anymore.
They'e doing something that they enjoy. JOHN ROLA

VETERANS FOR PEACE

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Larry Penn (Retired Teamster folksinger from Milwaukee)

Vietnam Vet and an active member of Veterans for Peace

who writes songs not suitable for small children or Republicans

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Who Bombed Judi Bari ?

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