WAR CRIMES (WP Editorial)

[huckleberry]

Thursday, December 23, 2004; Page A22

THANKS TO a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups, thousands of pages of government documents released this month have confirmed some of the painful truths about the abuse of foreign detainees by the U.S. military and the CIA -- truths the Bush administration implacably has refused to acknowledge. Since the publication of photographs of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the spring the administration's whitewashers -- led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- have contended that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantanamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held. The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false.

snip

The Bush administration refused to release these records to the human rights groups under the Freedom of Information Act until it was ordered to do so by a judge. Now it has responded to their publication with bland promises by spokesmen that any wrongdoing will be investigated. The record of the past few months suggests that the administration will neither hold any senior official accountable nor change the policies that have produced this shameful record. Congress, too, has abdicated its responsibility under its Republican leadership: It has been nearly four months since the last hearing on prisoner abuse. Perhaps intervention by the courts will eventually stem the violations of human rights that appear to be ongoing in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. For now the appalling truth is that there has been no remedy for the documented torture and killing of foreign prisoners by this American government.

more at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20986-2004Dec22.html

[Liberty Belle]

1. Kick! That's a powerful editorial--calling Bush a liar, in essence.

[AndyTiedye]

4. There Is A Place For People Like That

The prison at the Palace of Peace in the Hague. Presidential pardons not accepted.

[zann725]

8. Looks like a good new 'home' for our King George...I say!

n/t

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

9. how many countries have signed the "immunity" for U.S. war crimes?

I think it's alot of countries that signed the document that immunized the U.S. from ever being prosecuted for any war crimes--- and they were all threatened with aid cuts if they didn't sign it.

Has someone already taken over the world and no one realizes it yet?

how could any country get "future" immunity from war crime prosecution for crimes they have yet to commit?
Makes no sense.

[althecat]

2. This makes me feel sick...

Sick to death of this administration and its lies... and to think we have four more years of this!!!!

Please God, save us from these criminals.

[proudbluestater]

3. WaPo plays catch up yet again.

That our administration is guilty of war crimes is no mystery. A German prosecutor has been asked to hold them accountable, weeks ago already.

Funny the paper couldn't muster an editorial before the fraudulent election occurred.

[gottaB]

6. Washington Post editorials

The Post may well have been the only daily paper to use the word "torture" in it's endorsement of John Kerry:

Kerry for President

The Post editorial board has been extremely critical of Rumsfeld's role in the torture policy.


Mr. Rumsfeld's Responsibility

An Inadequate Response

Closer to the Truth

A Failure of Accountability

Don't Blame Me

[tngledwebb]

14. The Kerry endorsement is revelatory of MSM's M.O.

Note the old tweedledum tweedledee routine.

Are they at all talking about the same Bush we have come to know and despise?

Even if they want to dither about Kerry, is it possible the WaPo can't recognize a fascist in a business suit, after four years?

[The Zanti Regent]

29. But no paper has whored for the Nazis like the WHORESHINGTON POST

And they flaunt it too!

[frogbison]

7. yes

funny ha ha or funny as in odd?

Never mind. I know what you mean.

Stand up! Keep fighting!

[Oversea Visitor]

5. Hmmmm

War Crime I think no....

www.pentagonstrike.co.uk

[scarletlib]

10. This is what I am thankful for:

Even in the darkest hours for this country when civil rights are under assault and so many of us feel so helpless to stop the madness, there are orgnizations like the ACLU that continue to fight and will fight to the bitter end for the rights of all of us and for the soul of the Constitution and this Country.

This is what gives me hope in this current time.

I know that there is hope as long as these organizations still can function and do their job. As long as the current regime claims to be a democracy and holds itself out as a model to the world, it can't touch the ACLU or any of these other organizations. As soon as it does everyone will know what's happening. It's elegant in its own sweet way. The regime would like nothing better than to stifle these organizations but it can't because it must maintain the illusion that it is a democratic, freedom loving administration.

P.S. I joined the ACLU shortly after 9-11. I also belong to PFAW and several other organizations that fight for us everyday. This is my small contribution to our country. I encourage every one if they can to pick an organization and contribute if you can and if you are not already doing so. Any amount you can give is appreciated and needed.

[intheflow]

30. Thank you, scarletlib

for bringing some hope back in. Peace! :hippie:

[hraka]

32. Your membership is also lobbying power

These organizations speak to our gov't representatives on civil rights and other issues. Your membership, whether it be in the ACLU or any other organization, gives them political clout when trying to push through legislation. They can say, "Look, we have X number of your constituants who want this passed".

[Briar]

11. But this is what 59 million Americans want

"For now the appalling truth is that there has been no remedy for the documented torture and killing of foreign prisoners by this American government."

You don't have to spend long in freeper land to find out that Bush's supporters think the only thing the torturers and other war criminals did wrong was not kill the victims and witnesses.

Bush needn't do a thing while the loudest noise heard is the applause of the "American Safety First" voters who want this "war" to continue and who spit on International Law.

[bcingu]

20. If this is what 59 million Americans want

Then 59 million Americans are willing accomplices to these crimes.

[Pluvious]

24. A quote...

"If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
-Anatole France

[hraka]

33. Thank you very much. How about this?

"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible." Bertrand Russell

[dummy-du1]

36. What about this?

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
-- Mark Twain

[indepat]

12. Is there really a story here, considering we the people have ratified

this Administration's stewardship by rewarding it with four more years? Enough information was out there for every American to have made an informed decision. We the people get the government we deserve with all the lagnaippe it brings.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

26. But the rest of the world

doesn't deserve four more years of the Shrub.

[hraka]

34. We will never know

if the American people elected him. I for one hold onto the belief that he stole this election too. The alternative is to believe I live in a country of idiots and buffoons.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[truebrit71]

17. The "article" is factually inaccurate...

1) The body count IS one. Lazarus, when he topped himself. Apparently the the sanctimonious prick "writing" this article forgot that one...

2) Ben Hur is a religious character...I missed that part in the bible...Schindler's list...religious? Only in that it deals with the persecution of the Jews...

3) Mel Gibson is an "around-the-bend" Catholic...this film is most definitely his obscure vision...

4) The only serious error is that NOBODY KNOWS IF THE EVENTS ACTUALLY HAPPENED....Duh! Oh, and the fact that any human beaten as badly as the (very white and very Catholic-looking) Christ character in this sado-masochistic fantasy would have been dead almost instantly.

5) I thought all foreigners were cheese-eating surrender monkeys...

Big surprise that the idiot that penned this is a repuke....probably still lives with his momma....

[Mr_Scarecrow]

21. There might just be another reason

The movie sucked. And they already gave Gibson an award for one of his movies that sucked, Braveheart. Academy rules say no two sucky movies may be nominated from one director.

Perhaps the real reason is that the film is widely viewed by Jewish people as anti-Semitic. If I were an academy member and I wanted to nominate what is widely perceived as an anti-Semitic film (regardless of whether it actually is anti-Semitic), I would probably think twice about my career. When there are plenty of good movies out there from last year, why bother?

I didn't see it. The reviews I saw, other than those from enraptured X-tians, were lukewarm. Maybe if he had had Leo DiCaprio...

[Celeborn Skywalker]

27. Roger Ebert actually gave it a good review,

which somewhat surprised me.

[0007]

25. The reason Mel baby didn't win?

What's going on here? Well, the cultural elites took a whooping on Election Day, 2004. And they are taking it out on Mel Gibson.

Give me a fucking break!

[spacedog]

15. Hallelujah

It's about frickin' time!

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. The response to this is obvious --

Repeal FOIA, and declare the ACLU to be enemy combatants and send the whole bunch to Gitmo.

Problem solved.

[riverwalker]

18. I'd like to ask a repug

using their own "logic" that Saddam had to be overthrown because of "rape rooms, torture chambers and mass graves", how they can possibly support our monkey king and HIS rape rooms, torture chanbers, and mass graves.

[Pillowbiter]

19. Don't bother

I've tried it and all I got was a "why do you always blame America first, you anti-American types make me sick".

PB

[ClintonTyree]

22. How long will it take......................

for the instigators who approved this torture of foreign combatants, to decide that since they aren't held accountable for it overseas, using the same tactics in our own country would be acceptable as well? It's not that far fetched.
We're well on our way to having a Fascist State here in America, and these dullards think they have a God given mandate to control it's citizens as they see fit.
They must be stopped, and soon. To let this brutal regime continue their lust for power and conquest is a problem of global proportions now. The world must unite and say "enough", or YOU will feel OUR wrath.

[Voltaire99]

23. "...humiliations such as being wrapped in the Israeli flag."

Oh? Did one of our congress critters lend theirs to the torturers on the last junket?

In any case, how ironic that the Washington Post, after its full-throated, Krauthammerian support of the Iraq adventure now wrings its hands over the rotten fruit of invasion. The invasion was always a summons to nightmare. Its fomenters are nightmare people, who live for nightmare deeds, count their nightmare money, worship nightmare gods. This conquest had torture written all over it: you had to be as blind as an editorialist at the Washington Post not to see it.

So much for the superiority of Western Civ: once again, its hands are dripping with blood. Once again, it's licking its fingers.

[MsMagnificent]

28. This all will be "investigated" like the Plame outing

i.e. NOTHING will "be discovered" -- it'll drag out for a few years and come up in the end (after wasting much money of course!) to be inundated with BushSpeak and the actual parameters will be changed and swapped around so as to twist and confuse the actual question.

Just like Plame.

Bush makes Nixon look like an unexperienced schoolboy

[UltraDem]

31. This one's for you, Paul...

Kick one for Mr. Johnson!!!

AAAAAEEEEEEIIIII!!! I HATE BUSH!!!!! AAAAAAEEEEEEEIIIII!!!!!

[newyawker99]

35. Hi UltraDem!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: