DHS chief says foreign courts inhibit U.S. security efforts

[The Straight Story]

DHS chief says foreign courts inhibit U.S. security efforts

By Chris Strohm, CongressDaily
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Friday decried what he described as an "activist" and "left-wing" interpretation of laws in foreign countries, saying it affects the U.S. government's ability to protect the nation.

In a far-reaching speech to the Federalist Society, a legal community of conservatives and libertarians, Chertoff said judicial activism is "flourishing" in international circles and foreign courts, and increasingly affects the U.S. government's ability to conduct domestic security affairs.

There is "broad legal activism" in other countries, he said, that goes beyond the type of judicial activism that occurred in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He charged that "vaguely defined" legal positions could trump the activities of a sovereign nation to protect itself.

Chertoff, a former U.S. Court of Appeals judge, said the Homeland Security Department has already hit legal roadblocks in international dealings. For example, he said the department had difficulty convincing the European Union to provide information on foreigners flying into the United States, largely because privacy advocates in the European parliament had reservations.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35527&dcn=todaysnews

[annabanana]

1. Aw jeez.... Who does he want to invade now?

That's right, you activist-skeleton... the whole world is "leftist" but us, right?

gawd...

[villager]

2. and we Romans don't like that! Not one bit!

n/t

[gratuitous]

3. Everybody's wrong but us! wails Chertoff

These are the extremists running our country and ruining our standing in the eyes of the world. These are the people that whatshisname Meyers at CBS wishes now he had been calling out for the last 12 years, now that the "Gingrichites" have finally been turned out of office.

Well, some of them are still around, Mr. Meyers. How will CBS cover this story? The oh-so-fair "he said, but he said" balanced reporting we've come to know and loathe, or will the objective facts that nobody else in the rest of the world and a large majority of Americans as well, endorse these outrageous policies?

[Eugene]

4. Human rights? Fair Trails? Those are pre-9/11 notions.

Apparently Chertoff considers holding government to the rule of law to be "left-wing."
However the U.S. courts have the same problems with BushCo's methods.

[leveymg]

5. Mikey might be more comfortable in a different century

Why can't the whole world just shut up, be afraid, and follow orders?

[dubykc]

6. Countries with a conscience...

"privacy advocates in the European parliament had reservations". Thank God someone does.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. Like back in the 60's and 70's

when we actually were relatively free and actually had at least some of our rights? Back in those bad old days?

[karlrschneider]

8. If this guy knew seven more things,

he would be a fucking idiot.


...

[Crunchy Frog]

9. The one thing that they DON'T get to do

is dictate how other countries operate their legal systems or enforce their laws. Maybe they can establish a dictatorship here, but they will not be able to establish a global dictatorship.

Terribly ironic that these same people have absolutely no problem with the notion that they can arrest any non US citizen anywhere in the world and detain them indefinitely without charges, but other countries don't have the right to enforce their own laws within their own borders.