Yesterday in America

[denny]

First, the United States has legitimized torture and secondly, the President has admitted to an impeachable offense:


Under the compromise, anyone charged with torture can defend himself if a "reasonable" person could have concluded they were following a lawful order.

That defense "loophole" totally corrodes the ban. It is the CIA, or the torturing agency, who will decide what a "reasonable" person could have concluded. Can you imagine those agencies in the interrogation business torturing on their own in trying to decide what is reasonable or what is not? What is not "reasonable" if the interrogator (wrongfully or rightfully) believes he has a ticking-bomb situation? Will a CIA or military officer issue a narrow order if he knows his interrogator believes, in this case, torture will work?


The President in authorizing surveillance without seeking a court order has committed a crime. The Federal Communications Act criminalizes surveillance without a warrant. It is an impeachable offense. This was also totally missed by the media.


(source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-garbus/)


(yoinked from kynetik)

Comments

[pooloftrees.livejournal.com]

America appears to be the new Russia - busy eroding human rights and keeping the ignorant peasants in the dark. They are put forward as an model capitalist open society, but Bush is busy turning them into a protective, relegious zealot, hypocritical, state society.

Also Russia appears to be turning back towards the view of "the Kremlin knows best"...

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Are we in for a second run at the cold war do you think? That'd be rather depressing.

[pooloftrees.livejournal.com]

I think that America seems to be more focused on the Middle East and Korea, Russia is too busy trying to hold itself together and deal with it's internal terrorists the only way it knows how - extermination.

I think we have more problems with The Middle East vs The West - look at the Fanatic in Iran - he's almost as bad a Bush for provocative speeches (thinking the "Defeating the Axis of Evil" one vs the "Destroy Israel" one). Both seem intent on crushing their enemies...

[pooloftrees.livejournal.com]

Oh, and they won't impeach him as he didn't shag anybody (Iraq being a country, not a person, therefore evidently doesn't count).

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

*grin*

[kynetik.livejournal.com]

America seems to be taking steps backwards...