Bush involved in torture plot

[stevedeshazer]

http://alaskareport.com/upi7/u41584_torture_geneva.htm



A leaked letter shows that the US Justice Department, backed by President Bush, illegally tried to circumvent the Geneva Conventions ban on torture.

The Geneva Conventions ban "outrages upon personal dignity" but the Benczkowski letter implies interrogation methods should be weighed against the threat to national security by considering the Geneva Conventions on a "sliding scale," The Washington Post said Sunday.

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department sought to expand the legal boundaries of harsh interrogation tactics against alleged terrorist suspects, a letter indicates.

"The fact that an act is undertaken to prevent a threatened terrorist attack, rather than for the purpose of humiliation or abuse, would be relevant to a reasonable observer in measuring the outrageousness of the act," said Brian A. Benczkowski, a deputy assistant attorney general, said in a letter obtained by The New York Times.

Staff from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee leaked the letter to the press in seeking more information from the Justice Department.
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I know this is a dupe of the WaPo article, but I love the treatment by the Alaska Report.

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. What I want to know, is what is the SCOPE of the abuse that Bush's defense is necessary?

Seriously, if a few people got roughed up somewhere, I can't see the cover-up being that damn hard. They've tried to cover up all kinds of shit. So what is going ON where they need to stand up in front of 6 billion people and justify torture to the world, making themselves look like mad assholes???

[noise]

2. The justification for torture seems to be spreading

The AJC (Atlanta Journal Constitution) published two articles on the Editorial front page, one article advocating for torture, one against.

It's sad that after six years many people still don't seem to have any better understanding of 9/11. Too much authoritarianism, too much trust of so called experts who don't know WTF they are talking about. Or (perhaps even worse) experts who know damn well they are lying to the public (Pentagon experts with links to military contractors posing as independent analysts come to mind) about 9/11 and terrorism.

[stevedeshazer]

3. Good on Sen. Wyden's staff for leaking this info to the public

Now, if only the public would pay attention and respond!

[noise]

4. Respond how?

The Justice Department is making the case for torture on behalf of the WH and CIA. As noted by Rep. Wexler the FBI Director doesn't think he has any responsibility in this matter.

If this isn't defining deviancy down I don't know what is.

Edit:

We know Mukasey wouldn't answer the waterboarding question. Yet he was voted out of committee by Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Schumer.

[stevedeshazer]

5. What would you suggest?

:shrug:

[noise]

6. I don't know

I read Naomi Wolf's book. The conduct by the Justice Department is clearly another tipping point.

Don't get me wrong, it's not as big a deal as Obama not wearing a flag pin but still it's somewhat disturbing. :)

[guyanakoolaid]

8. Well, in Feinstein and Schumer's defense, they knew that Mukasey would be as bad as Gonzalez

They did, however, know he would be exactly the same thing, and apparently that was OK with them.

Feinstein... Schumer... Clinton... Pelosi.... all should be replaced with people who value life and law.

[alittlelark]

7. We would, but Nascar,Idol, Brittany Paris Whatever white girl

Are much more important....... try back later.

[Senator]

9. "Good motive alone is never a defense ...

... where the act done or omitted is a crime." (Standard DOJ jury instructions.)

And has there EVER been a detainee/POW in history whose interrogation's purpose was NOT to "prevent" an attack?!?

That's why they call them WAR crimes.

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