U.S. Govt. Threatens to Prosecute Waterboarding

[davidswanson]

We've been lobbying the Department of Justice all these months without realizing that the key to justice lay in the Department of the Interior, and specifically in the National Park Service, which has told activist Steve Lane he will be prosecuted if he attempts to demonstrate waterboarding at Thursday's anti-torture rally in Washington, D.C. The permit for the rally reads "Waterboarding exhibit will not be allowed for safety reasons."

Of course it's not news that the government views waterboarding as a crime. Attorney General Eric Holder called it torture at his confirmation hearings. But it is news that someone has been threatened with prosecution if he engages in torture. We learn about ongoing torture by the government all the time, and we're told all the time that torture is no longer official policy, and yet in neither type of story is there ever any suggestion that the laws against torture might be enforced, now or in the future. In the government's view, torture must be less safe when performed without the benefit of government resources, doctors, lawyers, psychologists, videographers, and vice presidents. However, street demonstrations of waterboarding have yet to produce a single corpse to add to the pile produced by official U.S. government torture.

Other crimes in Washington are also crimes if you or I commit them, but not if someone else does. When a group of us ordinary citizens spoke against the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine in the lobby of a senate office building on January 6th of this year (video) we were hauled off to jail. Bill Moyers' Journal covered the story (video). But when tourist groups are spoken to by senators in the same lobby, no crime occurs (video). I'm not talking about the people who hung banners from the balconies, or the passersby who cheered. I'm talking about those of us who stood and read the names of the dead. Seventeen of us (including some who hung banners) were arrested. Some of us paid a fine. On Monday, four face prosecution for unlawful assembly even though freedom of assembly is guaranteed in the Constitution, while warrantless wiretapping -- just to pick one example of ongoing government crimes -- is banned by the Constitution.

The greatest hypocrisy is not that tour groups can make noise whereas citizens with a political message cannot. The greatest hypocrisy is not that our president is speaking up for protesters as long as they are in Iran, while the Pentagon considers protesting to constitute "low level terrorism" when practiced within the United States. The greatest hypocrisy is that laws are being enforced while the most important laws and the most egregious violations are being ignored as a matter of loudly announced principle. When Laurie Arbeiter, Robbie Diesu, Michelle Grise, and Pete Perry appear in court on Monday they will not be able to ask the judge to stop looking backward, even though their "crimes" occurred in January. They will not be able to accuse the judge of petty vengeance for his or her refusal to "look forward." They will be compelled to face the question of whether they violated a law. (Never mind that the Capitol Police arrested us and then figured out hours later something they could most plausibly charge us with.)

Meanwhile, Dick Cheney confesses to felonies every time he opens his mouth, a civil suit against John Yoo has produced a 42-page order that could easily serve as an indictment, and the families our drones keep bombing in Afghanistan could never be persuaded that reading the names of the dead is the most serious crime that has occurred. The House has impeached a judge for groping despite his already having been convicted in court. But another judge responsible for torture is permitted to continue ruling on cases.

Here are two ideas to try to straighten our priorities out:

First, call Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth A. Meyers and ask that the charges against those who read the names of the dead be dropped: 202-727-3500 or 202-727-4783.

Second, take part in Torture Accountability Action Day on Thursday, June 25th, by joining our rally and march in Washington, D.C., (11 a.m. at John Marshall Park) or any of the rallies happening around the country on the same day:
http://tortureaccountability.webs.com/eventsacrossus.htm

[Senator]

1. K&R

[earcandle]

2. Great article!

[Dragonfli]

3. K&R Apply the Rule Of Law (or empty the prisons)

Laws should apply to everyone, not just those without political power and money.

[Solly Mack]

4. K&R

[johnhkennedy]

5. Keep up the fight-Prosecute Torturers

Keep the pressure on President Obama to allow prosecution of Bush's torturers



SIGN THE PETITION
To Prosecute Them For Torture

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

Over 250,000 have signed
Join them and call yourself a Patriot

Will Obama stand for Justice or just get in the way of it?

.

[malaise]

6. Excellent post

K & R

[nashville_brook]

7. i wish the party cheerleaders would read this thread and digest this information.

and take a good look at what we're turning into here. Yay, we won an election. What good is it to win anything if you become what you set out to defeat?

[spanone]

8. the attorney general calls it torture, yet he refuses to prosecute.....can anyone 'splain'

this is just too much ....

[scentopine]

9. David - You are the best! Democratic leadership, not so much.

Great work once again. Inspiring thoughts and actions. I'd love to open a museum dedicated to horrors and excesses of the bush years complete with hands-on learning like waterboarding.

We gave amnesty for corporate crimes, amnesty for wire tapping, amnesty for torture, eliminated public option for health care. Meanwhile, Fox news driving all their viewers to buy guns and ammo. But protest? Your ass is landed in jail.

Consider all these agencies are chartered with some authority to monitor and police people in the united states:

CIA
NSA
FBI
ATF
INS
TSA
Local Police
Homeland Security
Army and Air Force are currently lobbying hard for the rights to wiretap.
I'm sure I missed a few.

Now Obama announces plans add to this yet another new government agency that will be spying on us.

Announcing! The fabulous Cyber Security Agency (CSA?). < Wild cheers from teen beat Obama crowd>

Bush chartered creation of this agency. Once again Obama is refusing to change course rather than confront a small army of paranoid republicans. It should come as no surprise that our "fearless" republicans want more spying powers. This is a program started with Bush and Obama is continuing the legacy.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/05/senate-report-g/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/us/17nsa.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

So David - many of us have jobs and families. We hate our jobs. While everyone around me was laid off, our CEO just said

"those remaining are expected to work twice as hard."

I put that in quotes because it is a direct quote. He made a record $6 million dollar salary without adding in all bonuses. Days after he laid off a few hundred, he sent an email asking us to "welcome our new team in India". A direct written email quote. Unbelievable but true.

The only reason democrats are blessing each new spying mechanism is because they are afraid of protest. An arrest record will keep you from getting a job. Without a job you can't keep you family covered with health insurance. For example - I took my daughter to get her chin bandaged up. We waited for 30 minutes, doctor spent 10 minutes putting glue on chin. $340. Get a protest arrest and you could find yourself on a no fly list. Then, have troubles getting bank loans or starting a business. This information will travel. Local police in the area will be notified.

Sorry to sound so despondent. Front page of DU is all about Iran and extremism and protest. In comparison, democrats are weak and cowardly as we inch along toward toward a police state afraid of republicans branding us terrorists or socialists. If the right wing wasn't so much more cruel and viscous I'd have nothing to do with either party. Both are embracing a police state model. One is simply less viscous than the other. Both stink like sh*t. The next president might not be so reasonable with these new powers we have bestowed upon the government.

Neither party is serving their country well. Neither party has the necessary leadership, raw intellect or courage to keep us free. So year after year we silently agree to become more like indentured subjects and less like the citizens of a free country.

[davidswanson]

14. you're right but it's just a bit worse

we can't put things in museums while they're still alive

that's called a zoo

[scentopine]

20. It actually isn't such a bad idea the more I think about it

As this excellent post mentions-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5890319

seems like there is plenty of stuff to document and build a museum around. A single point of focus where crazy schemes here in USA and other countries could be collected and studied. Sort of like the natural history museum where you could have different eras categorized in some sort of evolutionary family tree documented. Political and corporate corruption often goes hand in hand. We need to keep this stuff front and center. Neither democrat nor republican should be spared review.

There is so much greed and corruption, it should be treated as seriously as any other cultural artifact and there is probably far more insight to be learned about human nature and society from these things than costumes, jewelery and other art forms. Every continent in the world could be represented.

If there was only a way to make this information compelling and interesting enough to attract serious attention. It would make a positive contribution to our national intellect and that of the world. Because knowledge is so powerful, nations and politicians would do everything in their power to prevent such a public display. Maybe a web encyclopedia?

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

15. and none of

these can seem to find and arrest those people who call wanting to lower your credit card interest rate, AFTER you give them your account numbers.

CIA
NSA
FBI
ATF
INS
TSA
Local Police
Homeland Security


But they sure can break the law and violate the constitution at will.

Oh, and torture - I've written a thread about that here - about what they've done and who I've told, and nobody seems interested in me except the Government. The BAD ONES. Oh wait, I'm thinking now maybe they are all bad.


Thanks David, I'm going to check and see if one of those rallys are in Toledo.

[Vidar]

10. At least we can't accuse them of consistency.

[libodem]

11. ...but only the protest demonstration

of waterboarding. I don't know how I haven't already shattered into a million jagged little pieces. The anger and frustration over this is frying my circuits. Good job with the articles David. I'm with you 100% on this issue.

[libodem]

12. ( couldn't stay away long)

I'm ready to pullout my own hair and hurl my self down the stairs...figuatively. Does the rest of the country feel insane over this, too? Maybe if I just have a good howling cry? I don't feel like I can stand not seeing these crimes prosecuted. I can't live with Cheney and Rove roaming free. It kills my soul.

Any parade or assembly needs to have a permit. If being arrested and drug away, is your not your purpose, don't try demonstrating without one. Sometimes the point is to be arrested it garners the media attention. You might make the news. I think the depictions of torture is a great way to let people see the horror of the inside of John Yoo's brain. Just don't use water. Too bad you couldn't use actual nudity for your prisoners. Orange jump suits would have to do. I'd use a bunch of fake blood and black and blue paint for my actors and depict beatings and hanging by the arms and general torment.

[Agony]

13. Thanks, David, for formulating the issue so clearly. Sick part is...

This is nothing new

libodem, I can't reconcile the fact that Kissinger is still running around free...

regardless, onward.

Cheerio!
Agony

edit:typo

[ooglymoogly]

16. Right on kr nt

[glitch]

17. So all we have to do is turn Gitmo into a National Park.

That works for me.

[G_j]

18. thanks!

:applause:

[jeanpalmer]

19. David you are a real hero

Thanks for standing up for principle against the phony politicians. I wish I could have been there with you.

We need more people to stand up against these wars. We can't count on Obama to do the moral thing. Apparently, he doesn't have a conscience. We have to find a way to bring pressure, probably will have to vote them out. All of them. We need some real change instead of the promised phony change.

[sansf]

21. Good luck in DC!

Thanks for this post. I'll call Meyers in the morning, and I'll be at the SF event on Thurs. Can't give up.