Justice Official: Waterboarding Is Now Illegal

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

By LAURIE KELLMAN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior Justice Department official says laws and other limits enacted since three terrorism suspects were waterboarded has eliminated the technique from what is now legally allowed, going a step beyond what CIA Director Michael Hayden has said.

``The set of interrogation methods authorized for current use is narrower than before, and it does not today include waterboarding,'' Steven G. Bradbury, acting head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, says in remarks prepared for his appearance Thursday before the House Judiciary Constitution subcommittee.

``There has been no determination by the Justice Department that the use of waterboarding, under any circumstances, would be lawful under current law,'' he said. It is the first time the department has expressed such an opinion publicly.

Bradbury in 2005 signed two secret legal memos that authorized the CIA to use head slaps, freezing temperatures and waterboarding when questioning terror detainees. Because of that, Senate Democrats have opposed his nomination by President Bush to formally head the legal counsel's office.



Read more: http://kdka.com/national/waterboarding.illegal.justice.2.653851.html

---

Hearing scheduled for 11:00 am ET, can watch it live here:

http://judiciary.house.gov/schedule.aspx

[tekisui]

1. It is past time for a Special Prosecutor and a Criminal Investigation.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Any more...

Limits enacted since three terrorism suspects were waterboarded has eliminated the technique from what is now legally allowed.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "D'oh. This will spoil our kinks" - Commander AWOL & unAmerican Republicon Homelander torture freaks

[Orsino]

4. What laws have been enacted?

Nothing that Congress has passed and * has signed.

[shraby]

9. I was going to say the same thing..Bradbury can't

enact a law by himself.

[Winterblues]

20. Bush* did sign a bill outlawing torture or any type but he conveniently

put in a signing statement that said "unless it interferes with his being Decider"

[Caretha]

5. You know.....

I think I could get into head slaps. Let's start with the White House, work our way through the House of Representatives and finish it off with the Senate. I know it will take a large effort from many people, but I bet we could get plenty of volunteers here on DU. Anyone?

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Gee, I thought it had been illegal since we signed the Geneva Conventions way back in 1949, which

was the update to the 1929 conventions.

[Deny and Shred]

7. That's it. If it is NOW illegal, then it must have been LEGAL before.

Another crime swept under the rug.

[Bandit]

8. "under any circumstances,"

But but but what about all the reasons given to explain the usage in the first place, are those reasons no longer valid or were they never really valid?

[thecrow]

10. You mean we executed Japanese people found guilty of it

after WW2 and it was legal then?
Oh wait. It wasn't.
But now it is illegal?

My head hurts....

[boricua79]

11. waterboarding was illegal BEFORE now

it's been illegal in international law for a long time, and we prosecuted the Japanese for doing it in WOrld War II.

It is a lie to say it was ever legal anytime the latter half of the 20th century.

It's an attempt to cover the illegal to protect the Bush administration.

[Heywood J]

12. It was illegal when the Japanese were sentenced to hard labor

for doing it. Therefore, it was illegal when the CIA did it. Bring on the hammers and large rocks.

[Winterblues]

21. There were Japanese Officers put to death for it

It was considered a Capital Crime and the Japanese had every bit as much concern about a catastrophic attack on their cities as Bush* ever did. In fact the Japanese did incur such attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki...So much for the special circumstance defense...

[f the letter]

13. It's never been legal!!!!

i am shouting at my computer screen. It's like saying "The judiciary decreed today that second-degree murder is now illegal." Torture is not fucking legal, end of story.

The whole argument that legal action against those who actually waterboarded is punishing someone for something they didn't know was illegal is _unbelievably_ stupid. That defense didn't work in war crimes trials in other places, and i hope it doesn't work here. Soldiers are educated on what orders they can refuse to do on the grounds they are war crimes, even to this twisted day or extraordinary rendition, legal no-man's-lands, indefinite detention, and waterboarding.

Jesus.

[pleah]

14. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ILLEGAL!!!!!!

What the hell is the matter with those people? Are they all retarded? :banghead:

[Javaman]

15. Know your rights...Clash

This is a public service announcement
With guitar
Know your rights all three of them

Number 1
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a crime!
Unless it was done by a
Policeman or aristocrat
Know your rights

And number 2
You have the right to food money
Providing of course you
Dont mind a little
Investigation, humiliation
And if you cross your fingers
Rehabilitation

Know your rights
These are your rights
Wang

Know these rights

Number 3
You have the right to free
Speech as long as youre not
Dumb enough to actually try it.

Know your rights
These are your rights
All three of em
It has been suggested
In some quarters that this is not enough!
Well..............................

Get off the streets
Get off the streets
Run
You dont have a home to go to
Smush

Finally then I will read you your rights

You have the right to remain silent
You are warned that anything you say
Can and will be taken down
And used as evidence against you

Listen to this
Run

[PoiBoy]

16. Revisionist history...

...just ain't gonna cut it, Mr. Bradbury...!! Hope to see you at the War Crimes trial...

[donkeyotay]

17. Follow the legal logic. Torture was illegal until 2 SECRET legal memos.

"Bradbury in 2005 signed two secret legal memos" making it legal. Presto. We should try this. We should all have this "had my fingers crossed" access to the law. Neener, neener, didn't you get my secret memo?

[coalition_unwilling]

18. Bradbury should himself be on trial for war crimes -n/t

[Winterblues]

19. If it is illegal now, why is the Senate voting to make it illegal?

It was illegal before the Bush* Cabal took over our country and it will be illegal once they are gone but the thugs make their own laws with no one saying they can't..

[Supersedeas]

22. we should believe Bradbury....why!?!

[CreekDog]

23. When do we hear about the retroactive immunity?

:shrug:

[Supersedeas]

24. and Bush wants to Veto the Waterboarding bill....why?