Comments on: Red Cross: Abu Zubaydah’s Treatment By U.S. Was ‘Categorically’ Torture

By: ufred

ufred — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:38:15 +0000

I am unsure as to which crimes of Richard Nixon were pardoned, But I am fairly sure that the crimes attributed to his regime were of greater import to the civil liberties of the American people and to their political franchise
You might be better served by mentioning the crimes of the Reagan bunch. Their illegalities were widespread, and while many were serious, a fair number of his Administration were very common thieves.
It seems to me that almost all of the BS that the current group is engaged in has been under the cover of Congressional kowtowing. Once they got the Congress to wreck the budget, they've mostly concentrated on fucking up the rest of the world.

By: lonon

lonon — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:33:58 +0000

One of the first hard choices of the Obama administration is going to be whether or not to actually pursue the criminal aspects of the Constitutional abuse, illegality and plain thug behavior left behind by Bush/Chaney and the gang. Bush took us down a long, dark path with his disdain for history, law or the opinions of those who did not simply agree with the many misconceptions that he either brought to office of had foisted on him by those who used his as their puppet.

Obama may be a pragmatist (my fervent hope), but simply moving on from Bush will leave not just the scars but the open wounds, not a pragmatic choice. At the very least we will need some form of reconciliation as was seen in South Africa if not actual trials. Our soldiers have died in Iraq because a Haliburton subsidiary couldn't be bothered to install the electricy properly. We have tortured, denied it, then excused actions we once tried other nations for when caught. We have compromised our national defense because the men who promoted a war with lies did not have the intestinal fortitude to ask for a draft to fight the very war they promoted.

Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon was for crimes that seem almost a joke compared to what George Bush has done or allowed to be done on his watch, so a pardon in this case will not do. After impeachment was used so recklessly by the Republicans in their witch hunt of Bill Clinton, the idea of trying a president seems to terrify the leaders of the Democratic party. God help us if we should actually ask for accountability for crimes. Where might that lead? Only Henry Waxman, Dennis Kucinich and a handful of others (not the cool kids on campus clearly) seem willing to hold hearings and let the chips and the guilt fall where they may.

We will have to do something. Uncleaned wounds lead to greater infection, and this country can't stand much more corruption in its system. Countries left either completely depressed or completely disillusioned thrash about for leaders of stature to save them. When they're lucky they get an FDR. When they're not, they get Mussolini.

By: ufred

ufred — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am unsure as to which crimes of Richard Nixon were pardoned, But I am fairly sure that the crimes attributed to his regime were of greater import to the civil liberties of the American people and to their political franchise
You might be better served by mentioning the crimes of the Reagan bunch. Their illegalities were widespread, and while many were serious, a fair number of his Administration were very common thieves.
It seems to me that almost all of the BS that the current group is engaged in has been under the cover of Congressional kowtowing. Once they got the Congress to wreck the budget, they’ve mostly concentrated on fucking up the rest of the world.

By: lonon

lonon — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Obama may be a pragmatist (my fervent hope), but simply moving on from Bush will leave not just the scars but the open wounds, not a pragmatic choice. At the very least we will need some form of reconciliation as was seen in South Africa if not actual trials. Our soldiers have died in Iraq because a Haliburton subsidiary couldn’t be bothered to install the electricy properly. We have tortured, denied it, then excused actions we once tried other nations for when caught. We have compromised our national defense because the men who promoted a war with lies did not have the intestinal fortitude to ask for a draft to fight the very war they promoted.

Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon was for crimes that seem almost a joke compared to what George Bush has done or allowed to be done on his watch, so a pardon in this case will not do. After impeachment was used so recklessly by the Republicans in their witch hunt of Bill Clinton, the idea of trying a president seems to terrify the leaders of the Democratic party. God help us if we should actually ask for accountability for crimes. Where might that lead? Only Henry Waxman, Dennis Kucinich and a handful of others (not the cool kids on campus clearly) seem willing to hold hearings and let the chips and the guilt fall where they may.

We will have to do something. Uncleaned wounds lead to greater infection, and this country can’t stand much more corruption in its system. Countries left either completely depressed or completely disillusioned thrash about for leaders of stature to save them. When they’re lucky they get an FDR. When they’re not, they get Mussolini.