The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison
Nonviolent Struggle: 50 Crucial Points
George W. Bush, War Criminal?: The Bush Administration's Liability for 269 War Crimes
Nonviolence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea
A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict
Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush
The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law
United States v. George W. Bush et al.
The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism
Articles of Impeachment Against George W. Bush
The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens
The Case for Impeachment
Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney
George W. Bush versus the U.S. Constitution: The Downing Street Memos and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Cover-ups in the Iraq War and Illegal Domestic Spying
Verdict and Findings of Fact
Impeach Bush: A Funny Li'l Graphical Novel About the Worstest Pres'dent in the History of Forevar
Pretensions to Empire: Notes on the Criminal Folly of the Bush Administration
The Twilight of Democracy: The Bush Plan for America
Cheney, Torture and the Chance to Restore the Rule of Law
By John Nichols, The Nation
The Constitution of the United States is absolutely clear when it comes to matters of torture.
Amendment 8 specifically states that,"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
Acts of torture are by definition and common understanding -- certainly at the time of the drafting of the nation's essential document and arguably even in this less-enlightened era -- cruel and unusual punishments
Vice President Dick Cheney, when he assumed the second most powerful office in the land after the disputed election of 2000, swore an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same."
Any reasonable reader of that oath would conclude that Cheney bound himself to abide by the Constitution -- and thus to avoid any involvement with the promotion of acts of torture upon detainees of the United States government.
Yet we now know from revelations made by former senior intelligence officials to ABC News and the Associated Press that Cheney and other members of the administration -- who apparently took care to insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA interrogation methods were discussed -- authorized the use of waterboarding and other generally recognized torture techniques.
There is no question that Cheney violated his oath of office, which bound him to support and defend a Constitution that he disregarded.
The question is: How will responsible Americans respond?
The power to hold Cheney to account rests with Congress.
The power to get Congress to act rests with the American people.
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, a respected lawyer who has been working with a number of other Constitutional experts and activists, has responded -- not just to Cheney's trashing of the Constitution but to the long list of Bush administration wrongs.
Anderson is circulating a letter that reads:
As patriotic Americans, we believe in knowing the truth about our government. Regardless of political affiliation, we believe in our constitutional democracy. We believe in the rule of law – that no person, regardless of position, is above the law.
We believe in respecting basic human rights – and have been proud to distinguish our nation from those countries where people are kidnapped, disappeared, and tortured.
We believe that in a democracy likes ours, citizens are entitled to know whether government officials are living up to their oaths to defend and preserve the Constitution, and whether they are abusing the human rights of people here or elsewhere in the world.
This is not a partisan matter. It is a matter of responsible citizenship.
Recently, several conscientious members of the House Judiciary Committee, including the Chair, Congressman John Conyers, have indicated support for public hearings to investigate and disclose the facts concerning claims of illegal conduct and other abuses of power by members of the Executive Branch. If misconduct has occurred, the American people are entitled to know. If misconduct has not occurred, hearings will determine and disclose that as well.
By showing that the American people – without political partisanship – support the disclosure of the truth through public hearings, we can make a difference, together standing up for the truth, the rule of law, and our Constitution.
• We are entitled to know whether members of the Executive Branch misrepresented the facts and withheld crucial information, thereby deceiving our nation and the international community before the invasion of Iraq.
• As American citizens who value the system of checks and balances among the three branches of government, we are entitled to know whether that system has been seriously undermined. We are entitled to know whether the courts and Congress have fulfilled their important constitutional roles in investigating and disclosing the misuse of Executive power.
• Our nation has engaged in the unprecedented, illegal, and immoral kidnapping, disappearance, and torture of human beings around the world (some of whom have been proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing), with no due process, in complete secrecy, and with no accountability. Even US citizens have been held in prisons indefinitely, with no legal counsel, no trial, and no charges filed against them. As Americans, we are entitled to know what has occurred in connection with these human rights abuses. In our democratic system of government, there must be full accountability.
Speaking out together, as concerned, patriotic Americans, we can send a clear message to Congress: In the United States, the rule of law must prevail, our Constitution cannot be disregarded, and the fundamental morality to which our nation has always laid claim will be restored.
Anderson asks that Americans who support the principles outlined in this letter -- as I do -- go to his Restore the Rule of Law website and sign on.
Signing this letter, says Anderson, who has opened an important dialogue about the Constitution and White House accountability with Conyers and other key players on the Judiciary Committee, "indicates to Congressman Conyers, other members of the House Judiciary Committee, and Congress as a whole that you support efforts to investigate and disclose any illegal acts and abuses of power by the President and others in his administration. Declare to the world, and to our posterity, that, as a US citizen:
• You proudly support our long-held constitutional principles.
• You are speaking out to reaffirm our democracy.
• You demand accountability for those in our government who have disregarded our Constitution, violated statutory law, or engaged in immoral human-rights abuses."
Anderson's is an authentic patriotic response to the latest revelations about Dick Cheney's disregard for the Constitution.
Go to the Restore the Rule of Law website and sign on and do what Cheney did not: support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
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www.VelvetRevolution.us
Torture
Bush's admitting he knew and approved of the torture tactics meetings in the White House proves they have ALL knowingly broken the law, and MUST be punished.
Otherwise, torture will soon be visiting all of us on the local level.
These monsters make Nixon look like a saint!
People HAVE to demand IMPEACHMENT hearings now.
I for one will be calling that good-for-nothing John Conyers every day....I hope others do the same. This, along with the new domestic spying is the greatest danger to any freedoms we have left.
Marilyn Gjerdrum
it's never to late to maintain
...to maintain the cornerstone of Freedom with the corner of Justice and accountability. Life, Liberty and the persuit of happiness can not be sanctioned without Justice for the guilty.
Darwin26
Viet Nam drafted Combat Veteran WIA '68
Co-State Coordinator PDA Montana
Billings Peace Seeker, member
MPFI, partner
PDA Fair Trade & Impeachment Teams
www.pdamontana.org
www.williamsstudiogallery.com
My sister is a religious woman -- a Christian
She thinks it is OK to torture people. I don't think she would think it is OK to torture her. She gives religion a bad name. She has zero capacity for empathy. Talking to her kind of made me feel sick and sad for America.
4Peace
This question is not naive, nor questionable any longer.
The point is this.
Is the President the top office holder of the United States of America.
Or is he the chief executive of the corporation of the UNITED STATES.
We as a nation are in crisis of torturous and warlike proportions because many many laws have been broken to the very maximum.
We are also in a Constitutional Crisis that has essentially never occured before simply because the way all of this Presidential supremecy powers never ever became so manifest inherintly as such in any previous historical period.
This country is on the brink. If the powers-that-be think for any longer that the charade can continue; then believe they WILL start another war.
Already there is no Possi Commitatus and no Habeas Corpus.
The President or WHOMEVER he calls himself, is stating but the obvious. By his RIGHT he can do stuff - like make war and torture. On paper, he can fly to the moon using a toothbrush.
There is no rule of law, and there is as collected peoples of this nation understand it, there is no GOVERNEMENT.
Not only that, are the senators and congressmen elected officials or officers of the corporation. Who then voted for bills 1955 and 1959?
This question is not naive, nor questionable any longer.
The Government continues with it's behaviour regardless of everything done so far to check it.
I asked a grandmother if she knew that habeas corpus and possi commitatus was gone from the law books. She didn't know what they were, but when it was explained she thought they were good laws. You should have seen the look on her face when i had to re-explain that those good laws were GONE. I had to tell her the America she once knew is GONE. I said it, the US of her youth was GONE.
Now, if Al Gore in year 2000 got over-ruled by the Supreme Court with the best lawyers in the business - MIND YOU the best supereme court type lawyers if you knew where to find them - then now know and understant that any current top lawyer is gonna tell everyone that the president has committed no wrongs.
Contrary to that: People might wish to understand that filing a complaint against the president as in a bad cop who has done some nasty business is actually a means to address this, a means to address YE HOLY CORPORATE ONE, AKA
THE CORPORATE PRESIDENT OF THE CORPORATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
This country simply stated, has had enough.
I hereby file a COMPLAINT AGAINST THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES: you are an imposter and shall be removed from office. you're not fired, you're going to court.
Remember this readers, it's in the new testament all over the place.
"God is no respecter of persons." That includes the Executive CEO of the UNITED STATES, OF the same corporation.
Torture
Dubya is the torture president and he heads the torture administration.
And always by Dubya's side was his faithful dog, I mean companion, the VP FUtus of Borg.
Their motto: semper quiritatio. Always screaming.
For of you who are not in the know, here is a scoop.
Neoconservatism is a Satanic cult. Why do you think they seek
100 years of death of maiming in Iraq that will result in a Shiite state
and very rich oil companies? Did you ever stop and think: what's in this
for us? Nothing, unless you are a member of a Satanic cult. After all,
Al Queda was not in Iraq until chief Satanist Dubya attracted them with
an illegal, immoral, unnecessary war.
What is this, political
What is this, political science fiction? Article ll, Amendment Vlll of our Constitution is clear. The illegitimacy of this Congress is legendary and their cowardice is wretched. There remains only two alternatives. Friends and family members in the military and police communities who are still loyal to America must review their sacred oaths to defend and protect our Constitution from domestic enemies. The other alternative could be too terrible to contemplate but we must be prepared for it. Only reason that we haven't seen Martial Law is because Patriots still have guns. Freedom is never free. Apathetic fools sacrificed America's freedom to criminals but these Zionist thugs are terrified of critical mass awareness. Understand what I'm saying here?
What have we learned?
1) There were no Iraqi "Box Cutters" on "9/11", Iraq had nothing whatsoever to do with "9/11", America was never attacked or threatened by Iraq, Osama Been Forgotten has been dead for six years and Iran has not invaded anyone for over 200 years.
2) While Saddam was not a benevolent Dictator, he had nothing whatsoever to do with "9/11", he was not supporting "Al Qaeda" (toilets), he was not trying to purchase yellow cake uranium from Niger, he had no "Weapons Of Mass Destruction" but he wanted to sell Iraq oil with the Euro. Bush and his daddy's cronies are all Oil Robber Barons. Since the 2000 "selection", oil prices have increased by over 300% and Exxon named an Oil Tanker after Condi Rice.
3) Bush made a fool out of himself in 2003 by swaggering aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln replete with Flight Gear in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner and there is still a $50,000 reward for anyone who saw him report for duty ONE time during the year that he was AWOL from the Air National Guard. Cheney avoided military service during a time of war with 5 deferments and he has no conscience whatsoever about sending US soldiers into harms way with bad food, contaminated water, inadequate training and equipment. (If any of us had been AWOL for one day we would have been sent to prison.)
4) $2.3 trillion dollars is still missing from the US Treasury and Bush says that our Constitution is just a "goddamned piece of paper".
5) When Bush exploited US soldiers to attack and occupy a sovereign nation that never posed a threat to America, it was a war crime then and it is still a war crime now.
6) When over 1.2 million human beings are raped, tortured and killed it is not "collateral damage". It is grotesque mass murder. When compounded with the displacement/destruction of over 5 million unarmed women, children and radioactive contamination of Mesopotamia, it constitutes a Holocaust which is illegal and amoral. Probably would have been less costly to purchase Iraq's oil honestly instead of trying to steal it.
7) Neocruds like Cheney, Bush and Zionist Israeli elements have enriched themselves with obscene war profits ever since "9/11" at America's expense and America's demise.
8) The Center For Public Integrity has documented over 935 Neocrud lies during the two year buildup for Bush's bogus war . So if Bush says that water is wet then everyone should turn on the shower to verify it.
9) No matter how hard the Zionist owned mainstream corporate media rubs or "spins", bovine excrement cannot be polished or shined, they still look stupid trying to do it and the same Chicken Hawk Neocruds are repeating the same lies again to defraud America into a Nuclear Holocaust against Iran. So, who the hell cares how many veterans are in who's family? At this point it's an obsolete "Republican talking point". Lots of older veterans are way fed up with the chicken hawk bullshit lies and I am one of them.
10) We were right. The only "conspiracy nuts" are the knuckle dragging sycophantic wingnuts who still worship Bush and the Neocruds. There is so much more that I could cite but lets savor that one for awhile shall we?
apparition
Ditto
Ditto, Apparition, i just don't understand that somany do not see or much less act.
But for sure we are able to feed from one another here our need to up-hold the Constitution.
Never forget Hillary is AIPAC.
Darwin26
Viet Nam drafted Combat Veteran WIA '68
Co-State Coordinator PDA Montana
Billings Peace Seeker, member
MPFI, partner
PDA Fair Trade & Impeachment Teams
www.pdamontana.org
www.williamsstudiogallery.com
Torture and the Constitution
If one has not been convicted of a crime, it can be argued torture is not a punishment. However, the Fifth Amendment states, "No person... shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself."
A clear proscription to torture. Further, the use of "person," rather than "citizen," would seem to include foreign citizens.
Rocky's website blocked ?
I was not able to get it. Is there any chance it is being blocked?
Restoration of the Rule of Law
DonP I do not advocate rebellion or the use of arms against a Democratically elected government. The oath I swore was to uphold the Constitution against all enemies. However, having stated that I would also like to state that there will never be a chnage made to this government by the ballot box. All candidates are pre-screened for adherence to the path desired by the true masters of this country prior to being allowed to run. The fiction that this is a country with a Constitution is only acceptable as long as the PTB can tsubvert the meanings to allow for the pursuit of their ambitions. Look at the facts: Fed Reserve, Patriot Act, War against Iraq and Afganistan, Homeland Security, National ID cards, NAFTA, Voter suppression, SCOTUS involving itself in a Presidential election, I could go on but the point is the voters have no means of forcing or enforcing change on the government as long as candidates are selected by the two party system.