President Signs Law Giving Defense Dept Authority To Exempt Photos From Freedom Of Information Act

Source: ACLU

President Signs Law Giving Defense Department Authority To Exempt Photos From Freedom Of Information Act (10/29/2009)

ACLU Renews Call For Secretary Gates Not To Block Release Of Torture Photos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

WASHINGTON – President Obama today signed into law a Homeland Security appropriations bill that grants the Department of Defense (DOD) the authority to continue suppressing photos of prisoner abuse. The amendment, which would allow the DOD to exempt photos from the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), is aimed at photos ordered released by a federal appeals court as part of an American Civil Liberties Union FOIA lawsuit for photos and other records related to detainee abuse in U.S. custody overseas, although it would apply to other photos in government custody as well. Earlier this month, the ACLU sent a letter to Secretary Robert Gates urging him not to exercise the authority to suppress the photos in their case, stating that the photos "are of critical relevance to an ongoing national debate about accountability."

"We are disappointed that the president has signed a law giving the Defense Department the authority to hide evidence of its own misconduct, and we hope the defense secretary will not take advantage of that authority by suppressing photos related to the abuse of prisoners," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. "Secretary Gates should be guided by the importance of transparency to the democratic process, the extraordinary importance of these photos to the ongoing debate about the treatment of prisoners and the likelihood that the suppression of these photos would ultimately be far more damaging to national security than their disclosure. The last administration's decision to endorse torture undermined the United States' moral authority and compromised its security. A failure to fully confront the abuses of the last administration will only compound these harms."

Another provision contained in the new law allows the transfer of detainees from Guantánamo Bay to the U.S. for prosecution.

"This law allows the administration to transfer prisoners to the U.S. for criminal trials in the federal courts, and the administration should now do exactly that," said Jaffer. "The military commissions at Guantánamo are not just unlawful but unnecessary. The federal courts are fully capable of prosecuting terrorism suspects while protecting both national security interests and fundamental due process. It's time to shut down Guantánamo, transfer the military commissions trials to federal courts that uphold the rule of law, and transfer prisoners whom the administration does not intend to charge to countries where they won't be in danger of being tortured. Indefinite detention without charge or trial undermines the most basic values of justice and fairness."

Read more: http://aclu.org/safefree/torture/41364prs20091029.html

n/t

In the wrong direction.

Does anyone here still think Obama is even trying to do good things?

in the US military. That has to count for something, doesn't it?

And, uh... I know there is something else that has been accomplished. Just cannot remember what it is just now.

This protected some incomparable wild lands in Utah.

So, the hate crime legislation makes two things he can check off his to-do list.

(I hear furious and angry pompoms in the distance...)

countries that the US has been wrong (I'm waiting for those other countries to admit their mistakes, but, so far, crickets), the hate crimes bill (though I am not sure how I feel about that}, at least trying to close Gitmo, and other things.

I will not take every change away from him because he has continued a number of policies and stances.

However, the things he has done wrong are quite serious, in my book.

and yes, its moving back to Bush's cover ups. Its like deja vu.

Well, now...Meet The New Boss...and The Song Remains The Same.
BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT...AD INFINITUM.

I am ready to jump the ship of support for obama.
He is turning out to be just another politician.

He's taking care of those who ensured his election and to hell with everyone else.

Just another politician.

His change is in tiny increments not degrees.
He lost me before the election when he backed the TARP.
He has surrounded himself with oligarchs and his COS is
an Israel First-er.
Same tired old stuff... look at what they do not what they say.

Business International Corp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_International_Cor...

Hi ... interesting. When did you find this?



Barack Obama

United States President Barack Obama's first job after graduating from Columbia University was with the company. He held a position as a research associate in its financial services division, where he edited Financing Foreign Operations, a global reference service, and wrote for Business International Money Report, a weekly financial newsletter.
CIA

The company has been identified as cover organization for the Central Intelligence Agency, e.g. see Lobster Magazine, issue 14 in 1987. According to a lengthy article in the New York Times in 1977, the co-founder of the company told the newspaper that "Eldridge Haynes had provided cover for four CIA employees in various countries between 1955 and 1960".<3>

that? 3/ He left after a year to work in Chicago as a community organizer.

I will criticize Obama when I feel it is justified and have many times, but your post is a baseless smear.

Naive Suckas!
He's just another politican; albeit a little on the left, thats all...

He is going to KILL thousands more young amerikans for the corporations who now "OPENLY" own him

Some things yes, others not so much.
Obama hasnt lived up to his hype. Cynical as I am, I never expected him or any politician to do so.

And, as you reply, remember, a puppy dies every time you post deceptively at DU. Also, I have read a lot of your posts.

I will admit I am not as left as most here.

But if I was King for a Day....

Ok with Gay marriage,

Eliminating Dont ask dont tell.

Health care reform that doenst involve health insurance companies, and is run by the patients, not the govt, although govt subsidies are ok.

Withdraw from GATT,NAFTA,WTC.

Withdraw from NATO. Withdraw from Korea, Japan, Germany, England.
The reasons these countries can spend so much on social programs is becasue they dont pay much for their own defense thanks to us. Well, time to withdraw the teat.

Tarriff those goods that come from countries whose standard of living is way below the US.

Eliminate the income tax and replace with consumption tax. Send a "prebate" to everyone which will make it progressive it nature.

Term limits for Reps and Senators.

Fight to win in Afghanistan or get out.

Stop deficeit spending, line Item veto.

Stop creating Debt money.

Increase min wage and have it pegged to inflation.

Just a few from top of my head

the arab world was over Abu Garib. This bill helps prevent this.

Reform the private ins. profiteers counted on

Hiding the indisputable truth is good for America!

and post

and post

and post

is all discombobulated now anyway

we should not publish photos of

1. the Holocaust. It just makes the Jews enraged.
2. lynched black people, It just makes black people enraged.
3. police abuse, it just makes criminals enraged.
4. Vietnam War, it just makes anti-war protesters enraged.
5. Iraq, it just makes anti-war protesters... oh wait, nevermind
6. New Orleans Katrina, it just makes poor people enraged.
7. Oklahoma City bombing, it just makes pre-school children and their parents enraged.
8. civil war, it just makes the south enraged.

God I could do this all night.

What is so terrifying for our freedom and democracy is how so many democrats think censorship is the right thing to do. We are not teaching history lessons in school. We are teaching shit to keep us passive and submissive.

If this is the democratic party line (Obama is the democratic party leader), those of you out there who believe we need something better, we need real leadership to help pull together a new party and leave the those who would cheerfully reason away our rights and civil liberties all for the "common good of arabs or republicans or corporations, on and on".

Every single fucking year the CIA and NSA and DoD and FBI and Homeland Security on and on get biger and bigger and more controlling and nastier and meaner and bolder - this shit has got to stop. Now we have "Cyper Security Agency". It seems like 10% of US population is engaged in policing the rest of us. Counting all DoD civian and military, all FBI, CIA, HSA, TSA, ATF, INS, and their private contractors - its probably more than 10%.

Obama has done a big fat fucking ZERO to keep these monsters in check.

The truth shall set us free. Behind censorship and Obama's protection of CIA lies hell's gate.

And a belated welcome to DU.

I fear our country has become a perpetual war machine. Which is technically what we've been for several decades, we've just come out of the closet about it now.

For the rich
- treasury cash in form of multi-trillion dollar handout, no questions asked.

For the rest of us
- treasury cash in the form of a enlisted man's salary fighting our wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Wall Street is selling everything that isn't nailed down to Asia for pennies on the dollar. The only industry we have left is war making. So people are faced with Burger King or a directly or indirectly participating in the slaughter of a million or more from two ruthless wars of our own design.

The rich should have nothing to complain about from Obama. He's got their backs.

making it fully public!!

Its a good bill. We all saw how enraged
Posted by lefty369

the arab world was over Abu Garib. This bill helps prevent this.

Oh my. If that's what you believe then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

It prevents the world from seeing photos of the prisoners that we are torturing.

The doctrine being that it isn't the torture that's wrong, it's the pictures that were taken that are wrong.

The Secret Government would not be happy with him had he let it all come out in the open.

grr

I think it's every bit as catchy as "have it your way" and "Testes Great! Less filling!"

About as meaningful, too.

Maybe it's all the recent talk of teabagging that did it.

Lame pun.

LOL

free to pay taxes, send your kids to wars for corporate interests, but ya just can't see the evidence of their deeds.

This sounds like something Cheney left in the top drawer.

But hell, photos aren't information, right?

A picture is worth 1000 words....

Now we'll just have to read the 1000 words....if they're not redacted.

they reflect the will of the american majority - when they keep those nasty photos of, perhaps, a million dead iraqi & uncounted afghani civilians, not to mention our troops, off their pristine pages & screens.

plus: that could really rouse up the populace of those two benighted countries & put our boys in danger - from suicide bombers & all - where they're all safe & snug in their barracks, now.

wait until SURGE 2 OBAMA happens

It was the first "advisors" coming back from the war who told us what was REALLY going on and that our government was lying to us. The result was a massive anti-war movement. Then a series of things occurred: the truth about the Gulf of Tonkin, (The Pentagon Papers), the Mi Lai Massacre, then Dr. King and Walter Cronkite turned aginst the war, it was all over. The photos, which we saw weekly in "Look," "Time" and "Newsweek" were considered just part of war. We were only 15 years out from the last one (Korea) and 20-25 years from WWI. Hell, we watched dead bodies on the 6:00 evening news. The photos were not what ended the war. It was the effort of LOTS of patriotic Americans who were told to "Love it or leave it."

Every time my husband and I see the bank banners for "free checking" we always

laugh at that notion -- "Almost totally free checking" --!!

These must be quite some photos/videos!!!!

We should be fighting for them -- !!!

and has been for a long time. Even if lawyers volunteer--and they do pay lawyers--things like just court costs, copying costs, etc. on a case like this mount up to thousands of dollars.

And the ACLU fights on the correct side of a lot of issues that we post about.

Another day, another outrage. Meet the new boss.....

since the CIA trumps the Secret Service.

He was under constant threat by the CIA .

Bush had no plans to stop the program, hence no threats were necessary.

being used as an excuse.

If not, I am not seeing the point of your posts, except to be anti-Obama for the sake of being anti-Obama.

I know the CIA is making you say these things.

full of posts by Write Down bashing Bush for torture. I'm shocked.

I'll send help!

If you enflame the American public about Bush at this juncture, they may demand accountability. If they demand accountability and none is forthcoming, Obama's chance of re-election may be affect adversely, along with that of Democrats in Congress who went along with Bushco on so many things; and re-election seems to be the only true imperative in Washington, D.C.

There was a huge outcry from the CIA when Obama released the torture memos, even with redactions.

We don't really know what was said behind the scenes. I'll admit my theory of CIA threats, explicit or implied, is just speculation; but it seems like a reasonable explanation, given their history, for Obama's backtracking on his promise of full disclosure. I think we're getting about as much info as we're going to get.

I think Obama does, and always has done, what he thinks is best for Obama. I can see that pattern going back to at least his days in the Illinois state legislature, where he was absent or voted present whenever some potential third rail, like abortion, was up for a vote.

During the primary, Republicans and supporters of Clinton or Edwards would point things like that out to me, but I argued against them every single time and supported him. Ruefully, I wish I had been less defensive of him then.

In any event, Obama is responsible for his own words, actions and inactions, just like the rest of us. As a friend once pointed out to me, "You always have a choice, unless you have a gun to your head. And even then, you have a choice."

n/t

And the truth of all that is waiting to be brought forward .... some day.

Takes power to do it -- and the GOP is making sure that those who want to

get this country back on the right track and put their asses in jail never

get the chance.

Between selling out to Big Pharma, AHIP, and the Banksters Mr. Obama still has time to cover the CIA's ass. Well I knew he was smart and didn't really like a fight-but I also think he knows enough about the realities of office to want to survive in being as well in politics. As far as I know no one has ever crossed the CIA and survived. To my way of thinking they make the STASI look like Keystone Kops and are deeply involved in the body politic. If anyone can come up with a way to eliminate this shadow government the whole world would give a giant sigh of relief.

He should separate his administration from the crimes of Bush, not follow in his footsteps.

K&R

Gave them an earful last time they called. Said I've switched to giving to the ALCU and EFF.

I'll donate to individual politicians that have proved themselves, but Obama (et al) are living
up (down) to my most cynical "expectations".

Guess I shouldn't be surprised since his vote on FISA before the election.

Only individual candidates and organizations that actually serve the common good.

As for Mr. Obama, he is, sad to say, OFF the donation list too.

Bill Moyers Journal (via PBS).

I am not going to contribute to the DNC or to any "oh so barely left of Joe LIEberman" individual politician ever again.

As one barely literate moran once said, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice....Well, you can't fool me again!"

For the record, I always knew Obama would be another shithead. I'd still choose him over McCain and Palin any fucking day.

God damn I can't wait to see what else hope and change brings us lulz

Sadly, Obama/Biden are better than McCain/Palin.

"Hope" and "change" are for suckers.

McCain/Palin said more of the same

So tell me. Who got suckered?

I'll pick and choose among candidates as they fall along the lines of common decency.

...When President Obama was elected I created a new bookmark folder to save all the audacious changes he would surely enact.

Oh! The irony!

Doesn't seem very transparent to me. Pretty similar to the Bush years.

this is very important, " allows the transfer of detainees from Guantánamo Bay to the U.S. for prosecution."

The lawyers are not going to be hampered in presenting a defense without those photos imo, I am relieved the US court judges will see the evidence and the coercion and rule accordingly.

this is just more proof that we live in an oligarchy, not a democracy. Very sad.

RL

Because: it's a really bad idea for the Defense Dept to be torturing terror suspects to such an inhumane level the suspects' brains will make them incompetent for trial. But wouldn't releasing the photos provide Al-Qaeda and the Taliban with even MORE "Amerika iz evil" propaganda to recruit more future destroyers of peace?

enough basis for claiming that Amereeka is evil. Do you think that seeing more photos of the Abu Ghraib ilk is going to turn someone against America more than having his or her village wasted or having the likes of the Karzais supported with billions, much as we did the Shah of Iran?

More importantly, what the fuck about the rule of law in this country anymore? ACLU made a totally lawful request, under then existing law, so Congress changed the law retroactively and the Constitutional law professor signed it.

the Bush Administration, allegedly without the knowledge of the American people, or this law trying to bury the photos? (In this connection, please note that the ACLU cited national security as a reason to RELEASE the photos.)

Not to mention ongoing torture in Bagram and ongoing extraordinary renditions. (Please see Reply # 181.)

Not to mention ruling out prosecution of anyone who engaged in torture--except MAYBE for those who went outside the parameters of memos?

How about our putting pressure on Spain to sit down and shut up when Spain tried to accuse Bushco of war crimes?

This is another big dissappointment and another blow to freedom...as well as freedom of information.
This is sad to me...I had a lot of hope.