Conyers Joins Growing Chorus Calling For Bush Torture Probe

[Hissyspit]

Source: Raw Story / John Conyers Media Advisory

Conyers joins growing chorus calling for Bush torture probe

By Stephen C. Webster
Friday, November 12th, 2010 -- 10:44 am

Following the revelation that President George W. Bush not only approved of but emphatically supported his administration's torture program, a growing chorus of lawmakers and human rights groups has expressed outrage at the lack of investigations and prosecutions.

Torture is illegal under US and international law, including the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which claims the US as a signatory.

- snip -

"It is absolutely vital that a thorough review of President Bush’s now admitted ordering of waterboarding take place," Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) said in a Friday media advisory. "We are a nation of laws, not men, and the domestic and international laws – including the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – governing the use of torture are clear in their scope and application. There is no exception for the President or any other official and no lawyer’s opinion can provide immunity from these laws."

Conyers, a longtime proponent of investigating the prior administration's extralegal activities, is just the latest in a new tide of calls for justice. While the issue has been dormant in the US media for months as the midterm election campaigns dominated headlines, now that the outlay of Congress has been decided lawmakers are pressing the issue anew.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/conyers-aclu-join-growing-chorus-calling-bush-torture-probe/

[msongs]

1. doing what he does best - maybe he will write some sternly worded letters nt

[hootinholler]

5. No shit n/t

[jtrockville]

15. He has a few other choices....

He could write a report:
http://warisacrime.org/constitutionincrisis

Or hold a non-hearing hearing:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503077.html

He's used all these strategies successfully in the past to blow smoke where there is no fire.

[intheflow]

16. You think there's no fire to impeach Bush for war crimes?

:wtf:

[jtrockville]

23. No fire in Conyers' belly.

If there were, he'd have had an impeachment hearing, rather than a not-impeachment hearing.
I remember being in the house that day. It was overflowing with support from we the people. There's plenty of fire from us. Conyers? Not so much.

[EFerrari]

18. Conyers bears a lot of responsiblity for heading up the Judiciary Committee

during the Bush years and doing very little of substance.

[Solly Mack]

2. k/r

[lunatica]

3. If this gets legs I will be very surprised

But it's nice to think it might actually happen.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

25. it's about time something happened!

[Lint Head]

4. Nothing but words to placate the noisy citizens.

The Attorney General should indict period!

[24601]

29. Attorneys General can't indict - Grand Juries have that power. n/t

[No Elephants]

34. AG's can investigate, prosecute.

[chill_wind]

6. K & R. No single voice alone will keep justice

from dying. It will take a huge collective of good decent men and women demanding it, over and over. Louder and louder.

[Independent_Liberal]

24. Thank you chill_wind.

Thanks for calling it like it is.

[Nite Owl]

7. Now that they lost the majority

they can say things like this to placate the base, when they held the majority---silence. They had their chance for real hearings and did nothing about the Bush administration crimes.

[gratuitous]

9. Oh, what a cynical appraisal

Spot-on, but cynical. Tsk!

[Nite Owl]

19. Sorry for being so cynical

but at some point the facts seem to call for it.

[dflprincess]

27. You nailed it!

[groundloop]

8. Set up a House commission now, then let the repuke House kill it next year.....

If nothing else it would be a good talking point for the next round of House and Senate elections.

[fascisthunter]

10. right right.... sure

can you tell I have little faith in this man?

[ladjf]

11. Everything Conyers joins seems to end up in the trash can. nt

[Tippy]

12. K&R....

[Uncle Joe]

13. What if during World War II, German attorneys had told Hitler that genocide was legal because

the Jews, Poles, homosexuals and Gypsies posed a threat to German National security, should those attorneys have been shielded from accountability because they were just giving "legal" advice during war time?

Though the current administration expressly forbids the use of torture, attorneys with Obama's Justice Department have staunchly defended lawyers who advocated torture, saying they must be immune to prosecution because they were giving legal advice to the president during wartime.

John Yoo, while at the Office of Legal Council in 2002, authored a majority of the department’s opinions on torture along with Jay Bybee, who now serves as a judge on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Steven Bradbury, the former OLC chief who now practices law in Washington, D.C.

There is no way Bush, Cheney or any future administration could ever be held accountable no matter the atrocity they commit if their attorneys tell them that it's legal and according to the current Justice Dept's take on it, the attorneys are essentially above the law, so long as their take on the law fits their own narrative.

Under this reasoning, should the "War on Terror" last in to perpetuity so will the window of opportunity for the United States to descend in to utter corruption as the rule of man reigns supreme and the rule of law becomes a tragic joke.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

Edit for P.S. If German Attorneys couldn't have been held accountable for giving "legal" advice during war time that genocide was legal, neither could Hitler have been held accountable for committing genocide, he was just following the "legal" advice of his attorneys.

[lovuian]

14. Yes Conyers now that Amnesty Internationa and ACLU is

bringing it to our attention with Bush's admission of guilt

NOW CONGRESS says we need a probe

its going like 10 years

but now its written and given testimony to all the world

Gonzalez Aschcroft and Lawyer Yu

and what about the PATRIOTIC ACT ...lets get rid of that too

This is a WHOLE WORLD ISSUE NOW
and what it is really about Bush screwing all the countries of the world by allowing deregulation of derivitives

its payback time

[bobthedrummer]

17. How many other DUers were calling his office 5-6years ago like I was only to be disregarded? k&r

And, btw, I took the same complaints to my own corporate New Democrat rep who sent back a letter mentioning "Scooter" Libby but also took no action as required by our Constitution, the rule of law and simple justice...

[bongbong]

20. His defense

The defense that ex-President Cheney's errand boy Bush will use is this: "It was a youthful indiscretion!"

[CJCRANE]

21. It's time to fire

off another stern letter.

[Jim Lane]

22. If he wants to show he's serious, he has several weeks left in which to hold a hearing

Despite the election results, Conyers remains Judiciary chair until early January. It wouldn't take long to put together a hearing. The torture practices of the Bush administration have received considerable attention over the last several years; there are quite a few experts who would need only a day or two to prepare coherent, informative testimony about different aspects of the subject.

Go for it, John.

[TheWatcher]

26. How Theatrical.

[tomp]

28. oh, please, spare me. nt

[Evasporque]

30. Where was this 5 years ago....but YES lets get the ball rolling...

The tea Party wants to "Roll Back" everything in America...well lets start with rolling back the curtain on the Bush Administration.

[leveymg]

31. All he has to do is issue a subpoena. No more excuses.

This is getting comical, at this late date.

[classysassy]

32. America's behavior toward it's created enemies

is criminal and we need to review our policies.We have reigned down unbelievable hardship on the Muslim nations of the world,we have created so much hate toward this country because of our stupid policies.American service members have died needlessly.We continue fighting among ourselves,the real enemies poverty,hate,crime and greed takes a back seat while we lie to each other.we stick out our chest and say we are Americans,we are the only super power in the world,there fore no one can touch us,"oh what fools we mortals be" I imagine the Romans and the Greeks felt the same way at the height of their power but empires never last forever.

[meow mix]

33. converstation stopper

im telling jon

[No Elephants]

35. Off the table. Look only forward. The rule of law does not apply to our federal elected officials

[BlueIris]

36. John Conyers is an American hero. This man has earned a spot on the next

or any presidential ticket.

[NoodleyAppendage]

37. WHATEVER, you spineless excuse for a Democratic Congress person.

Where was Conyers two years ago? Oh, that's right. He was reeling in any talk of a Bush probe.

Nothing has changed. It's the same old crap and many here are likely to fall for it again. Democratic leadership has been playing the base for fools for decades.

ENOUGH! We need to start a little Tea Party of our own...Coffee Party? What happened to that progressive movement?

J