Leading lawyer calls for Rumsfeld prosecution

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

Leading lawyer calls for Rumsfeld prosecution
John Byrne
Published: Friday December 12, 2008

Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) President Michael Ratner, author with CCR of The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld: A Prosecution by Book (The New Press, 2008), issued the following statement:

The Committee’s report reaffirms that high-ranking administration officials, including Donald Rumsfeld, were directly responsible for the abuse and torture of detainees in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. The brutal interrogation techniques used on our clients and many others were carried out despite well-documented opposition from military lawyers and others concerned by the illegality and ineffectiveness of the techniques.

After reviewing thousands of documents, this bi-partisan committee confirmed that senior officials are directly responsible for ushering in one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history and the loss of our moral authority in the eyes of the world. The report re-asserts that the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody was the result of deliberate decisions made at the top, with explicit approval given by Rumsfeld and other officials for inhumane treatment of prisoners, and was not merely the work of a few bad apples way down the chain of command.

There is no question that Rumsfeld and the others must be held individually accountable, and it must be before a court of law. There must be consequences for their illegal activities. A special prosecutor should be appointed. To do otherwise is to send a message of impunity that will only embolden future administrations to again engage in serious violations of the law.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Leading_lawyer_calls_for_Rumsfeld_prosecution_1212.html

[robinlynne]

1. Yes please.

[barbtries]

2. "There must be consequences for their illegal activities."

yes. anyone who thinks that the american people are not up to seeing justice carried out with respect to the gw administration is wrong. what i am NOT up to is seeing these motherfuckers skate.

[onehandle]

3. Pardon, forthcoming. No Bush lieutenant will be prosecuted. Nor will Bush himself. nt

[Independent_Liberal]

14. Yeah, here we go again.

"Pardons are forthcoming" and "No one will be prosecuted" like you know that for certain. State attorney generals and local prosecutors can take on the task. Then it wouldn't matter if said officials were pardoned at the federal level. Plus, there's also the International Court. Read Vincent Bugliosi's book. He outlines how an attorney from a county where one of the soldiers killed in Iraq lived can take on the task of prosecution.

I know that's not going to deter you from saying, "They'll never be prosecuted," like most others here at DU who are determined to squash any form of hope. You can say it all you want, you'll never halt the movement for justice.

[crikkett]

32. It's all so much armchair quarterbacking.

Politics is the national sport. Why fight it?

[Solly Mack]

4. The article refers back the to the "Principals Committee" without calling it that

but as it does reference the committee meetings chaired by Rice as NSA, we know that means the Principals Committee - aka the Torture Team.

And I agree...every single person who attended those meetings should be prosecuted for war crimes/crimes against humanity.(and not just them)

[Politicalboi]

5. Break out the Pitchforks and torches

Lets go get em!

[Vattel]

6. It should happen but, sadly, it won't

[Independent_Liberal]

16. If we give up, it won't.

But if we keep at it, we eventually achieve our goals. The fight for women's rights took a long time too.

[young_at_heart]

7. Rumsfeld should NOT get away with this

He sets an example for future "leaders" if nothing happens to him.

[Independent_Liberal]

17. Exactly my friend.

I wish others could see that.

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. K&R

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. File no charges until after 1/20.

That way, if * chooses to pardon them it will have to be a preemptive pardon, which is, effectively, an admission of guilt.

[Hekate]

28. That's the big reason why I'm being so patient w Congressional delays on this.New Prez, new Congress

The whole situation changes then. Any action now, and Baby Caligula will instantly put a stop to it.

Hekate

[Independent_Liberal]

31. One thing he can't put a stop to...

...is impeachment. But DU doesn't want it to happen. Everybody shoots it down the second you bring it up. Yeah, how dare we fight for accountability at this moment. What are we, stupid? :sarcasm:

Impeachment is important because it can prevent pardons.

[Reform]

10. arrest him for

aspartame

[vanboggie]

21. Yes!

Get the bastard for both evil deeds. Aspartame tortures and kills, too.

[Baby Snooks]

11. It might have happened...

But there will be no prosecution. Of anyone. There should have been an impeachment. Followed by conviction. Followed by prosecution. But the Empress serves the Emperor. So she took it all off the table.

At best they will offer up a sacrificial lamb. Scotter Libby was a sacrificial lamb. So was Ken Lay. When are people going to wake up to the fact that with few exceptions we elect Democrats and Republicans who are in fact Republicrats. RINOs. DINOs. They are the same thing. They serve themselves and those who have bought them. We are not a democracy. We are an oligarchy. And after the Emperor has departed, the Empress will remain. To keep the new Emperor in line.

[Independent_Liberal]

18. As I said above...

Nothing will happen if we give up.

[DonEBrook]

12. WTF is it with these people who think they can prosecute Bushco miscreants?

They're living in some rat-dream world to imagine anything will ever come of it. Who the hell do they think they're kidding?
Have we totally forgotten Ronnie Raygun, Ollie North, Henry Kissinger and that whole cabal of dogshit excuses for humans who not only never got prosecuted, they got for chrissakes RECYCLED to pull their same shit all over yet AGAIN! :eyes: :shrug:

[Independent_Liberal]

15. Yeah, that's right. They're crazy and living in an alternate reality because they want justice.

We aren't kidding anyone! It IS possible. You just think because others have gotten away with it in the past that means nothing should change.

[DonEBrook]

24. I'm not at all saying nothing SHOULD change, I'm saying nothing WILL.

:shrug:

[Independent_Liberal]

25. But by the same token you don't know it won't either.

People CAN change things.

[gratuitous]

13. Either the U.S. tries these criminals

Or someone else will render a judgment on them. Now, it might be some nice, regularly constituted tribunal with rules of evidence and procedure, or it will be an ad hoc extra-legal crew that will simply visit retribution on all of American society for failing to prosecute and punish criminals like Rumsfeld. Usually we call folks in the latter category terrorists, and dismiss them. But it's kind of hard to dismiss the damage they inflict, just like it's hard for other folks to dismiss the damage we've inflicted through these miscreants.

[Blue Fire]

19. This is something that needs to be done!

And even conservatives must acknowledge that the sanctity of justice must be restored at the highest levels of government, regardless of which party holds power. Had a Democratic administration done what the Bush regime has, they'd have been screaming for blood since day 1 of the Iraqi invasion.

[newtothegame]

20. Then prosecute him then. What is this guy waiting for? n/t

[rhett o rick]

22. rec. How general can a pardon be? nm

[pleah]

23. K&R Because I want to see it happen, but,

I have to tell you I am sick and tired of people just talking about this. I want it done, already!

[truthisfreedom]

26. AFTER bush has no power to pardon him, yes.

Then prosecute his ass.

[Hekate]

27. Go on. Make my day. nt

[90-percent]

29. Here's the cop out meme

I remember a few things recently Washington foisted on us despite overwhelming opposition. The noteworthy one for me is the passage of the telecom immunity act, in spite of overwhelming public opposition.

How could they ignore the mandate of the people with such nonchalance?

So I remember a quote from Chuck Schumer about some issue a DU'er asked him (and posted about) where he said he wouldn't push impeachment or some such because his constituents did not care about it.

It is going to take some riots to impact on our leaders how important it is for America to hold all the White House Criminals and traitors to account. If we do not then we are just a nation of creeps that have no honor and basic human decency.

-90% jimmy

[classysassy]

30. Rummy and the Dummy

"I was only following orders",well dammit get the decider.

[dickthegrouch]

33. There's going to be a lot of arrests on Jan 20th

I hope.

I'd love to see bush get off his Marine helicopter escape pod in handcuffs.