Weekly Torture Action Letter 20 – Leave Lady Justice Her Blindfold!

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Happy Monday and welcome to the Dog’s ongoing letter writing campaign for accountability for the Bush Era State Sponsored Torture program. The premise of this campaign is to write decision makers every Monday urging them to do the right thing in terms of our international treaty obligations and our Federal statutes. This means to investigate the enormous amount of prima facie evidence and where warranted by the evidence, to prosecute. The Dog writes a letter every week, which you, the activist, can either cut and paste or use as the jumping off point for your own letter.

“Originally posted at Squarestate.net“

This week we will be writing to AG Holder, with carbon copies to the President, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the Chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary, Rep Conyers and Sen. Leahy.

Dear Attorney General Holder;

I write you today with a simple question; why wait? It has been widely reported that you are considering initiating an investigation of the Bush Administration Torture program, on some level or another. You have read the whole CIA inspector generals report, you have been shocked and sickened by what was found there in regards to the United States use of techniques which independently and in totality are overwhelmingly considered torture both here in the United States and the world at large. There have been officials of the Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay who have said, publicly and on record that we can not try some of the detainees, as the way we have acted is torture under any reasonable standard.

With the recent decision requiring the release of Mohammed Jawad, primarily on the fact most of the evidence against him was ruled inadmissible by the fact it was obtained by torture, there is really very little doubt as to what has happened. What there is doubt on is your commitment to the rule of law. I hate to be so blunt but I can not for the life of me think of another time when there was so much evidence of criminal wrong doing, both under Federal law and International Treaties that has gone uninvestigated!

There is no doubt there is a political issue with these cases. It is, again, public knowledge, the highest levels of the Bush Administration were directly involved in approving techniques which are defined, by you in sworn testimony before the Senate, to be torture. This means any real investigation into these acts will have massive political consequences. There is no doubt of this. However it is not your job to make that call.

General Holder, you are the chief law enforcement officer of this nation. If you let the clear and strong evidence of both criminal acts and criminal conspiracy go by, uninvestigated is a complete malpractice of your office. It would be one thing if there were not clear, public and consistent evidence of these crimes and conspiracy to commit crimes. There might be some level of justification in having not enough evidence to prevent prosecution and allow for prosecutorial discretion.  You do not have this excuse, sir. You have only a clear cut decision as to whether you will allow heinous war crimes to go unpunished for political reasons.

In making your decision, I ask you if the young man you were, who decided to pursue the law would support your failing to do so because it might be hard or unpopular? I tend to think he would not. Do not let age and cynicism make the decision for you, follow the ideal of the Rule of Law. Do the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may. Please AG Holder, do not tear the blindfold from Lady Justice, it is only in the blind application of the law that justice has any chance of being achieved.

Sincerely,

There is your letter now for some links:

Department of Justice, attention AG Holder – [email protected]

The White House, Attention President Obama

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Majority Leader Harry Reid

Rep John Conyers – Judiciary Committee Chair

Chairman Leahy