Tag: immunity

Sen. Feinstein and the Senate Intelligence Committee are presently conducting a secret investigation of Bush’s torture, rendition and imprisonment program to determine future US torture policies. Given the current climate favoring the investigation and prosecution of Bush officials, a lawyer would have to be crazy to advise clients to “interview” or testify even at a secret probe without immunity or a similar deal.

The problem is that if Feinstein provides immunity to any of the witnesses, then this Feinstein probe may interfere with any subsequent Congressional investigations (Leahy/Whitehouse or Conyers) and prevent prosecutions of wrongdoers because oftentimes immunity is dished out to the big cheese rather than the grunts. While some think of the Attorney General as being the decision maker in charge of who is provided immunity, it is the politicians who decide the fortunate ones entitled to this get-out-of-jail card of Congressional immunity.  

Dearest Dharmanic friends in the Blogosfera,

In 1999 I was traveling in India when Columbine happened.  Everywhere I went, and I went to some pretty remote places, people I met, well at least those who had televisions, wanted to know one thing.  That one thing, loosely translated, is WTF is wrong with the US anyway?  What kind of crazy batshit country produces these kinds of homicidal maniacs?  And why?  I didn’t have a good answer.  If we had a few beers or got to know each other a little, I would might have a chance to begin to try to explain it, but I couldn’t.  And that’s not because I’m inarticulate.  It’s because there is no satisfactory answer.

And now this.  Tuesday I’m traveling to Ireland.  And you know what?  Everywhere I go, and I will go to some pretty rural places, people I meet will want to know one thing.  That one thing, loosely translated, is WTF is wrong with the US anyway?  What kind of crazyland country has black sites, extralegal extraditions, Gitmo, Bagram, waterboarding, torture, Abu Ghraib AND, and this is the important AND, AND announces that nothing should be done about those who tortured or ordered torture or wrote bogus “legal” memos to justify torture?  And what kind of country that does all of that has the chutzpah (that is a revered Irish word) to lecture other countries about human rights? Isn’t that against the law in the US, to torture prisoners?  Isn’t that against International Law, to torture prisoners, and then also to fail or refuse to prosecute the torturers?  Isn’t that what the US prosecuted various Japanese soldiers for about 60 years ago?  Didn’t the US say that the excuse of “just following orders” just wasn’t good enough to keep you from hanging?  Trust me on this.  On Tuesday evening, when I am sitting comfortably in a pub in Dublin, bemused by my good fortune and friendships, slowly working my way out of jet lag and into a reverie about James Joyce and looking greedily at the bottom of a pint, somebody will smile and ask me the question. And, of course, I don’t have a good answer.  How could I? I’m not inarticulate. I will buy a round from time to time.  But for heaven’s sake, WTF am I supposed to say about this?  There really isn’t a satisfactory answer.

Well, Mr. My Friend, I could begin, that’s quite a question you’re asking me.  I’m as enraged and unhappy about this as anyone, well, almost anyone.  I’m not nearly as enraged and unhappy as the people who were tortured or their families, but aside from them.  I haven’t got a f*cking clue why immunity or lack of action this was so prominently announced, and while we’re at it, I have no idea WTF you or I or anybody else can do about it at this point other than raise a ruckus.  Not at all.  And, Mr. My Friend, a first step toward making a ruckus is that you really need to visit the torture petitions and sign them, one and all.  And then, and only after yo do that, let’s have another pint and see what kind of ruckus we can create.

Your pal,

davidseth

cross posted from The Dream Antilles    

Also posted at Planet Orange.

We’ve been hearing from Bush at least since October–Congress must listen to him to keep America safe:

Today the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees are considering a proposed bill that instead of making the Protect America Act permanent would take us backward

He goes on to make sure we know that:

Keeping this authority is critical to keeping America safe

And that those patriotic telecoms were acting in America’s best interest:

And it must grant liability protection to companies who are facing multi-billion-dollar lawsuits only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our nation following the 9/11 attacks.

So what do we find out today?

The project was described in the ATT sales division documents as calling for the construction of a facility to store and retain data gathered by the NSA from its domestic and foreign intelligence operations but was to be in actuality a duplicate ATT Network Operations Center for the use and possession of the NSA that would give the NSA direct, unlimited, unrestricted and unfettered access to all call information and internet and digital traffic on ATT’s long distance network. […]

  The NSA program was initially conceived at least one year prior to 2001 but had been called off; it was reinstated within 11 days of the entry into office of defendant George W. Bush.

http://blog.wired.co…

“IMMUNITY” IS NOT the word that should be being used to highlight and headline stories regarding the case of the telecoms and the FISA bill. “Retroactive immunity” is not even right. These terms put the focus of this story on the telecoms. It belongs on the White House. If the word is going to be used at all, it should be along the lines of “Bush seeking protection for possible White House crimes with immunity request.”?