Fearing Prosecution, Bush Admin Tries to Change War Crimes Act

[babylonsister]

Coming up on Democracy Now

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/16/148250

The White House recently proposed changes to the War Crimes Act that would narrow the scope of punishable offenses under the Geneva Conventions. The new list would exclude humiliating or degrading treatment of prisoners. We host a debate with attorneys Scott Horton and David Rivkin. Ten years ago the Republican-led Congress approved legislation to make it a felony to violate the Geneva Conventions.

The Bush administration now fears the War Crimes Act of 1996 could be used to prosecute civilians involved in the mistreatment and torture of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo.

The White House recently proposed changes to the War Crimes Act that would narrow the scope of punishable offenses. The new list would exclude humiliating or degrading treatment of prisoners. Military law experts believe the Bush administration is effectively re-writing parts of the Geneva conventions.

According to the New York Times, President Bush wants Congress to make the United States the first country to repudiate the language of the Geneva Conventions.

* Scott Horton, adjunct law professor at Columbia University and the former chair of the Committee on International Human Rights at the City Bar Association in New York.
* David Rivkin, a partner in the Washington office of Baker & Hostetler. He served in the Department of Justice and the White House in the Reagan and George HW Bush Administrations.

[Mnemosyne]

1. Hi Sister! KandR n/t

:hi:

[babylonsister]

3. Hello there, vickiss!

:hi:

[kentuck]

2. Cheney and Rumsfeld are lobbying hard in the background..

I would suppose??

[babylonsister]

4. You know it, kentuck. nt

[babylonsister]

5. Kick! nt

[CottonBear]

6. They're guilty! Guilty, guilty, guilty!

:grr:

[InternalDialogue]

7. Another K&R, prompted by Poll_Blind's encouragement last week.

This action by the administration is one of only many movements I suspect they'll be making over the next several months to couch their activities in an effort to try and dodge prosecution come November and subpoena power by a Dem-controlled congress.

[eallen]

8. Every American should be appalled by this

[tuvor]

9. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

[Senator]

10. Anyone defending the "changes" is a war criminal

Accessory after the fact. Aiding and abetting evasion of prosecution.

This is the "little problem" with the Hamdan ruling. The DC/Euphemedia Analstocracy can chatter on all they like about "what they can do going forward," but this is in willful ignorance of the simple fact that the ruling "convicts" the regime of THREE YEARS worth of war crimes.

Anyone not calling for immediate impeachment and prosecution is complicit.

Even the spineless Dems.

--

[redacted]

11. John Dean discussed this extensively on Monday's Democracy Now

Among other things, said that although he thinks there's little doubt that the Democrats will take over the house and could very well take over the Senate, it is unlikely we'll actually see war crimes prosecutions taking place within the U.S. However, he thinks that the sudden effort to change the law is quite remarkable, as is their ongoing effort to legitimize torture that continues even today.

[earth mom]

12. Must be nice to be able to pass laws to keep your own ass outta jail.

:sarcasm:

The Bastards!

:grr:

[Mr_Spock]

13. I heard about this a week ago on NPR.

It's absolutely stunning the lengths these vile criminals will go to so they can torture in the name of Jesus. Fucking Satan's children :mad:

[Imagevision]

14. Bush, "no prob, I'll just change the law"...

[tbyg52]

18. They *cannot* change the law retroactively!

Well, they can try, but IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!

Article I, Section 9, Clause 3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

Scream it from the rooftops. (Please.... ;) )

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2771769
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2771738
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2447061
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2444575

[AzDar]

15. Typical of these criminals...break a law? No problemo, just change

the law.

[cassiepriam]

16. It's easy. Break the law with impunity. Then change the law so

you aren't guilty. So much fun having sociopaths run the country.

[Cobalt-60]

17. Ink on a page

Their pathetic attempt to insulate themselves from war crimes means nothing.
I'll pay as much heed to it as they did to the Constitution or the Geneva convention.

[cassiepriam]

19. Yep, right is right. Wrong is wrong. No matter what loopholes they make

for themselves.

[focusfan]

20. i guess America has gone to hell

and the repuke congress what a bunch of pussys:evilgrin: 

[bdamomma]

21. just shows us how insane and criminal they all are

all of them would have been long gone if they did this in another country, why are WE putting up with all their criminal acts