Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Spanish Court May Indict Bush Officials
The indictment and prosecution of Bush administration officials is becoming a reality.
"A Spanish court has agreed to consider opening a criminal case against six former Bush administration officials," the Associated Press confirmed.
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff David Addington, Justice Department officials John Yoo and Jay S. Bybee, and Pentagon lawyer William Haynes are under scrutiny for sanctioning torture in violation of the Geneva conventions. Under Spanish law, the courts have jurisdiction to prosecute war criminals and torturers anywhere in the world. A judge has already called on prosecutors to review the charges.
Clearly, millions of people worldwide stand with the mission of IndictBushNow and all those who are fighting for accountability.
First, you go after the smaller fish. Then, the bigger fish are easier to nail!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
1984, 17 Years On
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/13/fmr_military_intelligence_officer_reveals_us
In this broadcast exclusive on Democracy Now!, Army Sgt. Adrienne Kinne (Ret.) reveals that as an Intelligence officer and Arabic language specialist, she was assigned the mission to illegally monitor and intercept cell phone calls of journalists, humanitarian aid organizations and non-governmental organizations including the International Red Cross, Red Crescent and Doctors Without Borders. Ms Kinne also discloses that she was personally ordered to eavesdrop on Americans working for news organizations and NGOs in Iraq. She monitored cell phone transmissions from Iraq and Afghanistan between December of 2001 and August of 2003 while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
This is 1984, folks, 17 years on. It just showed up a little behind Orwell’s schedule.
FYI, United States Signals Intelligence Directive [USSID] 18 prohibits eavesdropping on Americans except in very limited cases when the Attorney General is allowed to grant permission. This little detail – upholding the Constitution and the 4th Amendment right to privacy - was discarded in the wake of the panic and hysteria which followed 9-11.
During an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! (which primarily focused on the shelling of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad in 2003) Ms Kinne revealed that her unit’s mission changed after the September, 2001 attacks. She was given a verbal waiver on the Constitution. She and the other members of her unit were told they could listen to Americans and citizens of allied countries from humanitarian aid organizations, journalists and NGOs. Two reasons for this gross violation of the Constitution were given.
First, they were told that US citizens and allies were ‘eyes on the ground’ and if they stumbled upon the location of WMDs, and if they then pass the location of the WMDs over the phone to others, the military would be able to pass that location of the WMDs directly on to military superiors more expeditiously.
Well, there you go, then. We can’t let a little piece of paper like the Constitution stand in the way of efficient military intelligence gathering, can we?
The second rationale to justify spying on Americans is even more preposterous than the first. Sgt Kinne and her fellow eavesdroppers were told that if an American or ally lost their satellite phone, a terrorist could pick it up and start using it. If that happened, Sgt Kinne’s unit would then have to monitor all the phones to make sure that if such a loss (or theft) took place, they would be able to monitor the terrorists.
Huh!? How many hypotheticals can you pile one on top the other?
So, to recap: during Sgt Kinne’s mission, the justification for spying on Americans was that terrorists might steal or find our cell phones and begin using them for evil-doing.
Please, go to Democracy Now! to hear this interview for yourself. Our republic, our Constitution and our rights as citizens are in gravest danger.
Impeach Bush!
Impeach Cheney!
Impeach Scalia!
Prosecute the war criminals and the defilers of our Constitution.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Greed and the Rumba Line
Perhaps the most important precept to keep in mind is the dictum made by 'Deep Throat' to Woodward and Bernstein - 'Follow the Money'. For it is the adoration of money and the power it buys that has brought us to this condition. I know that is a very simplistic assessment. It is a 'thumbnail'. The 'elevator pitch'.
My intention here has not been to demonize Bush or any of his administration. They are not demons. They are ruthless, greedy men who should be held accountable for their actions the same as any other criminal. For what they have perpetrated are crimes against the Constitution of the United States, the American People and the World. Impeachment is one legal process by which we call an elected governmental servant of the people to accounts. The unelected members of his cabinet should also be indicted and prosecuted by the World Court just as Milosevic and other war criminals have been.
I understand fully that impeachments and indictments will not solve the problems of the world, no more than prosecuting murderers and rapists will end murder or sexual assault. As a country founded on the rule of law, impeachment, indictment and prosecution are the tools that we have allowed ourselves to utilize to keep in check those who would illegally serve themselves to the detriment of the greater good.
I feel as many do: I fear for our country. I fear that we may have lost our constitutional republic except as a formality of hollow rituals and meaningless elections. As Mayer Amschel Rothschild said "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."
That is the heart of the matter. Our nation has devolved into a corporate fascism: corporatism. It's not as heinous as the brand of fascism witnessed in Germany or Italy. It is a kinder, gentler form of fascism that allows its subjects to go about the business of making a comfortable life for themselves but only within certain prescribed parameters by which the rulers, the corporate managers will benefit. Democratic self-rule, government by the people is off the agenda except as a sop to keep the people pacified.
Whether, Johnny Mac, Hillary the Pill or Barack O'Mama gets elected, they will be ham-strung by all of the concessions and deals and compromises they have already made to the corporate managers in exchange for the millions in their campaign war chests.
The War in Iraq was a series of monumental blunders brought about by greed and hubris with horrendous, far-reaching consequences. Anyone who cannot accept that is being willfully blind. It may well bring about the unraveling of the American Empire and the near collapse of the economy. McCain and ‘more of the same’ of the past 8 years is not what I would prefer for the USA. Whether Hillary or Obama can set some things to right is a question I hope both of them will have a chance to answer to our satisfaction.
As black as that vision is, I do have faith. Not in Divine Intervention or the Second Coming. I have faith in the spiritual evolution of humanity. The spirit I refer to is that by which each of us can look beyond our petty desires and see and fell empathy with the great family of Man. Like any faith, it is constantly being tested.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Dub-ya & Wicked Dick
“The voters of Brattleboro, Vermont have voted to seek an indictment of the president and vice president and arrest them if they show up in town. No specific crimes are mentioned, but organisers of the anti-Bush effort have referred to perjury, obstruction of justice and war crimes related to the Iraq conflict.”
"Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution and publish said indictments for consideration by other authorities....
"and shall it be the law of the Town of Brattleboro that the Brattleboro police, pursuant to the above mentioned indictments, arrest and detain George Bush and Richard Cheney in Brattleboro if they are not duly impeached, and prosecuted or extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them?"
Dub-ya and Wicked Dick are wanted men in the Vermont town – wanted for crimes against the US Constitution. With the great number of Iraqi civilians dead and wounded at the cost of untold billions of dollars, it’s time more moral and constitutionally-minded citizens follow Brattleboro’s lead.
Washington, D.C. would be a perfect place for such a measure to be introduced and enacted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/05/georgebush.usa
http://www.rubyan.com/politics/2006/09/bushcheney_escape_war_crimes_p.html
http://www.peoplejudgebush.org/crimes.shtml
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2005/10/war-crimes-act-of-1996-bush-rumsfeld.html
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/impeachment-demands-spread-across-usa
http://www.impeachbush.org/site/PageServer