Leahy Lays Out Case For Truth Commission In Time

Time:

More than 30 years ago, a special Senate investigation peered into abuses that included spying on the American people by their own government.

The findings by Senator Frank Church's committee, drawn from testimony spanning 800 witnesses and thousands of pages of government documents, revealed how powerful government surveillance tools were misused against the American people.

Read the whole story: Time

Comments

[Nova16]

Truthiness does have its merits according to Colbert but in this instance we are beyond investigating the "truth". The facts are clear and undisbutable in relation to the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush/Cheney debacle. It is now time for the country to recapture its integrity and honor as it relates to the rule of law. The Constitution is not just a "damned scrap of paper".

[brandnewstuff]

Another reason-- Bush Stomps the 4th amendment

GAO reports to Seante Judicary Panel-concluded data mining ops have NO Oversight and reported gossip not fact based info

GAO - DHS breaks privay laws in data collection-- washingtonpost May 16, 2007

[CrisOmg]

That we are having a debate on whether or not it is better to try and learn the truth only shows just how far down the rabbit hole we've gone. I'm certain that, from the beginning, the standing order in the Bush administration was to lie - all the time and about everything.

And it worked. Everything is so convoluded, so utterly baffling, that it's almost impossible to investigate him and his cronies. Where on earth would you begin? The way they manipulated and wrecked our foreign policy? They way they manipulated and wrecked our domestic policy? The way they manipulated and wrecked our economic policy?

Or maybe the way they used our disastrous foreign policy as an excuse to manipulate our economic and domestic policy? Or maybe the way they used our disastrous economic policy to manipulate our domestic and foreign policy? It just goes on and on.

And who's gonna do the investigation? Congress? They were, at best complacent - at worst coconspirators - in everything that happened. The Justice Department? Wrecked like our economy.

[brandnewstuff]

Again I will share this reasoning and That should be a motive based on Hearing and Seante Panels the Perhuries of Former AG Gonzales-
Constitutional Rule of Laws
NPR- archives May 16,2007 Morning Edition By Ari Shapiro
Ex Justice Offical Offical- Spy Chief Threat to resign over Domestic Spying

[jqcitizen]

The Warren Commission sought to find the facts surrounding the assassination of JFK. Some of the findings of that Commission were to remain classified and buried somewhere in the Archives for 75 years. Most of us alive on Nov. 22, 1963 probably won't be when this 75 years passes. I believe this secrecy has done nothing but allow countless conspiracy theories and Hollywood productions to flourish. This 'Search for the Truth' turned out to be a 'Hide the Truth' proceeding.

The Watergate Committee actually accomplished something by sending some ( probably not all) of the crooks to prison.

The Church Committee accomplished something by bringing about the FISA law. Of course that has been ignored since.

The Iran-Contra hearings did nothing to deter criminal acts of the Administrations that followed.

I say put and end to this coddling of our so-called leaders. Try them and if convicted send them off into the sunset. With all the misery the citizens of this country, if not the world, has gone through these past years, I'm pretty sure we can handle the WHOLE truth, even if it means prison for some big time crooks that have pretended to be our protectors.

[Yermammy]

We have proof of the crimes right now.
INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE. NOW, MR. HOLDER.

[vippy]

LOL that sounds fishy to me like the WARREN COMMISSION or the 9/11 Investigation. Just a waste
of money. Proceed the way you should with a real investigation but that will never happen. This is just to keep us happy and dreaming of a better world.

[CAHertzfe]

If this administration does nothing, what does this tell our youth and the young who will very soon be adults and entering society? Think about it. These young people learn in school what is supposed to be the truth and guaranteed rights created by our founding fathers. Then they enter the real world outside of school books and learn it was all a bunch of ideologies that were once put in practice but then dissolved by Democracy? All those futuristic books we used to laugh at telling ourselves that could never happen in out country, has happened and will only get worse if not corrected now!

[behindEnemyLines]

Will this "Truth Commission" investigate the members of congress who covered up for the banks and financial institutions who perpetrated the largest scam in American history, causing the economic collapse?

1). Chris Dodd, Barrack Obama, John Kerry and every other politician that took money from Freddie and Fannie.

2). All congressman and women who blocked efforts for tighter regulations of Freddie and Fannie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs - This video shows those who should be investigated.

3). Barney Franks role in blocking attempts to further investigate Fannie Mae while he was romantically involved with one of the companies executives.

4). Illegal wire taps during the Clinton Administration.

5). The Clintons role in Sandy Berger stealing documents from the national archives.

If your going to set the precedent of investigating pass administrations then you must investigate everyone and everything.

[Yermammy]

Obviously, you were missing from class when they taught "SCALE". This criminal called Bush is guilty of MUCH LARGER crimes than all the other presidents put together. LOL! Buy a friggin' clue.

[scooterdog]

So Time magazine basically thinks we should make a show of investigation and then just make nice? Bull. Crimes were comitted and should be prosecuted. It's not partisan to want the constitution protected - it's patriotic!

[larry278]

Sen Leahey's(sp?) version of a US T&RC is too much like the ill fated Warren Commission to fly. The US Constitution was often violated. W & Co harmed people. The flimsy pretexts W used for his administrations crimes were, themselves, criminal acts. It is far too soon for a blanket amnesty. It's essesential to find out who did what, when & how often. Crimes were committed by W & Co. People died needlessly. These murders & other crimes against humanity merit punishment. It's too soon to speak of or give amnesty to the lot of W & Co. Truth is 1st. To reconciles require the culprits to experience punishment. A chastened person then can speak of how we are to reconcile.

[DWP]

Spend the time investigating what happened with this financial collapse and all these bankers and CEO's who walked away from failing companies with giant sums of money. I hear some of the financial comenators calling for this. Of course, we could have two investigations one into the Bush Administration and one into the financial mess, but maybe we need to get things on more of an even keel before we use time and money for the investigations.

[ESerafina42]

Sen. Leahy, I'm sure you think you have a fine idea and your motives are the best, but one of Keith Olbermann's legal experts (Jonathan Turley, I think), pointed out that truth commissions and the like are used in EMERGING democracies - you know, places that don't have properly functioning judicial systems. There is no reason on God's green earth why this country can't investigate and prosecute these crimes as it would any others, and as we would expect any of our allies to do.

At least let's wait a little and find out how many whistleblowers come forth of their own voliition and what Mr. Holder finds in the pit of corruption and iniquity formerly known as the "Justice" Dept., where there are a lot of good people who have been hunkered down and biding their time until the nightmare was over.

[senseandnonsense]

Prosecution is not about vengeance; it's about applying the facts to the law and letting the cards fall where they may. That's where the AG should go. Find the facts, then do what is right!

[naschkatze]

Not vengeance but justice.

[magibrotherhood]

yes--there MUST be accountabi­lity----ot­herwise we live in a dictatorship

[senseandnonsense]

We can't have two standards: one for the high and mighty and another for the low and powerless. The "low and powerless" vastly outnumber the others and do not understand when they are charged with crimes for small things and are made to pay with their liberty, but the "high and mighty" commit or authorize torture, illegally eavesdrop and start an illegal war and are allowed to escape with impunity. The American people do not get this dichotomy at all. Equal justice under law is the motto over the Supreme Court building. Let's not make a mockery of it.

The Church Commission did a great job in the seventies. For old reading, one should pick up "The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence."