A Nation of Laws, Not Men
I'm headed to the Senate floor right now to speak about startling news from today's newspapers:
The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Qaeda operatives in the agency's custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about its secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.
The videotapes showed agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terrorism suspects -- including Abu Zubaydah, the first detainee in C.I.A. custody -- to severe interrogation techniques. The tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks, several officials said.
The news that these CIA tapes were destroyed came the very same week that we learned that as many as ten million White House emails were not preserved, despite a law that requires that they be kept, and at the same time as the president continued to insist that we grant the phone companies immunity for their role in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.
I've already introduced the Torture Prevention and Effective Interrogation Act, legislation that requires the Army Field Manual standards to apply to all government interrogations, not only those conducted by the Department of Defense. Today's news is just another reminder that Congress needs to take action immediately to prevent this administration from continuing to make a mockery of our anti-torture laws.
I'm headed to the floor to demand answers. I hope you will demand them as well.
[UPDATE - KENNEDY STAFF]: Senator Kennedy's prepared remarks can be read here.
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Now we know what George Tenet did to receive the Medal of Freedom.....he "freed" all who would be imprisoned for what they did during his watch and why he left! Shameful!
I wonder if it is a coincidence that the news about the CIA destruction of tapes regarding the torture of Al Qaida prisoners came just after the revelation by the CIA that Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons research program 4 years ago causing the administration to look guilty of warmongering. Could the former be an attack on the CIA for leaking the latter information. This is an example of Bush administration tactics. Of course the destruction of the tapes is a lawless act but I do not believe that the CIA could or would do this without the consent of the administration in the White House. Things do not work that way in Washington these days. Acts of vengeance by the White House are quite commonplace. For example, look what happened to Dan Rather after he dared to reveal the Bush national guard record. What is very curious indeed is why the media did not pick up on this coincidence. Very curious.
Thank you Sen. Kennedy, for providing covering fire. Perhaps we can advance our position.
Media executives are right.
There is no "memory" left in the Senate. It is the sound bite of the second, and nothing more.
Just try to get anybody to connect the dots between the Guamgate (Abramoff, Delay, Bush, Rove) and NSAgate (Gonzales and Bush), and USAgate (Rove, Gonzales and Bush), PlameGate and CIAgate. Obstruction of justice in every case.
Those who refuse to learn their history are condemned to repeat it (old teacher quote). Unfortunately, it is us, and the least fortunate of us, that will have to carry the burden of these mistakes to our graves and beyond for generations. The Constitution is burning, and no one will put out the fire.
Thank you, Sen. Kennedy, for at least saying what many of us feel.
Better would be for the Records Preservation Act to actually have criminal penalties. Five to ten years for each intentionally destroyed document, 1 to 3 years for each document destroyed by incompetence or mismanagement. Maybe a good stiff fine of 50,000$ per instance to boot.
Until then, meaningless violations of a toothless law mean nothing.
Then introduce legislation to refer all of the people involved in the CIA/AbuGhraib tortures to the World Court for trial as war criminals.
There should not be an "inquiry". There should not be any discretion involved. There should be prompt and vigorous prosecutions.
It was a crime in WWII.
It was a crime in 1983 when a Texas sheriff did it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110201170.html
It was a crime when Ferninad Marcos did it.
It was a crime when Bush/Cheney did it.
No one speaks up when the D-CIA refuses to declare it has been torture for over a century.
That must be because it is just harmless fun to neocons.
http://current.com/items/76347282_getting_waterboarded
Invite the wife and kiddies...good CLEAN fun!
Finally, no one has ever been prosecuted "for their role in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens", and no one ever will be.
Yes Mr. Kennedy, We are a nation of law, Illegal immigration is a violation of our laws, that is why I label you and all these that support amnesty and immigration reform traitors, you betray the trust of the American people, our constitution, our sovereignty and the rule of law.
Juan Reynoso
San Antonio, Texas.
If your Interrogations Act is still being drafted, Senator Kennedy, I would like to be able to see the actual complete text, but I could not find the Bill itself yet on your linked Senate homepage.
I would also hope you've considered and will prevent a particular gaping 'loophole'. The word 'detainee' is, for instance, NOT applicable if OUR Government has passed said detainee to another country, an apparently COMMON PRACTICE by this adminstration. He would of course no longer be 'detained' by US, and could not truthfully be called a 'detainee', any longer.
How about this 'shall' in your Law, Senator, that 'detainees' of OUR Government 'SHALL NEVER' be turned over to outside entities or other countries for interrogation, or ANY reason other than legal extradition, thereby abrogating OUR responsibility to ALWAYS uphold an equal 'Rule of Law' for those we would judge.
Of course, that goes to the whole heart of the 'the preznutz believes he has Constitutional Authority to make his own Law and ignore that of Congress as he sees fit'...thing.
~NFJT~
Teddy,
I'd much rather you get up on the floor and demand :
- the return of the monies stolen from us by CEOs of banks investment groups, big oil, big insurance, big healthcare, and the drug companies,
- the start of a national health care initiative (health care for ALL, not just SCHIP),
- reinforcing a national effort to rebuild our infrastructure to support green energy,
- bolstering the middle class with a few initiatives to funnel educational funds toward blue collar communities.
- restraining predatory "free" trade practices that decimate small businesses. They WERE the pride and backbone and the jewels of America.
- getting our boys and girls out of Iraq.
I'm a Democrat out of Mass, and I say to you SENATOR..."STOP IT WITH THE SMOKESCREENS!
What relevance is anything from the mainstream media? When thorough research shows programs like Project Mockingbird, COINTELPRO, and many others, the people cannot rely upon it. Three letter agency interference with the First Amendment representing our one United States government, makes discussion of such events seem so planned. We need deep research on such issues other than as momentary discussion points.
There are no hard hitting questions from the news media, only sorry little self serving leaks. The real stuff happens at Army intelligence and so forth, not alone at the programmed whipping boy the CIA. Nothing is discussed about such an issue, and it takes research. How about being worried about outsourcing this deviation from human normality? Torture for profit sounds like the most base of incentives, bringing out the worst of official humanity. Does Halliburton torture people? Is the Senator looking at Dyncorp and its problems? Apparently those charges disappeared, and a complaining Congresswoman was ushered out of office by questionable election campaign tactics.
I hope Senator Ted Kennedy and others look way more deeply on the subject matter here.
Tell Nancy Pelosi to put Impeachment back on the table.
IMPEACH NOW!!
Senator Kennedy,
No one holds a more outstanding record on civil rights than do you and your late brothers. The Democratic Party continues to bear that responsibility for all Americans, but you must feel a personal obligation that none of us can fully appreciate.
Neither Jack nor Bobby would stand by watching as their Constitution was systematically dismantled. Nor can you, say I, in your heart of hearts.
This administration deserves to be held to answer for its crimes against the People, and the Constitution. Future Presidents need to know that it is a certainty that they, too, will be held accountable for their actions under the law.
Our Founders, in their miraculous foresight, laid out the procedures to right these wrongs. Your obligation is to set aside politics and embrace patriotism and statesmanship to put an end to this criminal administration, even if that process were to last until Inauguration Day in 2009.
I will join you in demanding that the CIA answer for their destruction of the interrogation tapes, which may have depicted the violation of the civil rights of the detainees. Will you join the majority of Americans whose own civil rights have been restricted by these criminals in the White House, and support the impeachment of Bush and Cheney?
Will you lead us in that effort?
But its the bush Crime Family we are talking about. They are allowed to break any law they like, with impunity, and never be accountable. Its a tradition with these guys.
I too have great confidence in you, Senator Kennedy. Even tho' I'm in MN, I make my modest contribution to you campaign fund because we can't afford to lose you.
I'll just say the name: Wellstone.
I agree with all of the comments regarding impeachment, and then the Hague for this administration en toto.
In fact all members of PNAC should at least have a tial to resolve the question of whether plotting world domination is lawful when the plotters illegally come into power, or not.
I would suggest a seige of the WH where no more documentation of their deeds can be "accidently" destroyed. We all know this is a serious cover-up.
Had the House acted as they were elected to and started impeachment at that point, these crimes would not be still ongoing.
For cripes sake! (as my dad- a WWII veteran- would have said)
The "rule of Law" is a Nazi Term. It is meant to intrude and bypass normative reason and discussion of accountability and fairness. The Rule of Law in America is directed at 297,000,000 millions of Americans who in contrast of the ratio of wealth between those many and the 3,000,000 left are in fact poor and subserviant.
Rodriguez has been a spook and thug all his "professional life. He was demoted for questionable closeness if not complicity in drug dealing back in his operations in Latin America. But what CIA hasn't been a drug dealer? He has been brouth in by Hayden and outed as a covert agent after thiry years of cover to take the bullet and ditch the tapes. He loves toture and using other countries to do it in. That was a bonus til the operation caught so much heat! Now he is making his bid for a "medal" and a pocket pardon to go with it, just like Tenet did. Next he goes onto the backdoor taxpayer funded payroll of the State Department, with his already waiting for him, job at a high level and big bucks at Blackwater. Eric Prince, the brainwashed loyal soldier SEAL thinks of himself as a "good guy", while he is actually being a part of the establishment and structuring of World's Gestapo.
Sen Kennedy: you of all people besides the Bush Family know whats really going on, and recieved an education on these influences no less than twice years ago. The fact they could push us this far from Democracy while Congress and Senators continue to both be groomed and loving it, and enriching themselves, or forced to lie in bed with them and do their bidding, is the Supreme Disappointment. How much more either before its too late or before we must act in concert to that of Our forefathers and have to re-start the Establishment of Our Republic, by the people, and for the people in common cause for Freedom and Democracy and with Liberty and Justice For ALL. and not the "Rulers of the Law!
You don't really think the Republicans are going to allow another Dick Nixon style impeachment, do you?
Destruction of the tapes protects GW all the way down to the CIA interrogators.
Senator, I am glad you are going to the floor to demand answers. You should also demand that Sens. Clinton and Obama show up for a few votes, too.
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