BRANDING RITE LAID TO YALE FRATERNITY-Nov.7 A Yale fraternity accused by the student newspaper of burning it's initials with a brand will have it's fate decided Friday by student fraternity leaders.
The fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, could face the temporary closure of it's house and a $1,000 fine resulting alleged violations of rules previously passed by the Inter-fraternity Council, which consists of five fraternity presidents.
The charges against Delta Kappa Epsilon were made last Friday in a Yale Daily News article that charged campus fraternities of carrying on "sadistic and obscene" initiation procedures.
The charge that has caused the most controversy is that Delta Kappa Epsilon applied a small branding iron to the back of it's 40 new members in it's ceremonies two weeks ago. A photograph of a scab in the shape of the Greek letter Delta, approximately an half inch wide, appeared along with the article.
A former president of Delta said the branding is done with a hot coat hanger. But the president, George Bush, a Yale senior, said the resulting wound "is only a cigarette burn."
New York Times Originally published November 8, 1967
WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday described as not credible a study showing 655,000 Iraqis had died in violence since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
"I don't consider it a credible report," Bush said of a study by a team of American and Iraqi public health experts that calculated about 655,000 Iraqis had died as a result of the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion and subsequent violence.
Bush "job approval rating"-je (a választók elégedettsége azzal ahogyan végzi munkáját) lecsökkent 33%-ra. Nixon óta amerikai elnök nem sülyedt ennyire mélyre.
John Stewart usák humorista szerint ennek 2 oka lehet: vagy tényleg rosszul végzi Bush a munkáját, vagy pedig nem tudja pontosan a köznép, hogy pontosan mi Bushnak a munkája.
Bush segít megmagyarázni:
- "My job is to do 2 things: remind people the war on terror and remind people that we can protect them"
- "My job is to protect you"
- "My job is to protect the American people"
- "My job is to protect this country"
- "The president's job is to protect America"
- "My job is to be on the look-out"
- "My job is to stay focused"
- "My job is to look at the World the way it is"
- "My hardest part of the job is to connect Iraq to war on terror"
- "Part of my job is to educate the American people"
- "My job is to lay out what I'm gonna do and talk about what I believe"
- "My job is to go out and explain to people what's on my mind"
- "Part of job of the president is to shake hands to people and smile"
Bush azt is megmagyarázza, hogy mi nem az ő feladata:
- "President's job is not to leave one party"
- "My job is not to be complacient"
- "The president's job is not to take an international poll"
- "The president's job is not to worry about this 'short therm attitudes' "
továbbá Bush ezeket "gondolja":
- "My job is to lead"
- "My job is to achieve things for the American people"
- "My job is to make decisions that I think are right"
- "My job is to do my job"
- "It's my job to worry about it - your job is to go back to your business"
majd elfelejtettem mondani - természetesen a törvény visszamenőlegesen érvényes 1997 November 26-ig, így Bush önmagát is felmentheti a vádak alól.
befigyel az 1984-es effektus is - háborúra hivatkoznak, a terror elleni háborúra, amelyiknél nincs konkrét ellenség, nincs időkorlát, csak a vég nélküli háború...
This in turn means that George W. Bush now has the authority to decide whether he himself is guilty of having tortured anyone. And, of course, the provisions of this Act regarding torture have been conveniently made retroactive and take effect as of November 26, 1997.
...
Unfortunately, this conclusion does not appear to resonate with lawmakers who have supported the Act. For example, according to Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, "We are dealing with the enemy in war, not defendants in our criminal justice system...In time of war it is not practical to apply the same rules of evidence that we apply in civil trials or courts martial for our troops."
However, the war to which this Act applies is not a "war" at all in the conventional sense. The "enemy" is now defined as anyone who is "hostile" to the United States. This is an "enemy" that is not attached to a state government and is not necessarily attached to an organized terrorist group. This "war" knows neither geographical nor temporal boundaries. It is a "war" without end, where "victory" is an empty concept. Empty metaphors have taken over the job of criminal court proceedings and due process, and have instead been misguidedly placed in the hands of a powerful federal government. Ironically, in the ongoing, gradual process of tearing down our internal system of checks and balances, we face a much more ominous and identifiable threat, one that has just, with the passage of this Act, become even more ominous.
további olvasnivaló:
Is your daughter a future detainee? What the media didn't tell you about the new anti-terror bill or Bush's power grab
I have been told a thousand times at least, in the years I have spent reporting on the astonishing and repugnant abuses, lies and failures of the Bush administration, to watch my back. "Be careful," people always tell me. "These people are capable of anything. Stay off small planes, make sure you aren't being followed." A running joke between my mother and me is that she has a "safe room" set up for me in her cabin in the woods, in the event I have to flee because of something I wrote or said.
I always laughed and shook my head whenever I heard this stuff. Extreme paranoia wrapped in the tinfoil of conspiracy, I thought. This is still America, and these Bush fools will soon pass into history, I thought. I am a citizen, and the First Amendment hasn't yet been red-lined, I thought.
Matters are different now.
It seems, perhaps, that the people who warned me were not so paranoid. It seems, perhaps, that I was not paranoid enough. Legislation passed by the Republican House and Senate, legislation now marching up to the Republican White House for signature, has shattered a number of bedrock legal protections for suspects, prisoners, and pretty much anyone else George W. Bush deems to be an enemy.
So much of this legislation is wretched on the surface. Habeas corpus has been suspended for detainees suspected of terrorism or of aiding terrorism, so the Magna Carta-era rule that a person can face his accusers is now gone. Once a suspect has been thrown into prison, he does not have the right to a trial by his peers. Suspects cannot even stand in representation of themselves, another ancient protection, but must accept a military lawyer as their defender.
Illegally-obtained evidence can be used against suspects, whether that illegal evidence was gathered abroad or right here at home. To my way of thinking, this pretty much eradicates our security in persons, houses, papers, and effects, as stated in the Fourth Amendment, against illegal searches and seizures.
Speaking of collecting evidence, the torture of suspects and detainees has been broadly protected by this new legislation. While it tries to delineate what is and is not acceptable treatment of detainees, in the end, it gives George W. Bush the final word on what constitutes torture. US officials who use cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment to extract information from detainees are now shielded from prosecution.
It was two Supreme Court decisions, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, that compelled the creation of this legislation. The Hamdi decision held that a prisoner has the right of habeas corpus, and can challenge his detention before an impartial judge. The Hamdan decision held that the military commissions set up to try detainees violated both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions.
In short, the Supreme Court wiped out virtually every legal argument the Bush administration put forth to defend its extraordinary and dangerous behavior. The passage of this legislation came after a scramble by Republicans to paper over the torture and murder of a number of detainees. As columnist Molly Ivins wrote on Wednesday, "Of the over 700 prisoners sent to Gitmo, only 10 have ever been formally charged with anything. Among other things, this bill is a CYA for torture of the innocent that has already taken place."
It seems almost certain that, at some point, the Supreme Court will hear a case to challenge the legality of this legislation, but even this is questionable. If a detainee is not allowed access to a fair trial or to the evidence against him, how can he bring a legal challenge to a court? The legislation, in anticipation of court challenges like Hamdi and Hamdan, even includes severe restrictions on judicial review over the legislation itself.
The Republicans in Congress have managed, at the behest of Mr. Bush, to draft a bill that all but erases the judicial branch of the government. Time will tell whether this aspect, along with all the others, will withstand legal challenges. If such a challenge comes, it will take time, and meanwhile there is this bill. All of the above is deplorable on its face, indefensible in a nation that prides itself on Constitutional rights, protections and the rule of law.
Underneath all this, however, is where the paranoia sets in.
Underneath all this is the definition of "enemy combatant" that has been established by this legislation. An "enemy combatant" is now no longer just someone captured "during an armed conflict" against our forces. Thanks to this legislation, George W. Bush is now able to designate as an "enemy combatant" anyone who has "purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States."
Consider that language a moment. "Purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States" is in the eye of the beholder, and this administration has proven itself to be astonishingly impatient with criticism of any kind. The broad powers given to Bush by this legislation allow him to capture, indefinitely detain, and refuse a hearing to any American citizen who speaks out against Iraq or any other part of the so-called "War on Terror."
If you write a letter to the editor attacking Bush, you could be deemed as purposefully and materially supporting hostilities against the United States. If you organize or join a public demonstration against Iraq, or against the administration, the same designation could befall you. One dark-comedy aspect of the legislation is that senators or House members who publicly disagree with Bush, criticize him, or organize investigations into his dealings could be placed under the same designation. In effect, Congress just gave Bush the power to lock them up.
By writing this essay, I could be deemed an "enemy combatant." It's that simple, and very soon, it will be the law. I always laughed when people told me to be careful. I'm not laughing anymore.
In case I disappear, remember this. America is an idea, a dream, and that is all. We have borders and armies and citizens and commerce and industry, but all this merely makes us like every other nation on this Earth. What separates us is the idea, the simple idea, that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are our organizing principles. We can think as we please, speak as we please, write as we please, worship as we please, go where we please. We are protected from the kinds of tyranny that inspired our creation as a nation in the first place.
That was the idea. That was the dream. It may all be over now, but once upon a time, it existed. No good idea ever truly dies. The dream was here, and so was I, and so were you.
hipp hipp hurrá - Bushnak sikerült a lehetetlen - Usákia, a demokrácia világítótornya most fényesebben világít mint valaha - a szenátus 65-34 arányban megszavazta a "kínzás törvényt".
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 — The Senate approved a measure on Thursday on the interrogations and trials of terrorism suspects, establishing far-reaching rules to deal with what President Bush has called the most dangerous combatants in a different type of war.
The vote was 65 to 34. It was cast after more than 10 hours of often impassioned debate that touched on the Constitution, the horrors of Sept. 11 and the role of the United States in the world.
az új törvény hatásköre:
US Senate Republicans Pass Legislation Legalizing Torture by Adopting Bush's Program of Detainee Interrogation
The following AP news report does not mention whether the bill differentiates between resistance to foreign occupation, which is legal under international law (and should not be referred to as terrorism), and attacks targeting civilians (which may be described so).
Readers are advised that the use of the word "terrorism" in the following report is inaccurate, as a result.
AP Headline: Senate OKs detainee interrogation bill
By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer
Sep 29, 2006, 6:19 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) --
Republicans succeeded this week in pushing through a key piece of President Bush's anti-terror agenda, passing along party lines legislation that would endorse the military program to detain and interrogate terrorists.
The administration's allies fell short, however, in their efforts to authorize the terrorism surveillance program championed by Bush. That bill would have to be finished after lawmakers return for a lame-duck session following the November elections.
Both chambers this week approved legislation that sets up "military commissions" to prosecute terrorists. It also would prohibit the severe abuse of detainees, like mutilation and rape, but grant the president leeway to decide which other interrogation techniques are permissible.
The Senate's 65-34 vote on Thursday followed a House vote of 253-168 on a nearly identical measure a day earlier. To avoid having to reconcile differences between the two bills, which were described as minor, the House planned to vote Friday on the Senate bill and send that version to the president to sign.
"The Senate sent a strong signal to the terrorists that we will continue using every element of national power to pursue our enemies and to prevent attacks on America," Bush said in a statement Thursday night.
The White House failed to help bridge differences between the Senate and the House on the eavesdropping program. The House, on a 232-191 vote Thursday, approved a bill to grant legal status to the warrantless wiretapping program with new restrictions. The Senate bill was different enough that efforts to reach a compromise on the two measures was unlikely before the elections.
Most Democrats opposed the detainee bill, contending that Republicans were pushing through a sloppy measure to sell voters, but not because it made sense. GOP policies on national security "may have been tough, but they certainly weren't smart," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.
"I'm convinced that future generations will view passage of this bill as a grave error," added Reid, D-Nev.
Added Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., "We are being asked to consider legislation that will determine how our troops and personnel, foreign troops and personnel, as well as innocent bystanders will be treated when captured during conflict."
But Republicans said passage of the bill would withstand court scrutiny and the test of time.
The overall bill would prohibit war crimes and define such atrocities as rape and torture but otherwise would allow the president to interpret the Geneva Conventions, the treaty that sets standards for the treatment of war prisoners.
Under the bill, a terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could be tried by a military commission so long as he was afforded certain rights, such as the ability to confront evidence given to the jury and having access to defense counsel.
Those subject to commission trials would be any person "who has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its co-belligerents." Proponents say this definition would not apply to U.S. citizens.
The bill would eliminate some rights common in military and civilian courts. For example, the commission would be allowed to consider hearsay evidence so long as a judge determined it was reliable. Hearsay is barred from civilian courts.
The legislation also says the president can "interpret the meaning and application" of international standards for prisoner treatment, a provision intended to allow him to authorize aggressive interrogation methods that might otherwise be seen as illegal by international courts (which may consider these methods as torture).
--- The House detainee resolution is H.R. 6166. The Senate bill is S. 3930. The House surveillance bill is H.R. 5825; the Senate bill is S. 3931. --- On the Net: Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov
Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the United States declares its strong solidarity with torture victims across the world. Torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere. We are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.
Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control. Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit. Beating, burning, rape, and electric shock are some of the grisly tools such regimes use to terrorize their own citizens. These despicable crimes cannot be tolerated by a world committed to justice.
Notorious human rights abusers, including, among others, Burma, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Zimbabwe, have long sought to shield their abuses from the eyes of the world by staging elaborate deceptions and denying access to international human rights monitors. Until recently, Saddam Hussein used similar means to hide the crimes of his regime. With Iraq's liberation, the world is only now learning the enormity of the dictator's three decades of victimization of the Iraqi people. Across the country, evidence of Baathist atrocities is mounting, including scores of mass graves containing the remains of thousands of men, women, and children and torture chambers hidden inside palaces and ministries. The most compelling evidence of all lies in the stories told by torture survivors, who are recounting a vast array of sadistic acts perpetrated against the innocent. Their testimony reminds us of their great courage in outlasting one of history's most brutal regimes, and it reminds us that similar cruelties are taking place behind the closed doors of other prison states.
The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy. I further urge governments to join America and others in supporting torture victims' treatment centers, contributing to the UN Fund for the Victims of Torture, and supporting the efforts of non-governmental organizations to end torture and assist its victims.
No people, no matter where they reside, should have to live in fear of their own government. Nowhere should the midnight knock foreshadow a nightmare of state-commissioned crime. The suffering of torture victims must end, and the United States calls on all governments to assume this great mission.
Bush szerette volna meggyőzni az ENSZ-et, hogy ne válasszák be Venezuelát a Biztonsági Tanácsba. Chavez ezt zokon vette. Parádés alakítással eljátszotta, hogy Bush személyében maga az ördög járt a pulpitusnál (keresztet vet, hogy elhessegesse a gonoszt :)) Javasolja a jelenlevőknek, hogy olvassák el Noam Chomsky - Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project) könyvet. A könyv rövidesen felkerül az Amazon bestsellereinek első helyére.
sikerült elfogadtatnia a "terrorista és más törvénytelen ellenséges harcosok" törvénytervezetét az ellenkező szenátorokkal. A terrorizmussal vádolt egyén titkos tárgyaláson titkos vádak ellen védekezhet - ha tud. A kikérdezési technikát nagymértékben javíthatja, hogy ezentúl nem szabad a Genfi Konvencióra hivatkozni az Usák törvényszék előtt.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 — President Bush and three Republican senators said this afternoon that they had reached an agreement on legislation to clarify which interrogation techniques can be used against terror suspects and to establish trial procedures for those in military custody.
...
Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said the agreement had two key points. “Classified information will not be shared with the terrorists” tried before the tribunals, he said. And “the very important program of interrogation continues.”
miközben hetet-havat összehord, hogy miért is kellene legalizálni a kínzásokat és a titkos tárgyalásokat, Freud-ilag is elszólja magát: a 9/11-es merényletekkel kapcsolatosan épületekbe telepített bombákról beszél:
The bill I have proposed will ensure that suspected terrorists will receive full and fair trials, without revealing to them our nation's sensitive intelligence secrets. As soon as Congress acts on this bill, the man our intelligence agencies believe helped orchestrate the 9/11 attacks can face justice.
The bill would also provide clear rules for our personnel involved in detaining and questioning captured terrorists. The information that the Central Intelligence Agency has obtained by questioning men like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has provided valuable information and has helped disrupt terrorist plots, including strikes within the United States.
For example, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed described the design of planned attacks of buildings inside the U.S. and how operatives were directed to carry them out. That is valuable information for those of us who have the responsibility to protect the American people. He told us the operatives had been instructed to ensure that the explosives went off at a high -- a point that was high enough to prevent people trapped above from escaping.
A Kyoto-i egyezményből való kivonulása után szívesen kivonná Usákiát a Genfi konvencióból is - nehogy álmatlan éjszakái legyenek pribékjeinek a kínzások miatt.
The US War Crimes Act of 1996 makes it a felony to commit grave violations of the Geneva Conventions. The Washington Post recently reported that the Bush administration is quietly circulating draft legislation to eliminate crucial parts of the War Crimes Act. Observers on The Hill say the Administration plans to slip it through Congress this fall while there still is a guaranteed Republican majority--perhaps as part of the military appropriations bill, the proposals for Guantánamo tribunals or a new catch-all "anti-terrorism" package.
