Bush Administration Seeks Immunity From War Crimes

[HBox]

An obscure law approved by a
Republican-controlled Congress a decade ago has made the Bush
administration nervous that officials and troops involved in handling
detainee matters might be accused of committing war crimes, and
prosecuted at some point in U.S. courts.<p class="textBodyBlack">Senior
officials have responded by drafting legislation that would grant U.S.
personnel involved in the terrorism fight new protections against
prosecution for past violations of the War Crimes Act of 1996. That law
criminalizes violations of the Geneva Conventions governing conduct in
war and threatens the death penalty if U.S.-held detainees die in
custody from abusive treatment.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14067214/" target="_blank">Speaks for itself.</a>&nbsp;</p>

[UnknownPD]

<p>&quot;The military has lived with&quot; the Geneva Conventions provisions &quot;for 50 years and applied them to every conflict, even against irregular forces. <strong>Why are we suddenly afraid now about the vagueness of its terms?&quot; </strong>asked Tom Malinowski, director of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch.</p><p><font size="3">Maybe because we're not used to people flying planes into buildings or blowing up woman and children on a bus.</font></p>

[cupcakelove]

<strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />&quot;The
military has lived with&quot; the Geneva Conventions provisions &quot;for 50
years and applied them to every conflict, even against irregular
forces. <strong>Why are we suddenly afraid now about the vagueness of its terms?&quot; </strong>asked Tom Malinowski, director of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch.<p><font size="3">Maybe because we're not used to people flying planes into buildings or blowing up woman and children on a bus.</font></p><p>So we should lower our standards to their level and commit acts that help these people to justify hating us?&nbsp; We're supposed to be the good guys.&nbsp; We can't expect our soldiers to receive a certain level of treatment if we are refusing to do that our selves.&nbsp; The bottom line is we have rules and laws on how to handle these people, and Bush just wants to make up his own rules and do whatever he wants.&nbsp; I'm sorry but in this country nobody is above the law, even the president.<br /></p>

[abortedfetus]

<p>Put&nbsp;all these fuckers in prison for mistreating detainees.&nbsp; Everyone cries when a Westerner is about to get their head lopped off.&nbsp; It is fucked up, I won't deny that.&nbsp;However, why do we have at least 35 detainees dying in CIA and military custody?&nbsp;One or maybe even two detainees dying is acceptable, if not odd but 35 is outright murder.&nbsp; Just like those&nbsp;douchebags that raped a young girl and killed her family.&nbsp; Just because people are not American or speak&nbsp;English does not make them subhuman.&nbsp; There are people who will back American soldiers and make excuses for them simply because they're&nbsp;American.&nbsp; Why don't we make Iraq take full responsibility for the war and make them pay the Coalition Forces back&nbsp;most of the money they spent fighting the war.&nbsp; I think this will work and have no repercussions.&nbsp; However, there might be. Sept 1, 1939 seems to be ringing a bell.</p>

[UnknownPD]

<p>We can't expect our soldiers to receive a certain level of treatment if we are refusing to do that our selves.</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In case you haven't noticed the level of treament our soldiers have been receiving is torture, beheadings etc... These are people that are happy to die for their cause. Taking anything off the table because of some perceived moral superiority makes no sense. No one says you have to use it, but letting your enemy know where you draw the line places you at a decided d<span style="color: black; font-family: arial">isadvantage.<p>&nbsp;</p></span></font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"> <p>.</p></font>

[mdr55]

What happened Sept. 1, 1939????<br />

[UnknownPD]

What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p>

<span class=post_edited>This message was edited by UnknownPD on 7-28-06 @ 7:02 PM</span>

[FezPaul]

<strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p><p><strong><font face="courier new,courier,monospace" size="2">Because Mojo locked the World War II thread.</font></strong></p>

[patsopinion]

<p>so he illegally took office</p><p>then took criminally invaded <font size="5">2</font> countires</p><p>then orchistrated the illegal collection of information from us citizens</p><p>has not done anything about no less then 3 countires that are currently commiting war crimes/crimes agains humanity</p><p>and is perpetuating a slavery esque policy with illigal immigrants.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Fuck gitmo.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>arrest bush<br />
</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

[reeshy]

<strong>patsopinion</strong> wrote:<br /><p>so he illegally took office</p><p>then took criminally invaded <font size="5">2</font> countires</p><p>then orchistrated the illegal collection of information from us citizens</p><p>has not done anything about no less then 3 countires that are currently commiting war crimes/crimes agains humanity</p><p>and is perpetuating a slavery esque policy with illigal immigrants.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Fuck gitmo.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>arrest bush<br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Do you have any iron-clad proof of any of these allegations???</p>

[cupcakelove]

<strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p> </p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p>

<span class="post_edited">This message was edited by UnknownPD on 7-28-06 @ 7:02 PM</span><p>I believe he was talking about how what happened to Germany after WW I is one of the main reasons someone like Hitler was able to come to power.&nbsp; Things were made so bad in that country, even an evil man like him looked like a good idea.<br /></p>

[FezPaul]

<strong>patsopinion</strong> wrote:<br /><p>so he illegally took office</p><p>then took criminally invaded <font size="5">2</font> countires</p><p>then orchistrated the illegal collection of information from us citizens</p><p>has not done anything about no less then 3 countires that are currently commiting war crimes/crimes agains humanity</p><p>and is perpetuating a slavery esque policy with illigal immigrants.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Fuck gitmo.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>arrest bush<br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><font face="courier new,courier,monospace" size="2">Your logic is as good as your spelling.</font></strong></p>

[torker]

<strong>FezPaul</strong> wrote:<br /><strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p><p><strong><font face="courier new,courier,monospace" size="2">Because Mojo locked the World War II thread.</font></strong></p><p>That,s a funnyie won.&nbsp; Nice.</p><p><img height="166" src="http://www.beckerfilms.com/HitlerLaughs.jpg" width="243" border="0" /></p>

[TheMojoPin]

<strong>FezPaul</strong> wrote:<br /><strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p><p><strong><font face="courier new,courier,monospace" size="2">Because Mojo locked the World War II thread.</font></strong></p><p><img height="177" src="http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f19/TheMojoPin/bdb35fd2.jpg" width="293" border="0" /></p>

[reeshy]

Thanks Mojo....I just pissed my pants!!!!!!

[keithy_19]

Aren't many of the prisoners at these prisons refusing food and other treatment that is needed for a healthy life?

[FUNKMAN]

<p>politics as usual...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the lines are so blurry with politics&nbsp; </p><p>just comparing the situations with the republicans wanting to impeach Clinton for a sex act and Bush entering a war against a country that was not attacking us which can be argued ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and there is no consequences.</p><p>comparing the&nbsp;accountability factors is mind boggling</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>boy i hope that made some kind of sense....</p>

[abortedfetus]

<strong>cupcakelove</strong> wrote:<br /><strong>UnknownPD</strong> wrote:<br />What happened Sept. 1, 1939???? <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gemany invaded Poland. Why it was posted here I have no idea.</p><span class="post_edited">This message was edited by UnknownPD on 7-28-06 @ 7:02 PM</span> <p>I believe he was talking about how what happened to Germany after WW I is one of the main reasons someone like Hitler was able to come to power.&nbsp; Things were made so bad in that country, even an evil man like him looked like a good idea.<br /></p>

[UnknownPD]

<p>&nbsp;</p><p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">My problem with all this is that Bush did none of this on his own. Congress approved the Iraq invasion. <font size="1">(Most democrats going along</font>) Congressional leaders were advised of all the intelligence gathering stuff and went along till it was unpopular. Now they are &quot;what me?&quot; It's all about scoring the next politcal point. I doubt anyone from the White House on&nbsp;down cares much about anything except the&nbsp;elections. Its all a game; we'll ratchet up all this energy and indignation till November then it will just start all over again. It's like watching a soccer game...boring and you can never quite tell when it ends</font></p>

[Yerdaddy]

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/world/africa/23terror.html?ex=1154577600&en=3121e525baf4be3a&ei=5070" target="_blank">U.S. Cuts in Africa Aid Said to Hurt War on Terror</a> <br />By MARK MAZZETTI<br />WASHINGTON, July 22 &mdash; The Bush administration and Congress have slashed millions of dollars of military aid to African nations in recent years, moves that Pentagon officials and senior military commanders say have undermined American efforts to combat terrorist threats in Africa and to counter expanding Chinese influence there.</p><p>Since 2003, Washington has shut down Pentagon programs to train and equip militaries in a handful of African nations because they have declined to sign agreements exempting American troops from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. </p><p>But the policy, which was designed to protect American troops, has instead angered senior military officials, who say the cuts in military aid are shortsighted and have weakened counterterrorism efforts in places where the threat of international terrorism is said to be most acute. </p><p>Some cite this as a case where the unintended consequences of the go-it-alone approach to foreign policy that Washington took after the Sept. 11 attacks affected the larger American efforts to combat terrorism. </p><p>The cuts have also prompted outrage in Latin America, where several nations that have refused to sign the agreements have been cut off from certain military aid programs. </p><p>Last year, the United States cut off $13 million for training and equipping troops in Kenya, where operatives of Al Qaeda killed 224 people when they bombed the American Embassy compound in Nairobi in 1998. </p><p>In 2003, the flow of $309,000 annually was suspended to Mali, where Pentagon officials contend an Algerian separatist group with ties to Al Qaeda &mdash; known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, or G.S.P.C. &mdash; has established a base. Money has also been cut for Tanzania, Niger and several other African nations. </p><p>Citing Kenya as an example, Pentagon officials say it makes little sense to ask for Kenya&rsquo;s support in fighting terrorism while denying it the money it needs for training and equipping troops. </p><p>&ldquo;Kenya is a key partner in our counterterrorism strategy and our goals in Africa,&rsquo;&rsquo; a Pentagon official who works on Africa strategy said. &ldquo;This hurts us, there&rsquo;s no question about it.&rdquo; </p>

[UnknownPD]

<font face="times new roman,times,serif" size="2">We're all gonna die...</font>