One of the many interesting tidbits to come out of President Bush’s brief press conference today following his meeting with German Chancellor Merkel, was a rejection of the German government’s request that the prison at Guantanamo Bay be shut down. According to Chancellor Merkel, she brought the issue up at their closed door meeting. Bush’s response? See for yourself:
“I can understand why she brought it up because there’s some misperceptions about Guantanamo.”
He disputed reports that detainees there have been mistreated.
Bush said the prison camp would remain open “so long as the war on terror goes on, and so long as there’s a threat.”
All rather standard stuff from the Bush disinformation team at the White House. They have long maintained that allegations of abuse at Guantanamo are “absurd,” so it really wasn’t surprising to hear Bush speak of “misperceptions,” and to issue denials of mistreatment. And the idea that Guantanamo will exist as long as the “threat exists” while chilling, isn’t exactly new either.
However, it was another statement he made at the Press conference, also unsurprising, that really caught my eye:
The camp on the U.S. Navy base there is “a necessary part of protecting the American people,” Bush said . . .
I have to ask: Which Americans, Mr. Bush?
Which Americans need to be protected through the use of indefinite detentions of unknown persons without any trial other than before “Potemkin” Military Tribunals” at which the prosecutors outnumber the defense counsel 4:1?
Tribunals which the outnumbered defense lawyers have openly criticized as not permitting basic principles of due process and fundamental fairness, such as the right to confront one’s accuser, have access to evidence against you or even get to choose your own defense counsel.
Tribunals which one Federal District Court has ruled unconstitutional in a case which the Bush administration is desperately trying to prevent the Supreme Court from hearing at all.
A prison where prisoners have been denied the right to file a habeas corpus motion with US Courts challenging their imprisonment.
A prison where tales of abuse and torture of detainees are well documented in the Government’s own interrogation reports, in internal FBI memos and by the few detainees who have been released from Guantanamo.
We know that many of the Guantanamo prisoners have already been determined to be innocent of any Taliban or Al Qaida connections, yet still they are being held. We know that some were as young as 15 years old when they were captured, and some even younger. Apparently, Americans need to be protected from adolescents these days.
Can anyone explain how such actions are protecting Americans? We have violated our fundamental principles of justice, broken treaties and US laws regarding the treatment of prisoners, and even killed innocent people all in the pursuit of security. Our reputation with even our closest allies is mud, and we have engendered such hatred and animosity among the Arab and Muslim world that our children and grandchildren will be at an increased risk of future acts of terrorism for decades.
So I ask again: Who is being protected by this Mr. Bush?
Is it Generals who “take the Fifth” rather than testify before a court martial hearing as to interrogation procedures? Or is it someone higher up the chain of command?
Newly released military documents show U.S. Army investigators closed a probe into allegations an Iraqi detainee had been abused by a shadowy military task force after its members used fake names and asserted that key computer files had been lost.
The documents shed light on Task Force 6-26, a special operations unit, and confirmed the existence of a secret military “Special Access Program” associated with it, ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said on Thursday.
. . . The memo said the investigation should not be reopened. “Hell, even if we reopened it we wouldn’t get anymore information than we already have,” the memo stated.
Singh said previous documents indicated Task Force 6-26 was linked to other instances of detainee abuse in Iraq.
“This document suggests that Task Force 6-26 was part of a larger, clandestine program that we think may have links with high-ranking officials, because obviously someone high up had the authority to put this program in place,” Singh said in a telephone interview.
All I know, is that what’s happening at Guantanamo Bay, and elsewhere in the name of protecting Americans, sure as hell isn’t protecting me. Or you.
I’ll tell you what this is about.
The Germans are returning to their early incarnation as Nazis in Goose step with AmeriKa.
This objection is bullshit… it is political. They needed to appear as if they were objecting for political reasons of something AmeriKan.
The Americans, Germany, England are united in a forth coming unnecessarily provoked war against Iran.
This is all about WAR WITH IRAN.
IT’s absolutely horriffic that Europe was complicit in the torture of Amerikan prisoners.
It’s all over. Man, it’s all over.
Somebody please give me an idea of WTF is going on!
strategy?
and
Also see
The Iranian Threat: The Bomb Or The Euro? By Dr. Elias Akleh
Wheels within wheels. Fuck!
Here’s something to increase the mind-boggling
Caught a bit of that one, but thanks!!
Imagine all of the political leaders in the world in a dark smoky room playing a game of Risk or Stratego. They lie, cheat and steal from each other while making public announcements to mask secret deals. They use dirty tricks to deceive their friends into thinking the attacks are from their enemies…and send us our families back in coffins along with the bills to pay while they keep the profits.
I feel so stupid–none of this really clicked into place until last nite. Like you said, it’s just a game to them. I want to believe that there are going to be some really scared people…But, will all of this really come out? I dunno. That is even more terrifying.
Considering all the ‘professionals’ writing the books that cite each others’ poorly sourced work, even the ones that appear to disagree are on the same side.
Everything we are told about the GWoT from the past 40 years is based on deception, including our present laws.
They all share the common goal of perpetual war and increased police state over the public. Until we can get a few to sincerely try to sort out the intelligence agencies and think tanks the chances for truth to come out are slim.
Hell, some people still consider Ollie North a hero. How do you get through that?
Hell, some people still consider Ollie North a hero. How do you get through that? ]
Damn MSM is such a big part of it! And many papers still have the text of the First Amendment so proudly displayed on the editorial pages.
(emphasis mine)
And it is fucking non-existent by that goddamn Facist/Patriot Act! The public doesn’t hear what is really going on! NO ONE!!!
Shit, we are dependent on foreign newspapers for the real info. And, as I said in earlier (somewhere) what about all of the people who are not computer/internet literate? They depend on MSM for news–and they are starting to not believe a word of it!
And, if you shoot off a critical LTE that somehow manages to get printed, you are a troublemaker and another LTE writer will vilify you a few days later. (Had it happen to me more than once. I can just imagine the ones that weren’t printed.)
Fucking neocon appeals to patriotism!! I hate it! Shit, don’t people remember Vietnam?
I remember one conversation at the local K/E headquarters. This person was involved in the Vietnam protests. Can still hear this person saying, “We got those boys home!!”
And for what? To have the same scenario repeated? To see their friends and family go thru it again?
Shit!
Can you believe this one?
also And this.
And Comcast never gets anything first! Doesn’t being right suck?
every 15 minutes for the last 7 hours or so, with the NEW VIDEO tag on it, this particular #2 Al Qaeda leader appears to be a spotted cow.
Yeah, but what better way to drum up support for all this shit? Fucking brainwashing!!
the basis of 18 dead Pakistanis, even though most of them were somewhat small.
Then Peter Bergen will come on and explain that it has long been the practice of #2 Al Qaeda leaders to travel disguised as spotted cows, not only to escape detection, but to show disrespect for Hindus.
Numbers!! Numbers!! Numbers!!!!!! All just abstract concepts that don’t mean a damn thing when compared to human beings/rights! What really pisses me off is that people buy that crap that the US is in Iraq as some sort of human rights bs to spread democracy! It’s like we were talking about in one of the diaries earlier–human beings. Goddamn it, there are people involved. And all that this admin gives a fuck about is the oil! Like you say in your sig, “One man’s conspiracy is another man’s business plan.” I fucking hate this!
They’ve obviously been playing this game to long.
Peace
.
As I have repeatedly signaled the Europeans are backing away from U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, this can be underlined by the stand of Angela Merkel and other heads of state in the EU.
Today Swiss delegate doing investigation for Council of Europe gets the news headlines:
Swiss senator Dick Marty, carrying out an inquiry into claims the CIA has run illegal secret detention centres in Europe, has said he has no doubt they exist.
Dick Marty accused the US of violating human rights and attacked European nations for their “shocking” passivity in the face of such violations. He is due to give a preliminary report to the Council of Europe on 23 January.
The US has refused to confirm or deny the allegations over secret prisons. It has denied using or condoning torture.
Speaking to journalists in Switzerland, he said he was personally convinced the US had undertaken illegal activities in Europe in transporting and detaining prisoners. However, he acknowledged he had yet to produce concrete proof and said he expected his inquiry to last another 12 months.
“The question is: was the CIA really working in Europe? I believe we can say today, without a doubt, yes.” Washington’s policy “respects neither human rights nor the Geneva Conventions”, Marty said.
He cited as evidence the case of Egyptian cleric and terror suspect Osama Mustafa Hassan, also known as Abu Omar, who was allegedly kidnapped by CIA agents from Milan in 2003 and flown to Egypt for interrogation.
Investigator believes CIA flouted law in Europe
● Council of Europe support for IHRC position
● Dutch Cabinet Affirms Decision to Support the EU/Nato ISAF Operation with 1,300 troops in Uzurgan province, Afghanistan
● A Swiss Leak ¶ CIA Secret Prisons Exposed & EU Investigation
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
But will the Europeans stand up against the US attack on Iran that seems to be coming? Can they?
Found this one.
PLEASE tell me that what I am thinking isn’t going to happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He’s probably pushing the wrong buttons. Would it be his most irresponsible act if he provokes a nuclear or other mass casualty attack that hits Iraq with our troops there?
Bush is right to claim the Guantanamo Prison is a necessary part of protecting the American people.
Since he is truly a psycho-fascist dictator, he would be detaining and torturing Americans if he couldn’t do it to foreign “terror suspects.”
Technically, however, I suppose we can say that it is not the prison itself which is protecting the Americans. The prison is as much a threat to Americans as anyone, as long as it is a tool for Bush to commit human rights abuses and posture as a “tough guy,” the so-called, “War President.” trumpet fanfare No, it is the prisoners in Guantanamo prison who are necessary for protecting the American people. Like Jesus, they are being sacrificed for our sins. If they weren’t there, we would be.
Kept re-reading your post until it sunk in. Now that it has, everything has scared the hell out of me! gwb is fucking insane.
US about Bush’s policies. It merely seems to be a matter of polling points dropping lower and lower. Perhaps there is outrage, but the damn news media covers it over and papers it up with nonsense about how inevitable it is that Scfalito is confirmed. He may be confirmed but there is nothing inevitable about it.
De-leto
Everything is a distraction from what the real objective is. And MSM/RWCM/whatever you want to call those assholes fall for it!
I saw a clip of BUsh on NOW practically hopping up and down, agititated and peevish, claiming that the wiretap authorizations were necessary to protect us and to safeguard our liberties.
Can you imagine!
I wonder which liberties he thinks he’s protecting as he uses them against us? One thing is sure.. i do get the feeling from him that he’s sincere, which if true, is more dangerous than if he were a simple machiavellian type.
He sure is getting increasingly animated and comical-not in a good way comical. Considering the evidence that he’s been an uninformed or misinformed president then we need to look to those around him, especially first term, to understand what he thinks the threat is.
They played him like an easy pick eLotto ticket.
This is the first thought that popped into my head as I read your post: What about those who are no longer w/the admin? Maybe Ashcroft?? Gotta wonder about him?
Thanks to everyone for a great discussion here. I learned a lot from what was brought into it.