Senator Dianne Feinstein never saw a civil liberty she didn't want to destroy. Unfortunately, she is chair of the Senate Intel Committee.
Below the fold is today's email.
Yes I know it's futile. But remaining silent is worse for me than tilting at windmills.
Got a minute and sufficient ire to join me? senator@feinstein.senate.gov
That is all.
Senator Feinstein,
Last year Italy convicted 22 CIA employees and an Air Force Colonel of a 2003 kidnap in Milan. The kidnap victim was sent to Egypt where he was tortured. The convicted criminals all fled Italy to avoid their debt to society, and despite our unequivocal extradition treaty with Italy that offers no exceptions for these heinous criminals, they have not been returned to serve their sentences.
The recent Wikileaks release of US cable traffic reveals that a German citizen whose "crime" was having a name similar to that of a "person of interest" was kidnapped in Germany by the CIA and sent to Afghanistan, where apparently it took two weeks of torture to determine that he was innocent of any terrorist activity. Later the victim of this unimaginable assault was denied his day in court to confront the criminals who ruined his life, and our government pressured other governments to ignore this vicious crime.
These are heinous crimes committed by employees of the Central Intelligence Agency and abetted by the State Department. As Chair of the Senate Intel Committee, you have the most authority of anyone in the government to conduct oversight of these activities, to expose these crimes, and present evidence to the Justice Department for prosecution. Accordingly, I have a few questions about the practice of kidnap and torture by the CIA. As Intel Committee Chair, it would be astonishing if you were not already aware that these crimes have taken place, but in any case you certainly know about them now.
The United States has an obligation under international law to prosecute torturers. Since we know their names, why hasn't this been done?
The United States has an extradition treaty with Italy that requires the convicted CIA agents and Air Force Colonel to be returned for prosecution. Why were they not returned? If they were "just following orders," who issued those orders and under what authority were they issued? As you are probably aware, "just following orders" was not enough of an excuse to keep Nazis from being hanged for similar crimes after World War II.
Kidnap and torture are among the most heinous crimes possible. Since our own cable traffic has identified the kidnappers of the innocent German citizen and identified the sites where he was tortured, why have these criminals escaped prosecution?
We know that CIA agents have routinely kidnapped and tortured people. I would like to know whether you consider kidnap and torture to be legitimate acts on the part of the United States government. If they are, please explain how a lawmaker like yourself rationalizes the violation of federal and international law, as well as the violation of human decency.
If kidnap and torture are NOT legitimate acts on the part of the United States government, why have these heinous criminals gone free? Why hasn't the Intel Committee done anything to protect the world from the depraved criminals operating under the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency?
If there are no repercussions for "official" kidnap and torture, the CIA is no different from the Soviet KGB or Hitler's Gestapo, because no one is safe from these government thugs. What are you and the other members of the Intel Committee doing about these criminals and their well known criminal activities?
(Repack Rider)