I don't write many diaries but I certainly do read loads of them and comment when I think I have something to contibute.
I cannot in good conscience stay silent any longer and felt an inconsolable need to put what I am thinking in writing.
How this whole torture situation is handled will be paramount to America's future.
The U.S. is obligated by a United Nations convention to prosecute Bush administration lawyers who allegedly drafted policies that approved the use of harsh interrogation tactics against terrorism suspects, the U.N.'s top anti-torture envoy said Friday.
More below the fold.
No matter what happens, Congress has got to stay out of this. First of all it is a conflict of interest since there may be some of them that probably knew more than they are letting on to and just as Ollie North got a slap on the hand and now is political contributor on national television, that won't fly this time.
This whole affair must be handled by the DOJ. That is the branch of government that was designated for this kind of criminal activity without bias or politicizing the whole process so that a lot of this stuff does not end up being swept under the rug and forgotten.
Those that played must pay the price for their illegal deeds.
No excuses, those who had the opportunity to ask questions and get to the truth and were in the trust of the public to do so can not set the blame anywhere else except upon themselves.
If Bush and Cheney needed reasons to connect Iraq and Al-Qaeda and they made promises or found dirt on those that helped them commit these atrocities then those people should be punished right along with them.
We had better be prepared to come to terms with the fact that there are more than Republicans who are complicit with this government torturing in our name. We had better be prepared for the political fallout when it is revealed that some democrats may be culpable in this nightmare.
They are all CYA non-stop. I believe this is the opportunity to clean house that has needed doing for years. Let's face it, many representatives are out for their own financial gain and power grab and in more cases than not, their actions have not been on behalf of the American people.
Harry Reid has really got to get himself together on this one. I have never been a fan of his as I think he is as mild as milk toast and has as much character as jello. His pronouncement to "not rush to judgment" regarding Jay Bybee is criminal in itself. Bybee broke the law and impeaching him and putting him on trial is not a rush to judgment, it is the LAW!
It makes me cringe when I think of both Bybee and Yoo teaching young people. That is criminal. That is a disservice to our young. That is not the America I know.
The massive amounts of discussion as to what or what does not constitute torture needs to stop. The point is it is torture and it is illegal.
This whole play on words of enhanced interrogation is simply a cover that has been blown off.
Call it what it is torture. It is illegal. America does not torture and we will prosecute those that allowed it in our name.
We are in the darkest days of this century, but that does not mean that once we clear the decks and get the dead weights off that we will not see the light of day again.
No matter how hard, no matter the pressure, the threats, the innuendos, a true American leader would never let this go by without standing up and pointing out that torture is not what Americans do.
We are a forgiving nation but not when our own empathy is used to slap us in the face and make a mockery of our democracy. There is no forgiveness for that, there are only jails.
It is time we handled criminals of any race, creed, color or income bracket equally. It is time the justice system is not bought or sold to the highest bidder.
It is time for the whole mess in DC to be cleaned up and elect people whom can handle the responsibility of keeping their hands clean and the system transparent and legal.
We are a nation of laws. Let's start acting like one.
These so called "leaders"/"lawyers" did this in our name and this has to end and we have to restore in ourselves and our country what we stand for and what we will not stand for.
This is the opportunity of really making the change that needs making and what I signed on to as a supporter of President Obama.