Talkleft:
The Justice Department today released John Yoo's 2003 torture memo to Congress. This is the infamous memo that the Bush Administration relied on in justifying it's "harsh interrorgation techniques" on prisoners overseas. This was the memo that was in force when the Abu Ghraib detainees were subjected to cruel treatment and torture.
Part One of the memo is here, and Part Two is here (pdf.)
Shorter version: Yoo wrote the Constitution is not in play.
In the March 14, 2003 memo, Yoo says the Constitution was not in play with regard to the interrogations because the Fifth Amendment (which provides for due process of law) and the Eighth Amendment (which prevents the government from employing cruel and usual punishment) does "not extend to alien enemy combatants held abroad.":
The memo goes on to explain that federal criminal statutes regarding assault and other crimes against the body don't apply to authorized military interrogations overseas and that statutes that do apply to the conduct of U.S. officials abroad pertaining to war crimes and torture establish a limited obligation on the part of interrogators to refrain from bodily harm.
The memo also says the Geneva Conventions don't apply al-Qaida and the Taliban.
4 comments:
This will but Bush/Cheney with the likes of Idi Amin, Hitler, Saddam, Mussolini and Stalin. For years to come Foreign Terrorist will use the Bush/Cheney Policy. Now Mr. Yoo only gave his legal opinion he doesn't have the right to pass the law. Only a brainless person would see this is wrong. But then again our President has no brain and the VP is Satan's son. This also shows how the Bush Administration has been lying for years as we see in the video tapes as Bush says American doesn't torture. I look for the students to get Yoo fired from his job.
OMG it just doesn't get any more un-American than that. I wonder how he'd feel being held to those standards of "justice" himself. I say we find out! Why are these people allowed to roam free???
Jackie, I hope those kids don't give him a moment's peace-he's wrecked for them what it means to be an American.
This bird nests at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California - Berkeley.
Brendan over at Brendan calling is trying to light a few fires in his nest.
If you have a few minutes, you might check this out.
http://brendancalling.com/2008/04/02/shaming-and-shunning/
Anon:
Thank you for the link of Brendan's blog site concerning Yoo. It is disturbing that Mr. Yoo would write that memo in favor of Bush to torture childran and violate the Geneva Convention. The only way that University of Berkeley would get the message by parents like Brendan is not to attend that UC school. I heard from a friend who has a son that attends UC Berkeley and the tuition at the school is very high. Certainly the school cannot afford stdents to not attend the school. Brendan may want to reach out to the alumnis for the school to send a message to not donate to the school. A college's heart and soul is donations.
I will post Brendan's letter on the blog along with his website. I hope that he doesn' mind. Thank you for the link. Hope to see you again.
Post a Comment