Gonzales is scheduled to speak on Feb. 19 at Washington University in St. Louis, where more demonstrations are expected, according to the student body president.
And here is the op-ed article from the school newspaper:
Staff Editorial
Recently, Student Union and the College Republicans announced plans to bring former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to campus to speak next semester. The speaking engagement, which will cost $35,000 from Student Union funds, includes $30,000 for Gonzales' honorarium.
Many students, including those who disagree with him politically, believe that inviting Gonzales to campus is a unique and valuable opportunity. We agree with this assessment. We should, however, note that our desire to see him speak on campus does not mean that we approve of the policies he helped shape and defend while he worked for the Bush administration.
To be frank, our list of concerns about Gonzales is too long to adequately summarize in one editorial. His role in sanctioning the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program has established dangerous precedents regarding executive power. As White House Counsel, Gonzales also participated in an attempt to get Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to reauthorize President Bush's domestic surveillance program by visiting Ashcroft at his intensive care hospital room. It should be noted that Ashcroft had previously refused to reauthorize the program citing concerns over its constitutionality.
Our gravest concerns, however, involve Gonzales' opinions regarding the treatment of enemy combatants. According to the Washington Post, Gonzales played a key role in preparing an August 2002 memorandum advising that torturing alleged al-Qaeda terrorists in captivity abroad "may be justified."
Gonzales also played a key role in shaping the Bush administration's positions toward the Geneva Convention. In a January 25, 2002 memorandum to President Bush, Gonzales argued, "there are reasonable grounds…to conclude that [the Geneva POW Convention] does not apply…to the conflict with the Taliban." As White House counsel, Gonzales also referred to certain portions of the Geneva Convention as "quaint" and "obsolete." In his capacity as Attorney General, Gonzales also made repeated statements asserting that the Geneva Convention did not apply to military tribunals for enemy combatants, an argument that was later rejected by the Supreme Court in its Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision.
And here is the op-ed article from the school newspaper:
Staff Editorial
Recently, Student Union and the College Republicans announced plans to bring former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to campus to speak next semester. The speaking engagement, which will cost $35,000 from Student Union funds, includes $30,000 for Gonzales' honorarium.
Many students, including those who disagree with him politically, believe that inviting Gonzales to campus is a unique and valuable opportunity. We agree with this assessment. We should, however, note that our desire to see him speak on campus does not mean that we approve of the policies he helped shape and defend while he worked for the Bush administration.
To be frank, our list of concerns about Gonzales is too long to adequately summarize in one editorial. His role in sanctioning the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program has established dangerous precedents regarding executive power. As White House Counsel, Gonzales also participated in an attempt to get Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to reauthorize President Bush's domestic surveillance program by visiting Ashcroft at his intensive care hospital room. It should be noted that Ashcroft had previously refused to reauthorize the program citing concerns over its constitutionality.
Our gravest concerns, however, involve Gonzales' opinions regarding the treatment of enemy combatants. According to the Washington Post, Gonzales played a key role in preparing an August 2002 memorandum advising that torturing alleged al-Qaeda terrorists in captivity abroad "may be justified."
Gonzales also played a key role in shaping the Bush administration's positions toward the Geneva Convention. In a January 25, 2002 memorandum to President Bush, Gonzales argued, "there are reasonable grounds…to conclude that [the Geneva POW Convention] does not apply…to the conflict with the Taliban." As White House counsel, Gonzales also referred to certain portions of the Geneva Convention as "quaint" and "obsolete." In his capacity as Attorney General, Gonzales also made repeated statements asserting that the Geneva Convention did not apply to military tribunals for enemy combatants, an argument that was later rejected by the Supreme Court in its Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision.
1 comment:
Gonzo might wish he hadn't except the offer. Now with smart law students asking questions to an idiot might be more harmful the helpful. Gonzo might say something he wish he didn't as this will be on tape. Gonzo will be charged with crimes and this tape might be the smoking gun to send him to jail.
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