Bush League Justice
Col. Peter Brownback was a retired Army judge who agreed to come down to Guantanamo to hear terrorism cases. He was assigned to a case of Omar Khadr, a 21 year old Canadian.
During a proceeding on May 8, Judge Brownback expressed irritation that military prosecutors had failed to turn over records of Mr. Khadr's incarceration to defense lawyers. He threatened to stop pretrial proceedings if the records were not supplied by May 22. They met that deadline.At the time, Judge Brownback said he had been "badgered and beaten and bruised" by the chief military prosecutor in the case, Maj. Jeffrey D. Groharing, to move the case toward a trial quickly.
Yesterday Col. Brownback was summarily dismissed without explanation, from the case by Maj. Groharing.
At a time when the duplicity of the Bush Administration policy is so evident, this is how we teach the world about the American rule of law?
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Comments (10)
Col. Brownback was dismissed by the Chief Judge, Col. Ralph H. Kohlmann, not by the prosecutor, Maj. Groharing.
May 31, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
But we ARE teaching the world about the American rule of law. Clearly.
Whatever most benefits the state and continues the status quo is what the American legal system represents.
Didn't you get the memo? :)
May 31, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
His dismissal was a Pentagon decision, wasn't it? Anyway, these "trials" epitomize the term kangaroo court.
May 31, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if Brownback will make any statement about the case. He's retired again, so he could do so, at least in theory.
May 31, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Justice under the fascist tyranny of the Bush government is "just us". The unholy gospel according to the fascists in the Bush government dictates that the fascists in the Bush government make the law, are the law, can change the law whenever and where ever it suits their ends, and are themselves above, beyond, outside, and in total disdain of the any law including their own. Further any challenge to the law or the Bush government dictates is automatically dismissed, or slimed as antiamerikan - and any voice challenging or questioning the dictates of the Bush government can according to the unholy gospel of the fascists in the Bush government be at best dismissed, or replaced, or black listed, and at worst labelled an enemy combatant and disappeared to Gitmo or some blackworld torture dungeon.
A reading from the gospel according to the facists in the Bush government - Amen.
May 31, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
What American justice? T
I find this much more troubling - from DemocracyNow:
Who’s Smith?
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/19/clive_stafford_smith
Live Frankly
May 31, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Joanne:
Thank you for this troubling link - and further proof that I was not being facetious above. :(
May 31, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
truly this is a kangaroo court (to go with all the other assaults on our democracy by the Bush thugs). There is not a grain of integrity or credibility in all their acts.
May 31, 2008 9:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is up to us to make sure this terrible nightmare of an administration is just history on January 20th next year. When Reagan took office his first action was to declare that all regulatory actions then in process were canceled. When Obama takes office he needs to issue an equally far reaching order, stopping as much of the illegality and immorality now going on as possible as quickly as possible.
I can't see him doing this, but I believe it is necessary.
June 1, 2008 12:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Frankly, I don't think we'll ever recover from where we are. Political corruption has become an institutionalized element of our government. Even the simplest differentiation of right from wrong is indiscernible for many of our lawmakers. Just listen to CSPAN on any day and you'll hear the ludicrous arguments of our lawmakers. That our president is able to get up in front of the nation and have his lies go unchallenged is incomprehensible. There can be little doubt at this time of the criminal acts of this president. That those acts will remain unaccounted for and in light of the gravity of them we are informed of how seriously corrupt our government has become. The scheme we are witnessing means that anyone can do anything and not be made to answer for what they've done. It is an absolute certainty that the present conduct of our government will undermine our entire society.
June 1, 2008 6:24 AM | Reply | Permalink