tag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/justin_case//903 2008-04-04T06:24:41Z Movable Type Pro 4.21-en tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.187285 2008-04-04T06:24:41Z 2008-04-04T06:24:41Z

Following the recent revelations about the content of memos created by John Yoo in service of the Bush Administration's torture agenda, I was struck by the fact that none of the real people responsible for this national disgrace have experienced...

Justin Case any consequences for their actions. None. While it's perhaps too much to expect to see Bush, Cheney, or Rumsfeld being prosecuted for war crimes, it may not be too much for us to ask that John Yoo no longer enjoy a sinecure at Berkeley's Boalt School of Law. This may seem a small goal, but a campaign to cost Yoo his job there will be salubrious in that it will continue to shine a light on the torture issue; if successful, it will also begin the process of shaming and discrediting those who have worked so diligently to destroy our nation's good name. Further, this goal is not beyond the reach of a relatively small number of distributed individuals.

Here is a suggestion, as one who has spent enough time in academia to understand that system: If enough people start pestering UCB alumni and donors about the University's support of torture, it will be possible to generate media attention and pressure on the university. In difficult economic times, and with California in another of its regular budget crises, it seems likely that Cal's administration might be particularly sensitive things that might be disruptive to their fund raising efforts.

Further, it's not that hard to find information about who writes checks to Cal and the Boalt Law schools. I suggest the plan should be to have interested people make some pleasant phone calls or emails to these individuals asking whether: 1) they support torture, 2) do they know that Cal hired the architect of Bush's torture policy, and 3) do they feel good about their donations supporting this man's professorship. My guess is that for most Cal alums, the answer to these things would be no. If there's interest in this, it would be no problem to set up a website to track things and keep things organized. A little effort by a few people and it seems feasible to put some real pressure on Berkeley to fire Yoo or to persuade him to resign. Regardless, if we take this on, the torture issue might get more traction in the press and we might even end up with Yoo's scalp.

I recently read an article on the Guardian's website about a small group of people who have been regularly protesting Yoo's presence at Boalt, with no success and no recognition from the Administration. That this tepid protest and non-responsiveness is occurring at Berkeley is deeply saddening. But if they won't draw the line, others must.

This could be fun. Let's go.
]]>