Italian Court Sentences 23 Americans for Renditions
This is an odd twist of fate. For justice be be served for infractions committed by officials or agents of the U.S. Government it seems as though that justice is obtainable in a foreign court of our allies. Now all we gotta do is see if we can get the Italian authorities to take on the case of Bush vs the world for lying the U.S. and their allies into a war under a false premise. If they gave these agents up to eight years for an illegal rendition they ought to be able to give Bush and Cheney what they deserve.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5A33QB20091104?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews
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I thought it was a joke until I saw it was Reuters.
damn
November 4, 2009 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I did a double take when I saw it. Hasn't been much on the news about it today. This is a big deal though because the Italian courts addressed something our own DOJ or congress have been reluctant to examine. I'm quite sure if an ally of ours did this on our soil all hell would break loose. This has other implications too. Even though none of the 23 persons are in jail, (they were tried in absentia), the EC may come into play in this so they may not be able to perform any duties in EC nations. This is more than a bit of a flap that I'm sure has state rethinking some things.
November 4, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's worse, "rendition" continues under the Obama administration. Yes,foreign nationals are being kidnapped by the CIA, U.S. Special Ops forces and by private contractors and are beubg taken to third countries for "robust" questioning. Regrettably, President Obama is allowing the former Bush administration's policy to continue. Thus, the fall-out will continue to affect us for decades.
November 4, 2009 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Any solid evidence to support your assertion?
In the pursuit of liberty, justice and truth, if you do have any solid evidence supporting your contention I could add it to my Cafe blog post:
See:
Cooked Intel & Torture Abuse: So the 'Stovepipe' Stops Where? Feb 9 2007
~OGD~
November 4, 2009 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd be up for seeing evidence, too. I keep hearing that, but it's always been stand-alone, with no attribution.
November 4, 2009 5:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a drop in the bucket but Oh how I wish the International Courts would hold our country and its leaders accountable for our/their actions. How else will it 'ever' stop if no one is held accountable?
November 4, 2009 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a drop in the bucket but Oh how I wish the International Courts would hold our country and its leaders accountable for our/their actions. How else will it 'ever' stop if no one is held accountable?
November 4, 2009 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is no standard of accountability. Bush / Cheney headed this up and they've been given a pass. The Iraq war was a scam and at this stage everyone knows of the logical impossibility of having reached their conclusion to go to war. The information they had at hand, right from the beginning, was clearly ambiguous and could not have brought them to their decision in a way that conforms with our laws. I've said before that congress understands the very probable consequence this would lead to were an investigation or criminal proceeding pursued. Their fear is understandable. However, just because the consequence is unthinkable and very harmful to the nation it is still less so than the crime committed against the country. This indicates a measure of legal and social inequality, which if let stand, is far more harmful. It is virtually impossible to set this premise without the complete disassembly of our constitutional and legal framework. From this point, nothing going forward can possibly ever work. Our constitution and law has been rendered meaningless.
November 5, 2009 2:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is no standard of accountability. Bush / Cheney headed this up and they've been given a pass. The Iraq war was a scam and at this stage everyone knows of the logical impossibility of having reached their conclusion to go to war. The information they had at hand, right from the beginning, was clearly ambiguous and could not have brought them to their decision in a way that conforms with our laws. I've said before that congress understands the very probable consequence this would lead to were an investigation or criminal proceeding pursued. Their fear is understandable. However, just because the consequence is unthinkable and very harmful to the nation it is still less so than the crime committed against the country. This indicates a measure of legal and social inequality, which if let stand, is far more harmful. It is virtually impossible to set this premise without the complete disassembly of our constitutional and legal framework. From this point, nothing going forward can possibly ever work. Our constitution and law has been rendered meaningless.
November 5, 2009 2:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
What happened synch? Your post was double. I clicked submit once but also got a double post??
November 5, 2009 2:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just to provide a substantiation for what I said we have the financial collapse. Those persons who are supposedly knowledgeable and skilled in economics and know the history of how an economy operates, allowed it to fail. Not only did they allow it to fail but have been rewarded. The notion that you can preside over such a failure without being held accountable is a ridiculous concept. Bush / Cheney set the legal and societal standard in this regard and it will remain in place forever. Thus, we are assured that even extreme failures are an acceptable outcome.
November 5, 2009 3:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer just covered the story with the LA Times journalist who covers international stories. You can probably find it online.
November 4, 2009 9:54 PM | Reply | Permalink