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David & Goliath
Author: BobR
Date: 03/05/2008 13:16:24
As we continue our march towards the Bush Administration's total usurpation of power, we get yet another bit of bad news. This may not be getting much play in the MSM, but Bush has gutted the Intelligence Oversight Board:
What does this mean? It means that now any abuses will be reported to one man only, who is uniquely indebted to the president for his job, and who most would prefer to have abuses never see the light of day. Perhaps the next move would be to put the head of Monsanto into the FDA to oversee the industry?
It also seems likely that Bush will veto the bill that makes the CIA abide by the same rules as the military:
These two stories dovetail nicely into each other, don't they? ("nicely" as in a nauseatingly familiar pattern...)
So what do we do? Two small Vermont towns have a suggestion. They both have voted to arrest Bush & Cheney:
If only the rest of America followed suit. If only Congress would let the impeachment bills through.
If only...
On Friday, the White House issued a new executive order effectively gutting the Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB ), “created in 1976 in the wake of widespread abuses by U.S. intelligence agencies.” Under the order, many of the IOB’s investigative powers will now be transfered to DNI Mike McConnell. “Rather than intelligence agencies reporting their activities to the board for review, they will now report them to McConnell,” the AP notes...
What does this mean? It means that now any abuses will be reported to one man only, who is uniquely indebted to the president for his job, and who most would prefer to have abuses never see the light of day. Perhaps the next move would be to put the head of Monsanto into the FDA to oversee the industry?
It also seems likely that Bush will veto the bill that makes the CIA abide by the same rules as the military:
Mr. Bush is planning to veto a law that would require the C.I.A. and all the intelligence services to abide by the restrictions on holding and interrogating prisoners contained in the United States Army Field Manual. Mr. Bush says the Army rules are too restrictive.
What are these burdens? In addition to a blanket prohibition of torture, the manual specifically bans:
- Forcing a prisoner to be naked, perform sexual acts or pose in a sexual manner.
- Placing hoods or sacks over the head of a prisoner, and using duct tape over the eyes.
- Applying beatings, electric shocks, burns or other forms of physical pain.
- Waterboarding.
- Using military working dogs.
- Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.
- Conducting mock executions.
- Depriving a prisoner of necessary food, water or medical care.
Such practices have long been prohibited by American laws and international treaties respected by Republican and Democratic presidents. Mr. Bush, however, declared that he was unbound by the laws of civilization in responding to the barbarism of Sept. 11, 2001. And reports soon surfaced about the abuse of prisoners at detention centers in Afghanistan, the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and secret Central Intelligence Agency prisons.
These two stories dovetail nicely into each other, don't they? ("nicely" as in a nauseatingly familiar pattern...)
So what do we do? Two small Vermont towns have a suggestion. They both have voted to arrest Bush & Cheney:
Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported.
The nonbinding, symbolic measure, passed in Brattleboro and Marlboro in a state known for taking liberal positions on national issues, instructs town police to "extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them."
If only the rest of America followed suit. If only Congress would let the impeachment bills through.
If only...
