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“The Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendements to the Constitution of the United States prohibit cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.“
With that sentence begins the documentary film “Torturing Democracy“, a documentary to be aired on PBS television stations nationwide on January 21st, 2009, one day after President Bush leaves office.
One day after President Bush leaves office will be the first day of President-Elect Barack Obama’s new administration.
Between today and that day, we have a date with Attorney General-Designate Eric Holder and President-Elect Barack Obama. Everyday.
As netizens reading this at the founding site of the Citizens Petition for a Special Prosecutor to Investigate and Prosecute Bush War Crimes we have a date every day with those two men as we work to generate as many signatures to the petition that we can possibly generate to bring the war criminals in the Bush administration to justice. Principally Mr. Bush himself, Vice President Richard Cheney, and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They were the leaders. The instigators. And the approvers. But there are many others as well, and they all deserve fair trials. it is the very least we can do for them, and for the world.
These crimes are being euphemistically referred to as “abusive interrogation techniques” by such respected figures as Senator John McCain. These are euphemisms for torture. Torture is a War Crime. Waterboarding is a War Crime. The CIA has admitted waterboarding detainees. Recently, Vice President Cheney has brazenly admitted authorizing the program that led to waterboarding, other forms of torture too numerous to list, and ultimately, the deaths by homicide of detainees.
As is often the case, we are because of our insatiable interest, curiosity and determination to be as well informed as we can be, much farther ahead of the millions of people who will see Torturing Democracy on January 21st, 2009.
Before the PBS broadcast the documentary in its entirety can be viewed at TorturingDemocracy.org
The following video is the first eight and a half minutes of the full documentary. Watch the rest at the link above.
“Our needlessly abusive and unlawful practices in the ‘War on Terror’ have diminished our standing in the world community and made us less, rather than more, safe,” Holder told a packed room at the ACS 2008 Convention on Friday evening. “For the sake of our safety and security, and because it is the right thing to do, the next president must move immediately to reclaim America’s standing in the world as a nation that cherishes and protects individual freedom and basic human rights.”
He needs to be held to his word. His President will need to hold him to his word. And we need to hold Mr. Obama to his words.
“Democracy” has been tortured long enough.
It’s time for people like everyone here to be the cause of “Change you can believe in.”
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We started this thing.
We need as many signatures as we can get on this thing.
Well done. I am astonished at what is happening here, and it’s in large part because of the hard work of you, Buhdy, Bob and Sharon, who I believe sparked this project – and OTB of course and lots of folks who are working not so prominently whose names I don’t know.
I believe I am feeling something I haven’t felt in over 8 years — enthusiasm!
Yep. And the media prep you’ve given is important information for us to understand, imo.
to see if I know how to copy the badge.
Your essay has given me around 3 ideas for diaries, but I’m ascaird of the tech stuff, lol. Thus the test.
Author
As of the time of this comment.
… would be effective for those who’ll be watching teevee and hearing this for the first time in January 2009 is hearing about the notion of “fair trial.”
When I first saw that on the badge, it was such a strange feeling, lol.
But when I think about it, how many low level employees are going to get “fair trials,” workers who have no big powerful protection as Bush and his cronies have. Look how they went after Lynne(sp?) Englund and tried to make it seem Abu Ghraib was her idea.
Just throwing out the idea because I think this would be good to write about from many angles, by many bloggers.
the first segment of “Torturing Democracy.”
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Edger.
Author
in orange flavor.
caught up with family and am just checking in. great essay, edger!
… at the Sanctuary.
but why in the hell cannot someone in the freakin lawyer ridden government stand up and say this is wrong, morally wrong, legally wrong id you count the laws of humanity. It is a crime against humanity and our law. Why must it always be ‘Diminished our standing’ or bad PR or ineffective. It’s a fucking crime a major crime against humanity.
Weaseling around the definitions of crimes or human rights and what is or isn’t a crime is so beyond the pale that it makes my hair ignite. We need to restore the law, the laws that are basic to being a human. It is now just a series of weasels by lawyers infected with legalizing and defending the undefendable with definitions obscure and irrelevant. A twisted version of intent. Kill all the lawyers. Revive the Law the real law the one we all know lives in humans dealings with each other the one that keeps having to be reaffirmed over and over and is not in numbered codes or twisted meanings real justice plain and simple.
Great this guy thinks maybe we should look into this. We all know deep in our souls what crimes against the basic laws of humanity are. Why do we have to always have pols who are lawyers to define these truths. Our standing in the world is irrelevant and can only be improved by abiding by the real law.