Pardon Me
Opponent, Pavel ConstantinExcuse me! I feel good tonight, because, uh. . .
well, I've finally got a goal in life, and that's. . .
that's what pleases me, is to be able to have a goal,
and this is why I'm so happy
--SNL, Steve Martin (1978)
Some times are happy, some not happy. . .
But the idea of being able to serve a nation you love is --
has been joyful. In other words,
my spirits have never been down
--George W. Bush (2008)
______________
Recent talk of presidential pardons centers around the actors who brought you the wildly distracting Phony War on Terror (PWOT ©) (Preemptive Pardons.)
The speculation is that Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and their contractors may receive a blanket pardon for committing torture, in violation of the Geneva Conventions (In Defense of Pardons.) The intention is to alleviate their chances of being tried in the U.S. for War Crimes.
CIA/U.S. policy of secret prison sites is probably still operational, but the concept of preventive incarceration is as felonious and ineffectual as preemptive invasions. Both policies are weak-minded and counter-productive, yet We the People countenance these illegalities.
As a follow on to yesterday's Terrorists are People, Too, consider the cases of sad sack detainee Jose Padilla and "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
No Mr. Klar here, just a couple of zhlubs trying to make it on the other side of capitalism. Unlike convicted killer Klar, neither Lindh nor Padilla can be proven to have ever killed an American, yet they both received proportionally heavier sentences than did Klar.
Let us hope that the entire DoJ approach to terror criminals will be reevaluated in this new administration. In this spirit, why not pardon Jose Padilla and John Walker Lindh? Both men should be considered for parole.
Of course, this will never happen. We need poster boys.
And goodies like pardons don't trickle down far into shallow pockets.
The speculation is that Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and their contractors may receive a blanket pardon for committing torture, in violation of the Geneva Conventions (In Defense of Pardons.) The intention is to alleviate their chances of being tried in the U.S. for War Crimes.
CIA/U.S. policy of secret prison sites is probably still operational, but the concept of preventive incarceration is as felonious and ineffectual as preemptive invasions. Both policies are weak-minded and counter-productive, yet We the People countenance these illegalities.
As a follow on to yesterday's Terrorists are People, Too, consider the cases of sad sack detainee Jose Padilla and "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
No Mr. Klar here, just a couple of zhlubs trying to make it on the other side of capitalism. Unlike convicted killer Klar, neither Lindh nor Padilla can be proven to have ever killed an American, yet they both received proportionally heavier sentences than did Klar.
Let us hope that the entire DoJ approach to terror criminals will be reevaluated in this new administration. In this spirit, why not pardon Jose Padilla and John Walker Lindh? Both men should be considered for parole.
Of course, this will never happen. We need poster boys.
And goodies like pardons don't trickle down far into shallow pockets.
Labels: bush pardon of war criminals, criminal culpability in pwot, john walker lindh, jose padilla, phony war on terror, preemptive pardons
posted by rangeragainstwar at 12:41 AM
5 Comments:
Ranger,
Mighty good idea here. Indeed, if we can pardon those responsible for the criminal torturing and unlawful detention, then we should definately put some of thier victims (like Linde and Padilla and Al Marri) on the same pardon sheet.
But, before any pardon for those who committed these crimes gets published, I say lets have a few of the jailers experience life in the jails they built. In particular, those jails they built overseas - with all the accouterments and cattle prods that go along with them!
SP
alas, it looks like there will not only be no prosecutions for the torture regime, it looks like there will not be any repudiation of the "unitary executive" theory which brought most of this about.
the idea that the president, on their own, can order u.s. troops into combat, without a formal declaration from congress has brought us to no good ends.
korea? stalemate which is still going on.
vietnam? please.
the process of committing troops to war as seen by our founders was one that was slow, clumsy and painful to engage. it should always be that.
always.
the original founders thoughts were even against a standing, professional federal army. the first step on the path to war was always supposed to be
finding the money and raising the troops.
wars on credit cards have been a bad idea all throughout history.
MB,
That's it -- the basis of checks-and-balances has been gutted. And the idea of not wildly overextending oneself on credit is the basis for any good accounting system. A nation should be as accountable.
MB,
Since we started this RAW blog my ideas on war have evolved.In the beginning I still believed that some of the US wars were good wars. I no longer believe this.
My question is -why doesn't Congress exercise their power to not fund military folly.If there's no funding then theres no war. jim
SP,
Pardons for L,P and A would be a step in the right direction.I wonder if there'll ever be civil suits from any of the 3 or from Gitmo detainees.This will be a event to watch.. jim
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