Breaking: Menendez Will Co-Sponsor Bill Banning Torture, Restoring Habeas Corpus

by: Juan Melli

Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 05:29:38 PM EST

WASHINGTON - TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 12, 2007, U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) will hold a press conference to discuss the Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act which will restore habeus corpus rights, ban torture and uphold the Geneva Conventions. The senators, both members of the Foreign Relations Committee, will discuss the need for these protections in the fight against terrorism.

Update: Lautenberg voted for the Military Commissions Act to give Menendez cover, so I would assume he will also support this bill.

Update 2: It's been pointed out to me that at the time, Menendez issued a statement indicating he would revisit this issue and fix the flawed legislation:

I look forward to returning to the Senate with a Democratic majority to make necessary improvements to this legislation to protect the civil liberties of all Americans.

Update 4: Senators Feingold and Leahy are also co-sponsors. The full title of the bill is: "The Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 -- A Bill to Provide for the Effective Prosecution of Terrorists and to Guarantee Due Process Rights.

Talking Torture

by: City Belt

Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:03:26 AM EST

He talks about the Military Commissions Act (which both of our Senators voted for), how he tracked down the planes used, and what the Democrats can -- and might not -- do to stop the U.S. policy of torture.

"This torture thing, this CIA program, is not something that happens abroad -- it's not distanced from your daily life. The people who make it happen are your neighbors. They are unassuming people who are not necessarily government employees. They provide the cover and provide the infrastructure for the CIA to cruise around the world, kidnap people, throw them in dungeons and torment them."

Ocean Co. Observer covers Carol Gay on torture

by: kwilkinson

Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 12:03:18 AM EDT

Challenger opposes vote on military act

BRICK - Calling it "one of the darkest days in American history," Democrat Carol Gay blasted Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th, for voting for the Military Commissions Act, which she said allows the Bush administration to continue to hold and "torture" detainees charged with no crimes while depriving them ... without legal redress.

"Chris Smith voted to undercut the Geneva Conventions ... the oldest and most widely respected human rights agreement in the world," she charged.

She said Americans will continue to use extensive sleep deprivation, confinement in uncomfortable positions, near drowning, and other techniques called state secrets on detainees.

The law provides immunity for anyone who committed a war crime during the period Bush ordered the detainees held, she added.

Continuing to sanction torture "endangers our military in case they are captured," Gay said.

Smith's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Gay's claims...

- Don Bennett

More BS from Junior

by: DottieG

Sat Sep 30, 2006 at 03:03:01 AM EDT

“I would have voted with Senators Graham, Warner and McCain who believe enemy combatants have appropriate due process under this legislation.  I am pleased the Senate passed the bill.  The version passed by the Senate respects the guidelines of the Geneva Convention, and will help us to defeat terrorism in a manner that protects our soldiers and other heroes while respecting American values and principles.”

What a game those three Senators played--and how smarmy is Junior to try to identify himself with these self-styled "mavericks," all of whom support Dubya's policies.  Junior is looking more and more like Dubya every day--"respecting American values and principles" indeed!  What a crock! 

Sen Reid On Torture Bill

by: Juan Melli

Fri Sep 29, 2006 at 09:45:37 PM EDT

Senator, a lot of folks online and in the blogosphere were hoping for Democrats to filibuster the [torture] bill, but as the final vote showed, there weren't 40 votes against it. What were some of the things that led people to support the bill and do you think they were wrong?" Watch Reid's answer here:

The Man in the Mirror

by: Thurman Hart

Fri Sep 29, 2006 at 06:59:17 PM EDT

If you need to take any kind of blood pressure or heart medication; this is the time to do it.  And that isn't really a joke.

If you want to know why Bob and Frank voted for torture; then take a look at the title of this post.  Then join me below the fold and understand what's going on.

We All Fell For It

by: Juan Melli

Fri Sep 29, 2006 at 03:38:24 PM EDT

On the one hand, he could have voted against the bill, in which case the GOP would have run ads showing Menendez and bin Laden high-fiving each other while sharing margaritas on the beach. On the other, he could have voted for it, and suffered the wrath of a furious base. He made the wrong choice, both policy-wise and politically.

The fact is that no matter what he does, we know that the GOP will call him a traitor, a "cut and runner", a terrorist coddler, and worse (they already have). We should never forget that we face a party so full of hate that they morphed bin Laden's face into that of a veteran who lost three limbs fighting for his country. There is nothing, NOTHING Menendez could do to avoid a similar fate, yet he fell into their trap.

What we're seeing today are the rightful cries of anger and distress over losing something so fundamental to our democracy. That's exactly what Karl Rove was hoping for, and Tom Kean Jr is loving it. It's perfect timing because his campaign all along has been a lie - a clumsily staged production of astroturfing and deception where "Democrats" had supposedly lost faith in Menendez and were turning to Tom Kean Jr. Their story is still a fairy-tale, but the media may now report it as truth and through a revisionist sleight of hand, it will have been true all along.

Everyone has a right to and should be angry, sad and jaded because of this vote. I am. But after the dust settles, I'm not going to give Karl Rove the pleasure of desecrating my country any more than he already has.

A Moral Contrast on Torture

by: Juan Melli

Thu Sep 28, 2006 at 11:50:42 PM EDT

The most recent Newsweek poll asked a question that I think is incredibly biased, but provides a telling contrast anyway. Here's the question:

Do you think the use of torture against suspected terrorists in order to gain important information can often be justified, can sometimes be justified, can rarely be justified, or can never be justified?

The partisan breakdown is striking. Among Republicans, 59% believe that torture is either often or sometimes justified. Among Democrats, 60% believe that torture is rarely or never justified. I've seen the Republican Party repeatedly derided as "the party of torture." While that may sound a little overblown to some, the evidence is impossible to ignore. And in the face of numbers like that, it's hard to imagine John McCain performing well in the 2008 primaries. Just imagine the television ads -- 'John McCain wouldn't even torture Osama bin Laden...'.

Now getting back to my original statement, the question is poorly worded, if not straight up biased. Torture may be used "in order to gain important information," but it probably won't have the desired effect. All evidence says that torture doesn't work. Is that some liberal fringe claim? No. Here's what it says about the use of torture in the Army Field Manual:

The use of force, mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to unpleasant and inhumane treatment of any kind is prohibited by law and is neither authorized nor condoned by the US Government. Experience indicates that the use of force is not necessary to gain the cooperation of sources for interrogation. Therefore, the use of force is a poor technique, as it yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say whatever he thinks the interrogator wants to hear.

Howard Dean's fond of saying that supporting healthcare and public education are moral values and that the Democrats should run on them. While I wholeheartedly agree, we should also be pushing our opposition to torture as one of our moral values. But beyond that, we should keep driving home the point that torture isn't pragmatic. The media and the Republicans love the image of intelligence agents beating information out of a terrorist just in time to stop a terror attack and save the world. But in reality, that's just not the way it works. We've got to do a better job of communicating this reality to voters.

Rob Andrews Joins Republicans in Voting for Torture

by: Juan Melli

Wed Sep 27, 2006 at 10:22:01 PM EDT

But Congressman Rob Andrews joined NJ's Republican Congressional delegation (and all but 7 Republicans in Congress) today in voting for an unconstitutional bill that allows the president to unilaterally reinterpret the Geneva Convention.

By lowering our standards and sanctioning torture, this bill will put our own troops at risk. Just as importantly, the intelligence community agrees that these techniques aren't even effective at intelligence gathering since information gathered through torture is questionable at best. The biggest irony of all is that since this bill will surely be ruled unconstitutional, it might result in overturning or delaying the rightful punishment that terrorists are due.

What Rob Andrews and every Republican Congressman in our state did today is shameful. They have surrendered the moral high ground - or whatever was left of it - in exchange for....well, nothing. The Republicans will still lose in November, and Rob Andrews doesn't even face a challenger. They just look weak. On the other hand, Congressmen Donald Payne, Rush Holt, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman should all be commended for saying no to this cheap election year stunt.

Torture is a Moral Issue

by: koleary

Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 10:53:48 AM EDT

In May, a month that is devoted to the Virgin Mary, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to a crowd at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love just outside Rome. He gave a recitation of the rosary and then spoke of the love of God and of Mary as a sign of that love. Pope Benedict concluded by speaking of the power of love and the current imperative for choosing love over violence in dealing with our enemies “there is a need to convert to God, to God who is Love, so that the world may be freed from war and terrorism”.

Also in May, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Colin Powell speak. He was not most proud of his accomplishments in war, but of his accomplishments in bringing and maintaining peace. He spoke what he believes is the only way to end terrorism. It is, according to a 4-star general, through small acts of kindness that we will end the fear and the hate that feeds terrorism.

If the Pope and a 4-star general can agree to choose diplomacy over bombs and love over violence then why can't we?

In a letter to the Senate in support of the McCain-Warner Ammendment to the Defense Authorization Act Bishop John H. Ricard, speaking on behalf of the USCCB wrote "In a time of terrorism and great fear, out individual and collective obligation to respect basic human dignity and human rights, even of our worst enemies, gains added importance."  At a time when the Pentagon is re-writing the Army field manual to remove language that relates to the Geneva Convention and prohibitions against the use of inhumane treatment of prisoners, and detainees at Guantanamo are committing suicide because they have lost all hope this statement is very poignant.

To view NRCAT's statement against torture go to www.nrcat.org.  Please endorse this statement and tell your legislators that your faith tells you that you must choose love because torture is a moral issue.

New Jersey Congressmen Vote to Continue Training Military of Foreign Despots

by: koleary

Sat Jun 10, 2006 at 12:21:09 PM EDT

Not surprisingly the amendment failed to pass.  However, it did receive a very good showing as it was defeated by a vote of 188 to 218.  Nearly 30 Republicans voted in favor of ending funding for the training academy at Fort Benning.  Mike Ferguson, my congressman was not among them. 

I spoke to Mandy, Ferguson’s foreign relations aide and asked her for the reasoning behind the Congressman’s vote.  She said that the “success stories” of the school weighed heavily in Mr Ferguson’s decision to vote to keep it open.  I asked her to share those successes with me because I had never heard of any.  She took my email address and said she would send them to me.  I have not received an email from Mandy yet, but in her defense our conversation took place at about 4:00 pm on Friday.  The only “success story” that I could find after an extensive search on the Internet was a reference to a drug bust in South America where all of the officers conducted themselves professionally.  Somehow I don’t think this can outweigh mass murder. 

The other Congressmen from New Jersey who voted with Ferguson to keep the School of the Americas open include Frelinghuysen, Garret and Saxton.  I would encourage everyone to either call your Congressman and thank him for voting to end the export of torture techniques to Central and South America or as I did call your Congressman and ask him why he is interested in protecting an institution which has so much innocent blood on it hands.

Click Here to go to the website for School of the Americas Watch for more information on the School of the Americas  and the exploits of its graduates.

Call Your Congressman- Tell him to Vote to Close the School of the Americas

by: koleary

Sun Jun 04, 2006 at 06:41:31 PM EDT

Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.

Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” and massacred, by those trained at the School of Assassins.

Among the SOA's nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo Rodriguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia. Lower-level SOA graduates have participated in human rights abuses that include the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the El Mozote Massacre of 900 civilians.

For more information on the School of the Americas and a detailed account of the exploits of its graduates you can go to www.soaw.org .

Next week the Congress is scheduled to vote on closing the infamous School of the Americas.

PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND URGE HIM TO VOTE YES ON AN AMMENDMENT TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS.

Here is a sample script

"I am resident of (name of town). I am calling Congressman/woman ________ to urge him/her to vote YES on the McGovern amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. This amendment will cut funding for the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC. It will send a powerful message that Americans support human rights throughout the world and we will no longer support the training of the military commanders of foreign dictators.”

To find your Congressman go to www.house.gov and enter your zip code. Don’t worry if you don’t know the plus 4.

If you don’t have time to call during regular business hours, faxes can also be persuasive. Emails are least persuasive but still have value if that is all you have time for

When contacting Mike Ferguson, Frank LoBiondo, Chris Smith, or Bill Pascrell, if you are Catholic be sure to mention it. They are run to some extent or other on the fact that they are Catholic.

Passaic County Jail Charged With Using Abu Ghraib Dog Abuse Techniques on Detainees

by: Juan Melli

Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 04:49:21 PM EDT

Two or three times a week, they said, often around 3 a.m. when the detainees were fast asleep in dormitory cells housing about 50 men, the electronic doors would open and 10 to 20 officers would rush in with four to six unmuzzled, barking dogs on leashes. The dogs, mostly German shepherds, would strain to within inches of the detainees' faces, they said.

"The guards would barely be able to hold the dogs back," said Mr. Turkmen..."The day of judgment would begin for me — that's what it would feel like."

Mr. Sachdeva said that he found himself trembling uncontrollably, and that some detainees started to cry. "The guards who were holding the dogs used to always laugh," he recalled. "There were like four or five dogs, barking, terrorizing, and the officers shouting: 'Get up! Raise your hands! Against the wall!' One time the dog was so close his tongue touched me."

[George Washington University Professor John] Turley, an expert in prison law, said in an interview on Friday that the use of the dogs to frighten detainees in the New Jersey jail underscored "the trickle-down effect" of the disregard for immigrants' civil rights that top government officials showed after 9/11. "It trickled down through military intelligence, through low-level personnel and to sheriffs," he said. "Suddenly people who were predisposed to the use of such harsh measures thought they had license to use them, and 9/11 gave them a great appetite."