Guest Blogged by David Swanson of After Downing Street
Only in America can elected officials go on TV and confess to felonies (including torture and warrantless spying, not to mention aggressive war) and the resulting debate focus around the question of whether investigating the “possibility” of wrong-doing would be too radical. This week a coalition of dozens of human rights groups including the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Society of American Law Teachers released a statement, as drafted by The Robert Jackson Steering Committee, cutting to the chase.
It reads in its entirety:
Our laws, and treaties that under Article VI of our Constitution are the supreme law of the land, require the prosecution of crimes that strong evidence suggests these individuals have committed. Both the former president and the former vice president have confessed to authorizing a torture procedure that is illegal under our law and treaty obligations. The former president has confessed to violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
We see no need for these prosecutions to be extraordinarily lengthy or costly, and no need to wait for the recommendations of a panel or “truth” commission when substantial evidence of the crimes is already in the public domain. We believe the most effective investigation can be conducted by a prosecutor, and we believe such an investigation should begin immediately.
I wrote this statement with some helpful tweaks from colleagues and have been screaming the same basic message for about three years, but I sense more than ever right now that more ears are open to it.
While actually enforcing laws and “getting tough on crime” is now considered the radical leftist position and a “truth” commission the reasonable compromise, it is clear that a bipartisan commission would create the bipartisan bickering our elected officials are so eager to avoid. It would also, in Senator Patrick Leahy’s view, investigate the complicity of Democrats as well as Republicans in the crimes of the past 8 years, thus guaranteeing that neither Democrats nor Republicans will support it.
If Congress can’t take the heat and won’t even enforce its own subpoenas, it should leave well enough alone. Statutes of limitations are running out fast, and we don’t have time for another commission. If President Obama wants to distance himself from enforcing the law, he can do what he is supposed to do and leave the matter in the hands of Eric Holder. And if Attorney General Holder wants distance he can do what is required and appoint a truly independent prosecutor. Doing so would please the following organizations. More are signing on every hour, and both organizations and individuals can sign on at ProsecuteBushCheney.org.
Signatorees, as of 2/25/09, include…
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- The National Lawyers Guild
- Society of American Law Teachers – SALT
- Human Rights USA
- After Downing Street
- American Freedom Campaign
- Ann Wright, retired US Army Reserve Colonel and US diplomat, Voices of Conscience
- ANSWER Coalition
- Backbone Campaign
- Boca Peace Corner
- Brad Friedman, The BRAD BLOG
- Chesapeake Citizens
- Cities for Peace
- Citizens for Accountability, Ventura County
- Citizens For Legitimate Government
- CODE PINK: Women for Peace
- Consumers for Peace
- Daniel Ellsberg, Truth-Telling Project
- David Lindorff, Author of “The Case for Impeachment”
- Defending Dissent Foundation
- Delaware Valley Veterans for America
- Democrats.com
- Frank Dorrel, Publisher, Addicted To War
- Glenn Greenwald
- Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
- Gold Star Families for Peace
- Grandmothers Against the War
- Grassroots America
- High Road for Human Rights Advocacy Project
- Impeach Colorado
- Impeach for Peace
- Indict Bush Now
- Individuals for Justice
- Iraq Veterans Against the War
- Ralph Lopez, author of “Truth in the Age of Bushism,” chairman, Jobs For Afghans
- Justice Through Music
- Marcus Raskin, co-founder of Institute for Policy Studies, member of editorial board of The Nation, member of the special staff of the National Security Council in the Kennedy Administration
- Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored
- Naomi Wolf, author of End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, and Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries
- National Accountability Network
- North County Coalition for Peace and Justice
- Northeast Impeachment Coalition
- Op Ed News
- Partnership for Civil Justice (PCJ)
- Patriotic Response to Renegade Government
- Peace Action
- Peace Team
- People for Peace & Justice/St. Augustine, FL
- Peter McLaren, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
- The Progressive
- Progressive Democrats of America
- PDA/DFA South Jersey
- PDA Rhode Island
- Progressive Democrats of Marin
- The Public Record
- Radio or Not
- Republicans for Impeachment
- Rise Up Tampa Bay
- Save the Bill of Rights
- Smirking Chimp
- Christiane Brown, The Solution Zone
- St. Pete for Peace
- Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC)
- Tulsa Impeachment Committee
- United for Peace and Justice
- Velvet Revolution
- Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
- Veterans for Peace
- Veterans for Peace 27
- Veterans for Peace 099
- Voters Evolt
- Voters for Peace
- War Crimes Times
- War Is Illegal
- WESPAC Foundation
- Wisconsin Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition
- World Can’t Wait
There is no option here. The constitution demands that an investigation be done and criminal charges are filed against these war criminals.
As citizens of the whole world We demand a true accounting, so these mistakes NEVER OCCUR AGAIN. No more blood…just facts.
The only “alternative” is to be an accomplice to what is actually genocide (knowingly bombing a country for no credible reason, that by the way has oil we covet) with a million people dead, and that is from statisticians outside of our government, having concluded that, which means that it’s not twisted into a propagandized advantage. So, we are either “with them or against them.” (Bush gang) And I’m proud to say I’m against them! I’m sure the rest of the knowledgable public is tas well, or you’re a war criminal too. What’s left to consider?