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best chance yet to hold John Yoo accountable

2010-06-13T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Padilla v. Yoo suit represents the first time a court has held a Justice Department attorney potentially responsible for the abuse of prisoners. See Lawyers petition court to hold Yoo accountable.Join professors, scholars and government attorneys in their fight...

Join professors, scholars and government attorneys in their fight against Yoo and Justice Department efforts to dismiss the case:

Monday June 14

meet up outside the courthouse 8:15 am

Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals

95 Seventh Street (at Mission)

San Francisco

"It is the essential role of the judicial branch to prevent the 'war on terror' from becoming the blank check for official torture that Yoo and the United States seek." - constitutional law teachers statement

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!!!Oral arguments on Yoo's appeal set to begin Monday at 9 am!!!

2010-06-11T13:14:00.005-07:00

Chosen to hear the appeal of a lawsuit brought against Yoo by Jose Padilla, who was held for more than three years as an enemy combatant, were Ninth Circuit Judge Pamela Rymer, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, along with Ninth Circuit...Chosen to hear the appeal of a lawsuit brought against Yoo by Jose Padilla, who was held for more than three years as an enemy combatant, were Ninth Circuit Judge Pamela Rymer, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, along with Ninth Circuit Judge Raymond Fisher and Illinois U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, both appointees of President Bill Clinton.

Mon. 14 9:00 a.m. Courtroom 3, 3rd Floor

Before: RYMER, FISHER, CJJ; PALLMEYER (N. Illinois), DJ

09-16478 Padilla v. Yoo <note: to be heard 1st Rights N. Cal

08-15547 DuPree v. Roe Habeas E. Cal

08-16737 Johnson v. Runnels Habeas E. Cal

09-16489 Sullivan v. Wevins Habeas S. Nev

09-15321 Maddox v. County of Sacramento Rights E. Cal

Location of Hearing:

James R. Browning US Courthouse

United States Court of Appeals - 9th Circuit

95 Seventh Street

San Francisco, California 94103

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36th Guantanamo detainee wins his habeas petition

2010-06-11T13:14:00.003-07:00

Cleared for release in 2004, after determination that there was no information to confirm Taliban or al Qaeda ties on his part, Mohammed Mohammed Hassan Odaini continues to be held by the Obama administration, in defiance of this latest court order....

"(U.S.) officials kept a young man from Yemen in detention in Cuba from age eighteen to age twenty-six... They have prevented him from seeing his family and denied him the opportunity to complete his studies and embark on a career." - U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr.

Does Obama Really Know or Care About Who Is at Guantánamo?

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Owning up to Torture: Lawyers provided the setup

2010-06-11T13:14:00.001-07:00

Government lawyers, after all, gave medical personnel the green light for human experimentation. They provided the legal framework and justification. They paved the way for subjecting prisoners to isolation and sleep deprivation, painful stress positions, simulated drowning, cruel exposure to...Government lawyers, after all, gave medical personnel the green light for human experimentation. They provided the legal framework and justification. They paved the way for subjecting prisoners to isolation and sleep deprivation, painful stress positions, simulated drowning, cruel exposure to extreme cold and other forms of abuse.

see Legal profession still lags in response to torture advisers

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good news: Yoo cohort and former dean of Chapman Law fails in bid for CA attorney general

2010-06-10T11:50:00.005-07:00

John Eastman--the former Chapman University law school dean whose most famous education maneuver was bringing his pal and disgraced Bush torture memo author John Yoo to the private Orange institution to pollute future legal minds and defend himself--wanted to dupe voters by...

John Eastman--the former Chapman University law school dean whose most famous education maneuver was bringing his pal and disgraced Bush torture memo author John Yoo to the private Orange institution to pollute future legal minds and defend himself--wanted to dupe voters by being listed as "assistant attorney general" or "special assistant attorney general" in campaign materials and on the June 8 Republican primary ballot. - OC Weekly

"And so while my campaign
for Attorney General ends this morning, the campaign for our agenda does
not. We must restore feudalism federalism, fight unconstitutional pension spikes,
fight illegal immigration, protect marriage, defend small businesses from
excessive regulation and litigation, and; comprehensively, restore the
constitutional limits on government, to bring our state back." - John Eastman

photo by Christopher Victorio

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Bagram's Parwan Detention Facility up and running

2010-06-10T11:50:00.003-07:00

A U.S. soldier talks to reporters at a new detention center at the U.S. Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul in this Nov. 15, 2009 file photo. The United States tried to turn a page on its controversial detention policy today, facilitating the first trial of detainees held in an American detention facility after more than eight years of war--at the new Parwan Detention Facility.

(Jonathon Burch /Reuters)

U.S. may seek [permanent] use of Afghan prison,

first trials of detainees begin

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/06/see-us-may-seek...

John Yoo's "good faith" defense

2010-06-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

"It appears from the data collected in the PHR report [Experiments in Torture, see previous post] that the CIA was using health-care professionals to collect data for two purposes: to try to hone its torture techniques, and to create a "good..."It appears from the data collected in the PHR report [Experiments in Torture, see previous post] that the CIA was using health-care professionals to collect data for two purposes: to try to hone its torture techniques, and to create a "good faith" defense against criminal charges, following the advice of the Justice Department... The PHR report points to the extraordinary steps taken quietly by the Bush Administration to amend the War Crimes Act in 2006, following their sudden realization that government figures faced a real prospect of prosecution for criminal misconduct undertaken on high-level instructions." - Scott Horton

American doctors and psychologists weren't only observing 'enhanced' interrogations. They were using information gathered to create a legal defense for those who authorized torture, say Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith .

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Experiments in Torture

2010-06-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

Blight and Fog pervade the polity...The academy is not disturbed by the torturers among its tenured elites. John Yoo has hardly been challenged at all at Berkeley.Berkeley students, are you blind? Berkeley faculty, are you blind?Bush admits openly to war crimes,Yoo counseled them yet retains...Blight and Fog pervade the polity...

The academy is not disturbed by the torturers among its tenured elites.

John Yoo has hardly been challenged at all at Berkeley.
Berkeley students, are you blind?

Berkeley faculty, are you blind?

Bush admits openly to war crimes,
Yoo counseled them yet retains tenure at BP's Berkeley campus.

Is everyone completely flipping insane? - Anonymous response to The Heart of the Bush Administration's Torture Program

High-value detainees captured during the Bush administration's "war on terror," who were subjected to brutal torture techniques, were part of a Nazi Germany-type program involving illegal human experimentation, the purpose of which was to collect research "data," according to a disturbing new report that calls on President Barack Obama, Congress, and other government agencies to immediately launch inquiries and Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the allegations.

The findings contained in the 27-page report, "Experiments in Torture: Human Subject Research and Evidence of Experimentation in the 'Enhanced' Interrogation Program," is based on extensive research of previously declassified government documents that shows the crucial role medical personnel played in establishing and justifying the legality of the Bush administration's torture program.

For those who have closely followed the details that have surfaced over the years related to the Bush administration's torture program, some of the information contained in the report has already been painstakingly documented by Marcy Wheeler at her blog Emptywheel, and Truthout's own Jeffrey Kaye on his blog Invictus and in articles published on this web site and at Firedoglake.

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June has been designated Torture Awareness Month by the United Nations

2010-06-04T09:23:00.003-07:00

Minneapolis resident Chuck Turchick reminds us that "accountability for torture is about the soul of our country, yet we hear only silence from our leaders"...Some government officials say they support those who push for accountability, but there is a lack...Minneapolis resident Chuck Turchick reminds us that "accountability for torture is about the soul of our country, yet we hear only silence from our leaders"...

Some government officials say they support those who push for accountability, but there is a lack of political will in Washington to deal with the issue. We respond that Minnesota's most courageous leaders have created, not followed, the political will. Hubert Humphrey on civil rights at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Eugene McCarthy on the war in Southeast Asia, and Paul Wellstone on the invasion of Iraq were at their best when they opposed the political will in Washington, not succumbed to it.

Chuck is following the various Torture Awareness Month events sponsored by a coalition of anti-torture and human-rights groups in the Twin Cities. Help get the word out about events in your town; forward info and I'll get it up on this blog.

Break the silence.

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justice heals

2010-06-04T09:23:00.001-07:00

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) today welcomed news that the US Supreme Court has ruled that ex-officials of foreign governments do not have automatic immunity from lawsuits alleging torture. Now, if we could hold U.S. officials to...

Now, if we could hold U.S. officials to the same standard, Talal AL-ZAHRANI, et al v. Donald RUMSFELD, et al would be overturned.

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meet Debra Sweet, national director WorldCantWait.org

2010-06-03T06:19:00.005-07:00

Sunday June 6, 1:30 PMTHE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE57 Post Street (near Montgomery BART)San Francisco A lot has transpired in the last few days in response to Israel's murder of international activists attempting to deliver relief to the besieged people of Gaza. World...Sunday June 6, 1:30 PM
THE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE
57 Post Street (near Montgomery BART)
San Francisco

A lot has transpired in the last few days in response to Israel's murder of international activists attempting to deliver relief to the besieged people of Gaza. World Can't Wait will add a discussion of this latest atrocity to our original program,

"CRIMES, LEAKS & VIDEOTAPES"

We'll be screening the notorious Wikileaks video showing a U.S. air crew murdering Iraqi civilians, along with instructional videos of how to resist military recruiters that prey on youth and immigrants.
Here in the Bay Area, we continue the fight to stop the crimes of our government. Discover how you can participate in the We Are Not Your Soldiers campaign, hold a War Criminals Watch culprit accountable - Fire John Yoo!, and help us develop plans for a city-wide "Berkeley Says No to Torture Week" in the Fall.

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new video: "Guantánamo: A conversation this side of the wire"

2010-06-03T06:19:00.003-07:00

Thanks for the heads-up Andy! I'm looking forward to viewing this.On April 30, 2010, The UC Davis Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas organized an event to mark the fifth anniversary of its excellent Guantánamo Testimonials Project....Thanks for the heads-up Andy! I'm looking forward to viewing this.

On April 30, 2010, The UC Davis Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas organized an event to mark the fifth anniversary of its excellent Guantánamo Testimonials Project. Entitled "Guantánamo: A conversation this side of the wire," the event enabled, for the first time, a discussion to take place, before an American audience, between a former Guantánamo prisoner (the British resident Omar Deghayes, speaking by video-conference from the UK) and a former Guantánamo guard (Terry Holdbrooks, who converted to Islam and is now known as Mustafa Abdullah), and it was therefore enormously significant.

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Remove the fancy distinctions: the government cannot defeat constitutional guarantee by rerouting its planes from Guantánamo to Bagram.

2010-06-03T06:19:00.001-07:00

"Does the public interest in national security allow the U.S. to detain aliens overseas indefinitely?" - Richard A. Epstein Al-Maqaleh v. Gates is the latest chapter in this debate. In late May a panel for the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia--consisting...

"Does the public interest in national security allow the U.S. to detain aliens overseas indefinitely?" - Richard A. Epstein

Al-Maqaleh v. Gates is the latest chapter in this debate. In late May a panel for the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia--consisting of David Sentelle, a Reagan appointee; Harry Edwards, a Carter appointee; and David Tatel, a Clinton appointee--took another wrong turn in the road. Their unanimous decision held that three persons taken captive outside the U.S. and detained for over seven years at the United States' Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan could not challenge the legality of their detention in federal district court...

see A Parody On Habeas Corpus

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meet Debra Sweet, national director WorldCantWait.org

2010-06-03T05:53:00.001-07:00

"CRIMES, LEAKS & VIDEOTAPES"

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new video: "Guantánamo: A conversation this side of the wire"

2010-06-02T02:25:00.003-07:00

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Remove the fancy distinctions: the government cannot defeat constitutional guarantee by rerouting its planes from Guantánamo to Bagram.

2010-06-02T02:25:00.001-07:00

"Does the public interest in national security allow the U.S. to detain aliens overseas indefinitely?" - Richard A. Epstein

see A Parody On Habeas Corpus

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Boalt Hall's purported emphasis on excellence and ethics

2010-05-31T00:55:00.003-07:00

"Gifts to the Boalt Hall Fund are important because they are immediately available to be spent at the dean's discretion." - Campaign for Boalt HallThink before you donate: how much of your $ will go to a defense of Torture?Dean Edley..."Gifts to the Boalt Hall Fund are important because they are immediately available to be spent at the dean's discretion." - Campaign for Boalt Hall

Think before you donate: how much of your $ will go to a defense of Torture?

Dean Edley is credited with funding the rise of Berkeley Law's ranking among the

nation's preeminent law schools. Is promotion of a war criminal an acceptable price?

The Promise of Berkeley, page 18

Many of the school's faculty and students think NOT, and expressed their opposition to

Torture by wearing orange ribbons at the 2010 graduation ceremonies. See video here

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John Yoo on immigration: auction visas to highest bidders

2010-05-31T00:55:00.001-07:00

c/o ricochet:John YooThis all leaves me wondering why the better solution is not to auction off the right to enter the country to work (a voucher system applied to visa's), and then use the proceeds to fund better border control....c/o ricochet:

John Yoo

This all leaves me wondering why the better solution is not to auction off the right to enter the country to work (a voucher system applied to visa's), and then use the proceeds to fund better border control. Visa's are just a way to ration the numbers of people who enter the country, but the way we do it, they are not distributed with any reason. Why not let the market perform this function rather than the government, which I don't trust to make the right allocation (for the same reason, I think education is better funded through vouchers rather than a public monopoly in schools -- same goes for health care too). In fact, those who enter the country legally would have an interest in making sure the border was controlled -- if it is not, then the property value of their visas will drop.

#4 ·
May. 28 at 2:34pm

so much for "the tired, the poor, the huddled masses"

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Boalt Hall's purported emphasis on excellence and ethics

2010-05-31T00:50:00.003-07:00

Think before you donate: how much of your $ will go to a defense of Torture?

Dean Edley is credited with funding the rise of Berkeley Law's ranking among the

nation's preeminent law schools. Is promotion of a war criminal an acceptable price?

The Promise of Berkeley, page 18

Many of the school's faculty and students think NOT, and expressed their opposition to

Torture by wearing orange ribbons at the 2010 graduation ceremonies. See video here

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/05/boalt-halls-pur...

John Yoo on immigration: auction visas to highest bidders

2010-05-31T00:50:00.001-07:00

John Yoo

#4 ·
May. 28 at 2:34pm

so much for "the tired, the poor, the huddled masses"

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Boalt Hall's purported emphasis on excellence and ethics

2010-05-31T00:28:00.001-07:00

Think before you donate: how much of your $ will go to a defense of Torture?

Dean Edley is credited with funding the rise of Berkeley Law's ranking among the

nation's preeminent law schools. Is promotion of a war criminal an acceptable price?

The Promise of Berkeley, page 18

Many of the school's faculty and students think NOT, and expressed their opposition to

Torture by wearing orange ribbons at the 2010 graduation ceremonies. See video here

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/05/boalt-halls-pur...

John Yoo on immigration: auction visas to highest bidders

2010-05-30T00:25:00.001-07:00

John Yoo

#4 ·
May. 28 at 2:34pm

so much for "the tired, the poor, the huddled masses"

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covering up for torture, part 4: Congress

2010-05-25T00:52:00.001-07:00

House Armed Service Committee Votes to Keep Gitmo Open and Investigate Lawyers Who Represent the Men at Gitmo Andy Worthington observes that "it is by no means a tragedy that the plan to replicate some of Guantánamo's most unpalatable innovations on...House Armed Service Committee Votes to Keep Gitmo Open and Investigate Lawyers Who Represent the Men at Gitmo

Andy Worthington observes that "it is by no means a tragedy that the plan to

replicate some of Guantánamo's most unpalatable innovations on American soil

has been prevented."

Threats against detainee lawyers continue.

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re: the urgent need to close Guantanamo

2010-05-23T04:56:00.001-07:00

LA Times asks so, Mr. President, how's THAT promise coming along?Mark Wilson/Getty Imagesthere's no new promised date for its closure because Obama folks have learned that when you promise something, words have meaning and consequences and some silly people actually...

LA Times asks so, Mr. President, how's THAT promise coming along?

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

there's no new promised date for its closure because Obama folks have learned that when you promise something, words have meaning and consequences and some silly people actually expect you to keep your word. i.e. End Don't Ask-Don't Tell, go through the budget line-by-line, double the Peace Corps, allow five days of public comment before signing legislation, negotiate healthcare bills on C-SPAN, support a crewed moon mission by 2020, give an annual State of the World address to Americans on national security, end no-bid contracts above $25,000, double funding for after-school programs, reduce legislative earmarks to 1994 levels, recognize the Armenian genocide, create a public option health plan for a new National Insurance Exchange.

And some other stuff over here.

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No Habeas at Bagram

2010-05-22T07:37:00.003-07:00

It ''ratifies a dangerous principle: that the U.S. government has unchecked power to capture people anywhere in the world, unilaterally declare them enemy combatants, and subject them to indefinite military detention with no judicial review,'' said Melissa Goodman, staff attorney...It ''ratifies a dangerous principle: that the U.S. government has unchecked power to capture people anywhere in the world, unilaterally declare them enemy combatants, and subject them to indefinite military detention with no judicial review,'' said Melissa Goodman, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project.

see Judges Rule Against Detainees at Afghan Base

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assign whatever acronyms you please, JSOC, DCHC, CIFA... these programs all spell T O R T U R E

2010-05-22T07:37:00.001-07:00

and the American Psychological Association has been there all along see The "Black Jail": Obama's Afghan Torture Center and the APA...and the American Psychological Association has been there all along

see The "Black Jail": Obama's Afghan Torture Center and the APA

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Is Christopher Edley "better than you?"

2010-05-17T14:15:00.001-07:00

"I write this just hours after our law school graduation ceremony. Elite? You bet... - dean EdleyThe Daily Howler's Bob Somersby responded to the dean's opinion piece in the Washington Post yesterday, Why elites do belong on the Supreme Court.Another commentator observed:the..."I write this just hours after our law school graduation ceremony. Elite? You bet... - dean Edley

The Daily Howler's Bob Somersby responded to the dean's opinion piece in the Washington Post yesterday, Why elites do belong on the Supreme Court.

Another commentator observed:

the more I read the harder it is to discover in just what way they are smarter. They speak more languages, they read more books. But when it comes down to it they do stupid things...

like finding excuses to accommodate torture advocacy in school?

When offered an orange ribbon on Friday (to declare "No Torture in my name"), Dean Edley reportedly answered "I don't need that." Apparently he doesn't "need" to listen to the faculty and students following him who were wearing ribbons either, or to answer their letters calling for investigation of his friend John Yoo.

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35th Guantanamo detainee wins his habeas petition*

2010-05-14T22:58:00.001-07:00

At left is Ravil Mingazov in an undated photo taken before his 2002 capture in Pakistan. At right is U.S. District Court Judge Henry Kennedy Jr. who on Thurdsay May 13, 2010 ordered his release from the prison camps at...

Photo c/o Miami Herald

A federal court on Thursday ordered the Pentagon to set free from Guantanamo a former Russian army ballet dancer turned devout Muslim whose plight captured the imagination of a Massachusetts college town [Amherst, one of two Pioneer Valley towns to offer resettlement]...

Thursday's midday ruling raised to 35 the number of Guantanamo detention cases the U.S. government has lost since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled two years ago that the war-on-terror captives can sue for their freedom in federal courts.

see Judge orders former Russian dancer's

release from Guantánamo

* Author and journalist Andy Worthington maintains an interactive list of all 47 habeas cases here

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UC Berkeley Law anti-torture Graduation protest poster against UC complicity in war crimes

2010-05-13T03:16:00.005-07:00

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accommodating Torture: Solicitation Number W5J9JE-10-R-0078

2010-05-13T03:16:00.003-07:00

PHOTO: U.S. Department of DefenseThe U.S. military is getting set to expand its controversial detention camp at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan -- just as new reports of a "black jail" inside the facility are surfacing...see Military Expands 'Obama's Gitmo' in Afghanistan...

PHOTO: U.S. Department of Defense

The U.S. military is getting set to expand its controversial detention camp at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan -- just as new reports of a "black jail" inside the facility are surfacing...

see Military Expands 'Obama's Gitmo' in Afghanistan

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help Ahmed Abu Ali: a student's plea

2010-05-13T03:16:00.001-07:00

Ahmed is not in a foreign prison, nor is he in Guantánamo; he is in a super maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado... a victim of "Special Administrative Measures"."President Obama promised to close down Guantánamo; let us demand that he...

Ahmed is not in a foreign prison, nor is he in Guantánamo; he is in a super maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado... a victim of "Special Administrative Measures".

"President Obama promised to close down Guantánamo; let us demand that he closes down the Guantánamo-style prisons on U.S. soil, too. Anyone with a true understanding of American values ought to demand an immediate end to these cruel and unwarranted punishments." - Mariam Abu-Ali

see My Brother Faces a Lifetime of Solitary Confinement on a Spurious Terror

Conviction

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Reserve your Orange Jumpsuits

2010-05-08T19:22:00.001-07:00

Friday's demonstration at the Boalt Hall Graduation ceremony will include a tableau of Guantanamo prisoners outside the Greek Theater. We will provide jumpsuits for all who want to participate; call 415 864 5153 to sign up in advance.We are also looking for...Friday's demonstration at the Boalt Hall Graduation ceremony will include a tableau of Guantanamo prisoners outside the Greek Theater. We will provide jumpsuits for all who want to participate; call 415 864 5153 to sign up in advance.

We are also looking for volunteers to carry "super-pickets", flyer literature, and hand out ribbons. Activists will start meeting up at 7:30am; look for organizers in orange armbands. Gates open at 8:00, processional starts 8:30.

Help make this the last year that War Criminal John Yoo sits on the faculty at Cal!

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Why Do We Go On and On about John Yoo?

2010-05-07T03:44:00.001-07:00

On April 29th a reader of this blog requested that we not protest at this year's Berkeley Law School graduation ceremony; see letter by Boalt Grad.We had heard similar arguments before, and decided to open up a discussion of why people...On April 29th a reader of this blog requested that we not protest at this year's Berkeley Law School graduation ceremony; see letter by Boalt Grad.

We had heard similar arguments before, and decided to open up a discussion of why people should (or shouldn't) use this occasion to speak out against the university's employment of Torture advocate John Yoo.

Please submit your comments and we'll post them here. Some early responses:

xxxxxx: If you want to do public interest law, what could be more public
interest than protesting people in power who have been responsible for
sullying the public interest by advocating torture? What public interests
are there that are greater than this matter? Disagreeing with people who
commit atrocities isn't enough to end those atrocities. Such egregious and
monstrous behavior requires that people act in visible and significant ways
against those who have been responsible for those horrid acts. They cannot
be stopped otherwise. Voting, for example, for Obama who promised to end
torture, has not ended torture. Moreover, voting for Obama has not led to
prosecutions of the war criminals in the Bush regime such as John Yoo.
History has shown that only by breaching the norms of the ordinary workings
and activities, including ceremonies, of the system, such as the black
students who defied Jim Crow laws to sit at lunch counters and in the front
of the buses, college students who occupied buildings and shut classes down
in student led strikes to end the war on Vietnam, can terrible policies be
ended and public pressure be brought to bear on those who would otherwise
continue and co-operate with those terrible policies. - Dr Dennis Loo

Think of the "protest" as an opportunity for discussion with your
family and friends who may not be aware of this issue.	Think of it as
opportunity to defend your own position, to use your new lawyerly
skills to defend your position regarding Yoo. Consider the
righteousness of this cause and the courage of those who have committed
their beliefs to making Boalt a more just and legal place.  Why come to
Berkley if not for this very reason.  The only thing I can think of
that would be more effective on May 14th would be for you to wear an
orange cap and gown.  Then you too would be courageous. - Mike K

Dear _______:
Thank you for writing to express your opinion of our planned protest on May 14^th. 
I find it interesting that you hope to work in public interest law, yet are asking that a protest that is clearly in support of the public interest be suspended so that you can "enjoy" your graduation. 
You say the graduation is not about Yoo, but the students.  I would say to you, that the protest is not about you or your graduation, it's about torture, and holding those responsible for it to account.  You should be far more disturbed by the fact that such a criminal element is teaching at your school, and being cloistered from the public eye as if he is above reproach, than the fact that there is going to be a protest about that same criminal element.  That kind of behavior from your school goes directly against the interests of the public and I am disheartened that you would not feel gladdened by our protest, since it actually goes to upholding the principles of the school that drew you there in the first place. 
The reality of your life at that school is that your school is being called out for its behavior and is being asked directly if that is their idea of justice.  Since you stated that you desire is to increase your access to justice, one would think you'd embrace that reality, not run from it, and be proud that a protest is occurring during your graduation because it shows you that the school you chose for its "wonderful traditional of supporting public interest law" is practicing what it preaches.  I would then ask you, is it practicing what it preaches?  Or is it having innocent protesters arrested for exercising their legal rights?  Is it practicing what it preaches, or is it harboring and protecting a criminal?  Can you really increase your access to justice if you're simultaneously acting to remove, limit or withhold that access to justice from the protesters and the public at large?  
It worries me that someone who has the interests that you claim to have, would put his own fleeting moment of "graduation pride" before the health of our entire community and country.
- Mallory

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Johnston County confronts Torture

2010-05-06T07:29:00.003-07:00

an afterword to Duke University conference In Johnston County, interactions over torture have often been adversarial - understandable when so much is at stake. But at the recent conference, it became apparent to us that while North Carolina has played...an afterword to Duke University conference

In Johnston County, interactions over torture have often been adversarial - understandable when so much is at stake. But at the recent conference, it became apparent to us that while North Carolina has played a critical role in the implementation of torture ["extraordinary rendition" flights], perhaps there is more to unite us than to divide us...

The United States' walk on the "dark side" of torture and secret detention has robbed us all of our most precious birthrights: the rule of law and our basic value of respect for human life...

Together, we can acknowledge what went wrong and bring it to the light of day. We can seek out those who were harmed, learn what they need, offer apologies and begin to make amends.

see Torture program scarred many people

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Yoo's terror

2010-05-06T07:29:00.001-07:00

Must we see every single act of wrongdoing, even minor ones, through the prism of 9/11?STEVEN M. FALK / Staff PhotographerA Philadelphia police officer with Taser in hand chases a Phillies' fan who ran on the field the John Yoo-justified...Must we see every single act of wrongdoing, even minor ones, through the prism of 9/11?

STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

A Philadelphia police officer with Taser in hand chases a Phillies' fan who ran on the field

the John Yoo-justified torture regime... was expanded to many people who had nothing to do with 9/11 and eventually to people who were innocent of any crime altogether.

But even more damaging is the way that attitude -- that any kind of lawbreaking or even potential lawbreaking requires the harshest possible response, with no regard to more than 200 years of momentum toward basic civil liberties and human rights -- is filtering down to other aspects of American life. Exhibit A is what's happening in Arizona.

see The Taserification of America

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Torture defense backfires

2010-05-05T11:27:00.001-07:00

Having followed the ups and downs of the accountability movement over the last few years, and while writing The People v Bush, I can safely report that the battle to bring Bush and his top advisors to justice -- for murder,...Having followed the ups and downs of the accountability movement over the last few years, and while writing The People v Bush, I can safely report that the battle to bring Bush and his top advisors to justice -- for murder, war crimes, warrantless wiretapping, bank fraud, and shredding the Constitution -- is far from over. In fact, it is becoming re-invigorated. We have Cheney, Yoo, and Rove to thank for keeping the battle for justice lively.

see The Battle for Justice Heats Up

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the legal farce at Guantanamo continues

2010-05-03T20:43:00.001-07:00

courtroom sketch by Janet HamlinAfter the first week of this hearing, whether or not Omar was abused in prison seems almost beside the point. The government's own witnesses are portraying him as a child who was victimized by the adults...

courtroom sketch by Janet Hamlin

After the first week of this hearing, whether or not Omar was abused in prison seems almost beside the point. The government's own witnesses are portraying him as a child who was victimized by the adults who raised him, then used by U.S. authorities to extract information, which he willingly provided - only to have it used against him years later, after he'd finally become, at least technically, an adult...

see The Real Reason Khadr's Case Is In A Military Commission

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Yoo Watch: San Francisco

2010-05-02T08:18:00.001-07:00

ROTARY LUNCHEON, John YooCaptain: Loren LopinDate: May 4 2010 at 12:15 PM - 1:30 PMEvent Fee: $29.00 per personLocation: Olympic Club 524 Post St Map San Francisco, CA ...

ROTARY LUNCHEON, John Yoo





Captain:	Loren Lopin

Date:	May 4 2010 at 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Event Fee:	$29.00 per person

Location:	Olympic Club
	524 Post St
Map	San Francisco, CA

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whether we're talking Racism or Torture, Empathy HAS a place in producing Justice

2010-05-01T14:18:00.001-07:00

reflections of a former law student:Young, privileged students interpret the principle of "academic freedom" to mean "I can say whatever I want and you can't criticize me." This atmosphere of polite disagreement, no matter how odious the position offered, was...

reflections of a former law student:

Young, privileged students interpret the principle of "academic freedom" to mean "I can say whatever I want and you can't criticize me." This atmosphere of polite disagreement, no matter how odious the position offered, was stifling to me as a law student. It was based on the notion that we law students were all in this together, and therefore should "play nice," even when there were other students whose stated political aim was to deny rights...

The legal system is built to try to address unfairness and injustice, to make sure everyone gets their due process and fair share. If we didn't care about the well-being of our fellow citizens, we wouldn't need justice at all...

It matters how people feel. It matters whether racist arguments are tolerated, and whether other voices rise to their aid.

see The Law School Empathy Deficit

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Torture Professor losing his grip, self-defense more absurd with each post

2010-04-30T00:24:00.005-07:00

invokes the old "card-carrying-member-of-the-ACLU" tropeProfessor Yoo seems to be driven more by ideology than by fact when he binds Obama Justice to the ACLU. As he surely knows, the ACLU is actively opposing the Obama administration on everything from assassination targeted killings to...

invokes the old "card-carrying-member-of-the-ACLU" trope

Professor Yoo seems to be driven more by ideology than by fact when he binds Obama Justice to the ACLU. As he surely knows, the ACLU is actively opposing the Obama administration on everything from assassination targeted killings to the invocation of state secrets.

see John Yoo enrolls in the Marc Thiessen School of Discourse

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Obama "accessory after the fact" in war crimes?

2010-04-30T00:24:00.003-07:00

"I realize the president inherited this quagmire, but does that allow him to sweep one of the country's great moral infractions under the rug in perpetuity? The statute of limitations has long passed for Iraq and Afghanistan to still be..."I realize the president inherited this quagmire, but does that allow him to sweep one of the country's great moral infractions under the rug in perpetuity? The statute of limitations has long passed for Iraq and Afghanistan to still be considered Bush's wars...

see Byron Williams: Finding the truth about the war on terror

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ACLU event: Survivors confront their Torturers

2010-04-30T00:24:00.001-07:00

Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:30 - 10:45 p.m. Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York City Tickets are available through www.joespub.com or (212) 967-7555, or at the door.The discovery of a subterranean CIA dungeon in a former riding academy in Lithuania, the flight records...

Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:30 - 10:45 p.m.
Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York City

Tickets are available through www.joespub.com or (212) 967-7555, or at the door.

The discovery of a subterranean CIA dungeon in a former riding academy in Lithuania, the flight records of thousands of secret U.S. rendition flights, the testimonies of a growing number of released detainees describing their abuse in American custody--as the evidence around the globe mounts that the United States tortured hundreds of captives in the "War on Terror," people of conscience everywhere are watching to see if those who ordered and carried out the abuse will be held accountable.

Many of those watching are in countries that have successfully confronted their own legacies of torture and human rights abuses. Join us for an evening of readings from documentary and imaginative literature from around the world in which people have stood face to face with their torturers.

Participants: Alina Bronsky, Rodrigo Fresán, Mohsin Hamid, Aleksandar Hemon, Randa Jarrar, Irakli Kakabadze, Elias Khoury, valter hugo mãe, Quim Monzó, Sofi Oksanen, Peter Schneider, and special guests.

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dealing with Torture

2010-04-28T11:19:00.005-07:00

The Military Commissions building at the U.S. Navy Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.photo c/o Miami HeraldOmar Khadr rejects government bribe, defense allowed four hours to review new Military Commission Manual...

The Military Commissions building at the U.S. Navy Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

photo c/o Miami Herald

Omar Khadr rejects government bribe, defense allowed four hours to review new

Military Commission Manual

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Iraq's Torture Policy...

2010-04-28T11:19:00.003-07:00

Taking a Cue from the United States?Johan Spanner/Polaris, for The New York Times"America is the symbol of democracy, but then you have the abuses at Abu Ghraib... the American government took tough measures, and we are doing the same, so...

Taking a Cue from the United States?

Johan Spanner/Polaris, for The New York Times

"America is the symbol of democracy, but then you have the abuses at Abu Ghraib... the American government took tough measures, and we are doing the same, so where is the problem and why this raucousness? - Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki

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thousands rally in support of leading pioneer for torture accountability

2010-04-28T11:19:00.001-07:00

C/o Democracy Now (scroll about 10 minutes into the broadcast):Rallies were held around the world this weekend to support a leading human rights judge facing trial in Spain. Baltasar Garzón is accused of overreaching his authority in a probe of...

C/o Democracy Now (scroll about 10 minutes into the broadcast):

Rallies were held around the world this weekend to support a leading human rights judge facing trial in Spain. Baltasar Garzón is accused of overreaching his authority in a probe of human rights abuses during the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime. Garzón is known worldwide for taking on international human rights cases. His actions include ordering the arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998, indicting Osama bin Laden for the 9/11 attacks, and probing the abuse of US prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. On Saturday, thousands of people marched in Madrid to support Garzón. The demonstrators included the film director Pedro Almodóvar.

A demonstrator holds a banner during a gathering in support of Judge Baltasar Garzón in front of the High Court in Madrid on April 15, 2010.

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thousands rally in support of leading pioneer for torture accountability

2010-04-26T21:17:00.001-07:00

C/o Democracy Now (scroll about 10 minutes into the broadcast):

A demonstrator holds a banner during a gathering in support of Judge Baltasar Garzón in front of the High Court in Madrid on April 15, 2010.

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lessons from Nuremberg

2010-04-25T10:22:00.001-07:00

Berkeley grad and aide to chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson, Whitney Harris was a leading advocate for bringing modern war criminals to justice. see Last Surviving Nuremberg Prosecutor Dies at 97Photo by Joe Angeles...

Berkeley grad and aide to chief prosecutor

Robert H. Jackson, Whitney Harris was

a leading advocate for bringing modern

war criminals to justice.

see Last Surviving Nuremberg Prosecutor Dies at 97

Photo by Joe Angeles

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Boalt's "Professional Responsibility" requirement...

2010-04-23T23:26:00.003-07:00

one class, 3 units In response to Boalt Alliance Against Torture advocacy for a Torture Memos class,Berkeley Law will reportedly offer the course "Legal Ethics for Government Lawyers" for Spring 2011. Teaser: [The course] "will cover the basic framework of legal ethics that apply...one class, 3 units

In response to Boalt Alliance Against Torture advocacy for a Torture Memos class,

Berkeley Law will reportedly offer the course "Legal Ethics for Government Lawyers"

for Spring 2011.

Teaser:

[The course] "will cover the basic framework of legal ethics that apply to all US lawyers, but will pay particular attention to how the framework gets applied to government lawyers. For example, the course will take a hard look at how to define the client, and look at government lawyers like prosecutors, administrative agency lawyers, lawyers for Congressional committees, etc. Professor John Steele expects to have a few classes on the role of the Attorney General and the Office of Legal Counsel, including an analysis of the memoranda regarding the Global War on Terrorism and the interrogation methods for detainees. He is also open to including analysis of whatever kinds of government lawyers the students want to add, such as municipal lawyers, state lawyers, judicial clerks, etc.

Fine, but one has to wonder if this is enough to counter the example of lawlessness

that the university promulgates through employment of a War Criminal. A bit of moral

leadership on the part of dean Edley would go a long way in reversing Boalt Hall's

reputation as the "Torture School". It is way past time to repudiate John Yoo's place in

"the promise of Berkeley".

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Obama's detention policy: "Bush with a smile"

2010-04-23T23:26:00.001-07:00

"more humane conditions at Guantánamo reflect the path the Obama administration has chosen to take on national security -embracing Bush-era policies with minor substantive changes and a dramatic change in tone. This is Bush with a smile... While torture and inhumane treatment at Guantánamo have been banned by Obama's executive order, the defining injustice of Gitmo -- the indefinite imprisonment of individuals without trial or charge -- remains.

see A Kinder, Gentler Gitmo

Omar Khadr today, from a court sketch. Captured at age 15, Omar has spent nearly 8 years at Guantanamo. Photograph by Janet Hamlin, AFP/Getty Images

Initial hearings in the case of Canadian national Omar Khadr begin next week. Watch The Washington Independent for coverage of Obama era military commissions. An observer from Amnesty International Canada will also be reporting here.

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evidence obtained thru torture ruled "unreliable"

2010-04-22T11:36:00.001-07:00

Judge Grants Habeas Corpus Writ to Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman; held since 2002, he is 33rd Guantanamo prisoner to have detention declared illegal...Judge Grants Habeas Corpus Writ to Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman;

held since 2002, he is 33rd Guantanamo prisoner to have detention declared illegal

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"an inquiry into the question of whether John Yoo's intentional professional misconduct might call for some form of sanction on the part of the university"

2010-04-19T13:57:00.021-07:00

UC professor Brad DeLong proposes a resolution: should the Berkeley Division Academic Senate recommend disciplinary investigation of John Yoo?...UC professor Brad DeLong proposes a resolution: should the Berkeley Division Academic Senate recommend disciplinary investigation of John Yoo?

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detainees were "guinea pigs" for future torture application, part II

2010-04-19T13:57:00.019-07:00

Data obtained from interrogation of Abu Zubaydah reportedly "used to shape the parameters of the torture program and the types of legal approval John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury gave in those legal memos." see CIA Second Taping System Reported...Data obtained from interrogation of Abu Zubaydah reportedly "used to shape the parameters of the torture program and the types of legal approval John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury gave in those legal memos."

see CIA Second Taping System Reported in Zubaydah Interrogation

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"Guantánamo Habeas Week":

2010-04-19T13:57:00.017-07:00

Exposing Torture, Misconceptions and Government IncompetenceIn an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of the rulings being made in US courts on the habeas corpus petitions of the prisoners held at Guantánamo (as authorized by a significant Supreme Court ruling in...Exposing Torture, Misconceptions and Government Incompetence

In an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of the rulings being made in US courts on the habeas corpus petitions of the prisoners held at Guantánamo (as authorized by a significant Supreme Court ruling in June 2008), I'm devoting most of my work this week to articles covering the 47 cases decided to date (34 of which have been won by the prisoners), as a series entitled, "Guantánamo Habeas Week." - Andy Worthington

Although I have covered the 47 cases in detail over the last 19 months, I had not, until now, followed the example of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Washington Independent and theMiami Herald, who have all produced "Habeas Corpus Scorecards." As a result, this series kicks off with my own list, providing links to my analyses of the rulings, to the judges' own unclassified opinions, and, where relevant, to my articles covering the prisoners' release from Guantánamo, and progress reports on a handful of appeals.

Throughout the week, following an article examining the case of Yasin Ismail, a Yemeni who recently lost his habeas petition (whose publication slightly preempted the start of this series), I'll be publishing two articles analyzing the unclassified opinions in the cases of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian who recently won his habeas petition despite being considered one of the most significant prisoners in Guantánamo, and Mukhtar al-Warafi, a Yemeni who lost his habeas petition (I wrote about the initial rulings here). I also intend to analyze the judge's opinions in the cases of four more Yemenis: Saeed Hatim, who won his habeas petition in December last year, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman, who won his habeas petition in February, and Suleiman al-Nahdi and Fahmi al-Assani, who lost their habeas petitions in February (all initially discussed here). If time allows, I will also examine a few other opinions that were not available when I wrote articles based on the judges' verdicts.

I remain impressed that the judges involved have ruled in the prisoners' favor in 34 of the 47 cases (that's 72 percent of the total), especially as they have exposed, in the most objective manner available, the lack of oversight in the Justice Department (first under Bush and now under Obama) regarding pursuing cases that should have been dropped, as well as persistent obstruction by the Justice Department when it comes to providing material necessary for the prisoners' defense.

Moreover, the judges' rulings have also revealed the alarming flimsiness of most of the material presented by the government as evidence. Primarily, the judges have exposed that the government has been relying, to an extraordinary extent, on confessions extracted through the torture or coercion of the prisoners themselves, or through the torture, coercion or bribery of other prisoners, either in Guantánamo, the CIA's secret prisons, or proxy prisons run on behalf of the CIA in other countries.

Sadly, these rulings have not, for the most part, been covered by the mainstream media with anything like the dedication that they deserve. This is distressing, because the rulings are, to be frank, the single most important collection of documents analyzing the failures of the Bush administration's "War on Terror" detention policies -- and Obama's refusal, or inability to thoroughly repudiate them.

As part of the judges' revelations that the majority of the supposed evidence is actually based on the torture, coercive interrogations or voluntary "confessions" of the prisoners (in exchange for better conditions of confinement), what has also emerged, to reinforce research undertaken by myself and by staff and students at the Seton Hall Law School, is that the majority of the prisoners were not, for the most part, seized by US forces "on the battlefield," as senior Bush administration officials claimed, but were, instead, mainly rounded up by the US military's allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, at a time when bounty payments were widespread, and were never adequately screened at the time of capture to determine whether or not they had ever been engaged in any kind of combat.

Just as troubling, however, are the justifications for continuing to hold the majority of the prisoners who lost their habeas petitions, as they reveal that the basis for doing so -- the Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed by Congress in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and maintained as a justification by President Obama -- was, and is a deeply flawed document, which fails to distinguish between a small group of genuine terrorists (al-Qaeda) and a considerably larger group of men (and boys) associated with the Taliban. The result is that men continue to be consigned to indefinite detention, on an apparently sound legal basis, even though they were only peripherally involved with the military conflict in Afghanistan to secure the fall of the Taliban, and should, all along, have been held (if at all) as prisoners of war, and protected by the Geneva Conventions.

And in the meantime, of course, the real terror suspects -- 35 of those held, according to the Obama administration's interagency Task Force, which reviewed their cases last year -- await either civilian court trials (Eric Holder's preference) or trials by Military Commission (following one of Obama'sweakest concessions to Congressional cooperation), and 47 others, judged by the Task Force as prisoners who should continue to be held indefinitely, because of fundamental weaknesses in the supposed evidence against them, must wait and see if the courts agree with the government's assessment when their own habeas petitions are examined by District Court judges.

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Department of Justice's "cleaner": David Margolis

2010-04-19T13:57:00.015-07:00

"Over the past two years, I
have consistently been told by insiders at Justice that an elaborate game was
played to try to slow down or block the OPR's report. Efforts were made to
pressure OPR to rewrite its report, to adopt softer standards, to allow Yoo and
Bybee to respond internally, and to require OPR to address the responses. I was
told that one man was consistently behind these tactics: David Margolis. So,
far from being an objective and impartial analyst, Margolis became engaged in
the process at least by the fall of 2008, as an advocate for Yoo and Bybee and
opponent of OPR." - Scott Horton

David Margolis (center) accepting an award from then-Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty (left) and then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, both of whom later resigned over the U.S. Attorneys firing scandal. (Newscom)

The Margolis memorandum, issued more than five years after OPR began its investigation, was in accord with OPR's conclusion that Yoo and Bybee's work on legal justifications for the brutal interrogation techniques was flawed...

by releasing the memorandum and the accompanying OPR reports, Margolis "essentially made a bar referral without making a bar referral." Margolis invited others to pick up where he left off, writing, "OPR's findings and my decision are less important than the public's ability to make its own judgment."

That's where we come in...

see The Institutionalist

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Torture continues: BBC documents stories of "Black Hole" at Bagram

2010-04-19T13:57:00.013-07:00

abuses are all said to have taken place since Obama's electionBAGRAM AIRBASEThe prisoners, who were interviewed separately, all told very similar stories. Most of them said they had been beaten by American soldiers at the point of arrest before being...abuses are all said to have taken place since Obama's election

BAGRAM AIRBASE

The prisoners, who were interviewed separately, all told very similar stories. Most of them said they had been beaten by American soldiers at the point of arrest before being taken to the prison...

witnesses told the BBC in interviews or written testimony that abuses continue in a hidden facility.

"To this date, no prisoner has ever seen a lawyer in Bagram", said Tina Foster, who represents several of Bagram's prisoners in cases she has filed in on their behalf in the US.

The military categorically denied the existence of a secret detention site... [but] promised to investigate any allegations of abuse.

see Afghans 'abused at secret prison'

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Summary execution? Not in our names

2010-04-19T13:57:00.011-07:00

"Just think about this for a minute. Barack Obama, like George Bush before him, has claimed the authority to order American citizens murdered based solely on the unverified, uncharged, unchecked claim that they are associated with Terrorism and pose 'a continuing...

"Just think about this for a minute. Barack Obama, like George Bush before him, has claimed the authority to order American citizens murdered based solely on the unverified, uncharged, unchecked claim that they are associated with Terrorism and pose 'a continuing and imminent threat to U.S. persons and interests.' They're entitled to no charges, no trial, no ability to contest the accusations." - Glenn Greenwald

Crimes Are Crimes - No Matter Who Commits Them.

The time has come to finally say loud and clear: the same things that were crimes under Bush are crimes under Obama. Outrages under Bush are outrages under Obama. All this MUST STOP. And all this MUST BE RESISTED by anyone who claims a shred of conscience or integrity...

Add your name to this online statement and donate money to have it published in major publications.

In the past few weeks, it has become common knowledge that Barack Obama has openly ordered the assassination of an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, because he is suspected of participating in plots by Al Qaeda. Al-Awlaki denies these charges. But he will be killed without trial.

During this same period, a video leaked by whistleblowers in the military showing U.S. troops firing on an unarmed party of Iraqis in 2007, including two journalists, and then firing on those who attempted to rescue them - including two children - became public. As ugly as this video of the killing of 12 Iraqis was, the chatter recorded from the helicopter cockpit was even more chilling and monstrous. Yet the Pentagon said that there would be no charges against these soldiers; and the media focused on absolving them of blame - "they were under stress," the story went, "and after all our brave men and women must be supported." Meanwhile, those who leaked and publicized the video came under government surveillance and are targeted as "national security" threats.

Also during this period, the Pentagon acknowledged that a massacre near the city of Gardez, Afghanistan, on February 12, 2010, in which 5 people were killed, including three women, two of them mothers. These killings, which the U.S. originally blamed on others, were indeed, as Afghanis had charged, the work of U.S. soldiers. The Afghan government has accepted the eyewitness reports that U.S. Special Forces dug their own bullets out of the women's bodies, a cover-up supported for nearly two months by the U.S. command.

Just weeks earlier, in a story broken in Harper's by Scott Horton, the news came out that three supposed suicides of detainees in Guantánamo in 2006 were not actual suicides, but homicides carried out by American personnel. This passed almost without comment.

And throughout this period, the Obama administration claimed even more than the prerogatives originally claimed by Bush in regard to: wiretapping, the use of the "state secrets" defense to prevent those who suffer abuse and injustice from getting relief in the courts, the supposed right of the executive to detain without trial all those whom it deems to be enemy combatants, the pursuit of aggressive war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, the increased use of unmanned drone attacks in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and numerous other measures which, under Bush, were widely considered by liberals and progressives to be outrages and which were roundly, and correctly, protested.

And - unsurprisingly - the same Obama administration has refused to prosecute any members of the Bush regime who are culpable of war crimes - including some who admitted waterboarding and other forms of torture and murder.

In some respects, this is worse than what Bush did. First, because Obama has claimed the right to assassinate American citizens whom he suspects of "terrorism," merely on the grounds of his own suspicion or that of the CIA, something Bush never dared do. Second, Obama has dared to say that the government can hold you indefinitely, even if you have been exonerated in a trial. Third, because those acts which could be construed (wishfully or not) as anomalies under Bush, have now been consecrated into "standard operating procedure" by Obama.

The time has come to finally say loud and clear: the same things that were crimes under Bush are crimes under Obama. Outrages under Bush are outrages under Obama. All this MUST STOP. And all this MUST BE RESISTED by anyone who claims a shred of conscience or integrity.

The complicity of silence must be ended. It is up to the people to stop these crimes through visible resistance.

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accommodating Torture, part III: Obama's commitment to lawlessness

2010-04-19T13:57:00.009-07:00

Elected to enact "Change you can believe in," the administration has instead opted to entrench the worst of Bush & Cheney's abuses, effectively inviting more torture around the world by every despot eager to claim the Yoo-Holder precedent. - Shahid...Elected to enact "Change you can believe in," the administration has instead opted to entrench the worst of Bush & Cheney's abuses, effectively inviting more torture around the world by every despot eager to claim the Yoo-Holder precedent. - Shahid Buttar

see An Administration on Its Heels: Inviting Torture to Appease the Right Wing

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Yoo Watch: Ventura County, CA

2010-04-19T13:57:00.007-07:00

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:45 AMTuscany il Ristorante968 South Westlake BoulevardWestlake Village, CA 91361Couvert: $35.00/person pre-paid for the lunchRSVP is requiredSpace is limitedCopies of Crisis and Command will be available for sale and personally signed following the presentation.Please call the RJC CA office...

Thursday, April 22, 2010
11:45 AM

Tuscany il Ristorante
968 South Westlake Boulevard
Westlake Village, CA 91361

Couvert: $35.00/person pre-paid for the lunch

RSVP is required
Space is limited

Copies of Crisis and Command will be available for sale and personally signed following the presentation.

Please call the RJC CA office 310-478-0752 to pre-pay for this event by credit card, or please mail your check to RJC
11845 W Olympic Blvd., Suite 755 W
Los Angeles, CA 90064

http://tinyurl.com/y7k8vrh

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/yoo-watch-ventu...

Massachusetts town stands against torture

2010-04-19T13:57:00.005-07:00

A town hall measure drafted by Elizabeth Adams, in concert with the Pioneer Valley Chapter of No More Guantanamos, calls for Congress to rescind its ban on cleared detainees from entering the U.S. and welcomes same to Leverett.see Leverett residents...

see Leverett residents may query Congress on cleared detainees

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domestic torture on trial

2010-04-19T13:57:00.003-07:00

May 24: Anti-torture protest in Chicagoc/o Bill of Rights Defense Committee:The Jail Jon Burge Committee urges residents of Illinois to join in a cry for justice from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on May 24, 2010, at Daley Plaza in Chicago.The event will...

May 24: Anti-torture protest in Chicago

c/o Bill of Rights Defense Committee:

The Jail Jon Burge Committee urges residents of Illinois to join in a cry for justice from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on May 24, 2010, at Daley Plaza in Chicago.

The event will coincide with the commencement of the trial of former Chicago Police Department Commander Jon Burge, accused of perjury and obstruction of justice during a civil suit related to the Chicago Police Department's use of torture to force false confessions from criminal suspects.

The Jail Jon Burge Committee, a coalition of community-based organizations, is taking a stand against torture of suspects by police officers under the supervision of former Police Commander Jon Burge, seeking justice for police torture victims, and raising awareness to prevent such crimes in the future. For more information, please visit jailjonburge.org or contact Kali Cohn .

Illinois Coalition Against Torture promotes anti-torture policy

Based in Chicago, the Illinois Coalition Against Torture (ICAT) is working to promote anti-torture policy on the local and state levels. One part of their effort is an educational campaign regarding torture that is set to launch this summer. The coalition is also recruiting additional organizational partners interested in approaching state and local legislatures to seek a declaration supporting a federal commission of inquiry. To join the Illinois Coalition Against Torture or learn more about their work, please contact Kali Cohn.

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Al Haramain v. Obama

2010-04-19T13:57:00.001-07:00

It took an accidental disclosure by the government, but on March 31 the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless spying program was illegal, characterizing expansive use of "state-secrets" privilege as overreaching and potentially abusive.Photo by Jonathan...It took an accidental disclosure by the government, but on March 31 the U.S. District

Court in San Francisco ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless

spying program was illegal, characterizing expansive use of "state-secrets" privilege

as overreaching and potentially abusive.

Photo by Jonathan Payne

"Judge Walker is saying that FISA and federal statutes like it are not optional... The president, just like any other citizen of the United States, is bound by the law." - attorney and Hastings College of Law professor Jon Eisenberg

see Obama 'Even Worse' Than Bush On Secret Wiretapping Case

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detainees were "guinea pigs" for future torture application, part II

2010-04-19T13:40:00.005-07:00

see CIA Second Taping System Reported in Zubaydah Interrogation

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/detainees-were-...

"Guantánamo Habeas Week":

2010-04-19T13:40:00.003-07:00

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Department of Justice's "cleaner": David Margolis

2010-04-19T13:40:00.001-07:00

That's where we come in...

see The Institutionalist

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accommodating Torture, part III: Obama's commitment to lawlessness

2010-04-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

see An Administration on Its Heels: Inviting Torture to Appease the Right Wing

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/accommodating-t...

German Chancellor Visiting Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Today

2010-04-16T02:48:00.007-07:00

German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Washington on Monday without a firm offer by Berlin to take in freed inmates from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba.Merkel was in town for a top-level summit on nuclear security,...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Washington on Monday without a firm offer by Berlin to take in freed inmates from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba.

Merkel was in town for a top-level summit on nuclear security, attended by leaders from around 40 nations.

Despite objections from several of Germany's federal states, who refuse to accept former Guantanamo detainees, Germany has agreed to investigate individual cases before reaching a decision.

'These discussions are still running,' Merkel said ahead of her departure...

Later in the week, the chancellor travels on to California, where she is due to meet with researchers and industry representatives in a region ranked as the world's eighth largest economy.

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Yoo Watch: Ventura County, CA

2010-04-16T02:48:00.005-07:00

Thursday, April 22, 2010
11:45 AM

Tuscany il Ristorante
968 South Westlake Boulevard
Westlake Village, CA 91361

Couvert: $35.00/person pre-paid for the lunch

RSVP is required
Space is limited

Copies of Crisis and Command will be available for sale and personally signed following the presentation.

Please call the RJC CA office 310-478-0752 to pre-pay for this event by credit card, or please mail your check to RJC
11845 W Olympic Blvd., Suite 755 W
Los Angeles, CA 90064

http://tinyurl.com/y7k8vrh

Published by

Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/yoo-watch-ventu...

Massachusetts town stands against torture

2010-04-16T02:48:00.003-07:00

see Leverett residents may query Congress on cleared detainees

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Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/massachusetts-t...

domestic torture on trial

2010-04-16T02:48:00.001-07:00

May 24: Anti-torture protest in Chicago

c/o Bill of Rights Defense Committee:

The Jail Jon Burge Committee urges residents of Illinois to join in a cry for justice from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on May 24, 2010, at Daley Plaza in Chicago.

The Jail Jon Burge Committee, a coalition of community-based organizations, is taking a stand against torture of suspects by police officers under the supervision of former Police Commander Jon Burge, seeking justice for police torture victims, and raising awareness to prevent such crimes in the future. For more information, please visit jailjonburge.org or contact Kali Cohn .

Illinois Coalition Against Torture promotes anti-torture policy

Published by

Original source : http://www.firejohnyoo.org/2010/04/domestic-tortur...