Republicans Legalize Torture and Imprisonment Without Trial
29th September 2006
by gordo
Is Joseph Stalin now running the Republican Party?
What decent person could vote against this:
Should any United States person to whom the Geneva Conventions apply be subjected to any of the following acts, the United States would consider such act to constitute a punishable offense under common Article 3 and would act accordingly. Such acts, each of which is prohibited by the Army Field Manual include forcing the person to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner; applying beatings, electric shocks, burns, or other forms of physical pain to the person; waterboarding the person; using dogs on the person; inducing hypothermia or heat injury in the person; conducting a mock execution of the person; and depriving the person of necessary food, water, or medical care.
The answer, of course, is that no decent person, and especially no patriotic American, could vote against an amendment that provided for the protection of Americn citizens through the enforcement of the Geneva conventions.
But of all of the Republicans in the Senate, only Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) voted in favor of that amendment. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) did not vote, and Ben Nelson (D-FL) voted against the amendment.
And that’s the kind of day it was. On mostly party-line votes, the House and Senate agreed that the president could hold a person without trial, even an American citizen, simply by declaring that person an enemy combatant, or by declaring that the person has aided terrorists in some way. The House and Senate agreed to allow the use of torture, including sexual torture, against these “enemy combatants.”
They agreed that when and if the president decides to try an “enemy combatant,” that trial may be a Soviet-style show trial. Statements made by a defendant under torture may be used. Statements made by witnesses under torture may be used. Evidence that the defendant isn’t allowed to see may be brought against the defendant. And the defendant may be convicted and executed without any further judicial review (text of Senate bill).
In the Senate, Republicans defeated several amendments meant to mitigate some of the damage to the nation’s soul. They defeated an amendment that would have ensured that torture and detention without trial were temporary, emergency measures for fighting against terrorism. They defeated an amendment to provide congressional oversight of detentions and questioning conducted by the CIA. And they defeated an amendment that would have required the president to show evidence in order to imprison a person declared an “enemy combatant.”
That innocent people will be imprisoned and tortured as a result of this legislation is a given. We know it for a fact. We know that the United States has already declared innocent people to be “enemy combatants” and imprisoned and tortured them for years.
At no time could the Republicans in the Senate manage more than four votes against imprisonment without evidence, and against torture. This is no longer the party of conservatism, or of small government, or of low taxes, or even of corruption. It is, first and foremost, the party of torture.
September 29th, 2006 at 6:27 am
Right on! I watched the whole thing on C-span yesterday and now I have turrets syndrome.
September 29th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Sigh. Gordo everyone expected this. I wish I could get through to people in your country what a loser strategy torture is. But I can’t and neither can anyone else. There simply comes a time when all a friend can do is stand back and hope to be able to help pick up the pieces after the painful and inevitable fall.
I hope you have a bolt hole. The next few years are going to be ugly.
September 29th, 2006 at 11:32 am
I think this says it all
September 29th, 2006 at 11:51 am
Mark–
Every time something like this has happened over the past 5 years, I’ve said to myself that things can’t get much worse in this country. And every time I’ve been wrong.
XP–
What a bunch of cowards those Democrats are. They’re more concerned about their individual races than they are about their country.
Also, this brings up the issue of why the Republicans chose to make this legislation as radical as it is. Clearly, they did so in order to force as many Democrats as possible to vote against it, so they could use it in campaign ads. The GOP is politicizing the fight against terrorism and undermining our rights and protections just to win a few votes. I can’t say that I’m surprised.
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:14 am
Sorry to come in so late - but the passing of such laws really makes me sick to my stomach -
What a bunch of mother fuckers!
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:45 am
Lil Bro–
I was just thinking that. Of course, we know that Bush and the GOP think of our concerns: link.
October 4th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Gordo,
Torture is one of about 72 issues that made me leave the Republican Party in 1994. Nothing has changed and no other party has given me any reason to take it seriously on these issues either. May this and the current Fool/Drunk/Pervert scandal be the undoing of many of these political hacks. Happy thoughts huh?
Peace,
Clif