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New AG: “Law is difficult”
Can you trust an Attorney General with major challenges if he says it is difficult to predict with confidence what actions might be deemed to constitute violations of law?
Official: Gonzales is likely Ashcroft replacement
President Bush favors White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft, because he is "very close to the president and someone he knows can be trusted with major challenges," a senior administration official said Wednesday.
Memos Reveal War Crimes Warnings
[Gonzales] strongly urges Bush to stick to his decision to exempt the treatment of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters from the provisons of the Geneva Conventions.
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One reason to do so, Gonzales wrote, is that it "substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act." He added that "it is difficult to predict with confidence what actions might be deemed to constitute violations" of the War Crimes Act just as it was "difficult to predict the needs and circumstances that could arise in the course of the war on terrorism."
Other cabinet candidates:
- State Department: Zell Miller
- Department of Defense: Jim Woolsey
- National Security Adviser: John Bolton or Paul Wolfowitz
The War Cabinet
deander @4:52 – the tanks in los angeles are a metaphor for what i have been dreading since late august when my neighborhood, two blocks from madison square garden, was occupied by the nypd. while it may sound extreme, i use that term with only a minimal amount of facetiousness. for several days i was required to show identification in order to come within two blocks of my home and various routes of access were blocked entirely. the nypd strutted its stuff 24/7 on my block and surrounding blocks, using police and personal vehicles as air-conditioned sleeping quarters, idling for hours at a time, cavorting on street corners in the safety of dozens joking about barbecues, and donning riot gear to subdue protesters who came armed only with signs, their concerns, and raised voices. the extension cords for the lighting i set up on my roof to illuminate the banner i painted “rnc=police state” mysteriously disappeared. i was threatened with arrest and shoved out of the way when standing on the sidewalk outside of the local deli because i did not move quickly enough. i am certain i would have been arrested had i not produced identification showing i lived around the corner. i refused to enter the protest pens for fear that the undercover scooter police i had witnessed riding into the crowd a few nights previously would make a return or batons would fly. i was terrified, brought to tears, by the “us against them” demonization of the protesters, the extreme polarization of the police against ordinary people. i looked on in horror as squadrons of police in riot gear with shields and helmets rushed into place, bloodthirsty for a confrontation. a group of middle-aged protesters who had made the trip in from the suburbs and i stood aghast watching, but also could not help but laugh at the rows of officers with batons and guns hiding behind police barriers two thick. ready, yes but ready for what? of what were they so frightened? i stopped policemen who appeared to be in positions of authority and begged them to back off and let the protesters through. to explain, the city blocks were split into pens and the one closest to madison square garden had emptied substantially, yet the police still refused to allow anyone from the block behind it to enter. the crowd became more and more agitated, rightfully demanding “let us through”. it felt like kent state was a heartbeat away. finally, a giant in a suit and one of those fbi style earpieces arrived admidst all of the frantic blue uniforms rushing about, and a decision was made to “allow them through”. i have no idea if my interaction made a difference – i stopped him and asked him to let them through as well. he barked no as he strode away, but later when he passed as he was leaving he looked over and said “it’s because of you.” my reason for writing all of this is to point out: 1) how frightening it is to have your everyday freedoms such as standing on a street corner or entering your neighborhood taken away; 2) how very important it is to speak up and not give in to the fear; and 3) more importantly, how quickly and easily this occupation was accomplished. what happened in la with tanks arriving to dispel the exercise of civil rights happened in new york. where next? i am afraid that again it will all happen so quickly that it almost feels natural – if you don’t question, if you give in to it – as natural as election results that don’t make statistical sense. in new york, the nypd took over my neighborhood and operated as if above the law, and in la, tanks arrived at a demonstration. i should add, when new york city hosted the rnc it was a fait accompli delivered to residents, not the result of a public referendum. i could also go on about the loss of income suffered by the local shop owners, the taxi drivers, and the line of busses that idled for over two hours on a densely populated residential block while waiting to pick up conventioners, but i will stop here. my point is that it is happening, quickly, and we seem to have very little choice about it – the rnc, inexcusable lines at polls, porter goss, guantanamo, abu grahib, fallujah 2, what geneva convention?, etc. – unless we do something now to utilize the little bit of power we still have as a citizenry. the question is what do we do? for the moment i have chosen to focus on the election and keep up the pressure to get to the truth. like uncle $cam i come to it already fairly convinced of fraud, but more important is to protect what feels like the last vestige of democracy. if anyone else out there has suggestions for other actions i am all ears. i apolgize for the emotional tone of this post, but the tanks brought it all back.
Posted by: conchita | Nov 11 2004 3:59 utc | 15
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