Civil Rights

By David Swanson

(Remarks at Torture Accountability Action Day rally in Washington, D.C., June 25, 2009 — video of this and other speeches at AfterDowningStreet.org)

Have you ever held a little baby in your arms? Raise your hand if you have. A toddler is as delicate and precious as a baby, but able to move around and get hurt. Bigger kids can move faster and farther. Our instincts should be to protect them.

I was reading yesterday about a boy who was probably 12 years old when our nation read more

Thursday, June 25, 2009, has been designated Torture Accountability Action Day by a large coalition of human rights groups planning rallies and marches in major U.S. cities, including a rally in Washington, D.C.’s John Marshall Park at 11 a.m. followed by a noon march to the Justice Department where some participants will risk arrest in nonviolent protest if a special prosecutor for torture is not appointed.

http://accountability4torture.com

Events are planned in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, read more

By David Swanson

Two statements, 144 years apart:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
Major General Gordon Granger, June 19, 1865.

“Finally, there remains the question of detainees read more

By David Swanson

At his confirmation hearing, now CIA director Leon Panetta made clear that he believed a president can order torture, and said that he would not hesitate to ask President Obama to use torture “if we had the ticking bomb situation and I felt that whatever we were using wasn’t sufficient.” Panetta is, according to Michael Waldman, “one of the most honorable, decent, and principled people in government.”

Jane Mayer’s new profile of Panetta in read more

By David Swanson

Greg Sargent is right to criticize Cheney and to ask him to go away, but then Sargent says this:

“[Cheney’s] media tour isn’t even about helping the current GOP. It’s narrowly focused on salvaging his own reputation by defending policies he championed that aren’t even operative or relevant anymore.”

Huh?

Republicans are upset about this, according to Sargent, but listen to this Republican from a hearing hidden away in the U.S. Senate a full 2 days ago:

read more

By David Swanson

Someone recently asked if I could please explain to him why anybody would oppose torture. After all, we defend killing in wars, so why not defend torture? And wouldn’t I torture to save my kidnapped child?

Here are my top 10 reasons for opposing torture:

1. It’s illegal. If you want to legalize it, legalize it, but don’t discard the whole idea of following laws.

2. When the United States tortures, it loses the ability to tell any other nation not to torture, including read more

By David Swanson

A healthy rivalry between the branches of government is the soul of our republic, so when the Senate’s proposed ban on releasing photos and videos of torture fell short of completely covering things up, the White House proposed allowing prisoners to plead guilty to capital crimes and be executed without actual trials that might reveal evidence. Preemption being the technique of the hour, I’m going to preemptively fill you in on the next move from Capitol Hill. You read more

I’m blogging Day 2 of the America’s Future Now conference here.

By David Swanson

The United States has had 44 presidents and nobody knows who the 45th will be. For the sake of argument let’s imagine for a minute something that is a very definite possibility. Let’s imagine that the 45th president will belong to a political party you detest, will espouse the opposite position from yours on matters dear to your heart, and will strike you as completely unlikeable, untrustworthy, irresponsible, and dangerous. Let’s imagine that #45 will want to read more