November 30, 2007

Re: planetization.org/Charles Sullivan/earthlings anonymous

Iffen you are new to this blog, you could go on for a long time never aware that I run a closed yahoogroup called Earthlings Anonymous.

This blog is an offshot of the underlying SPIRITUALITY of that group.

And if you you want to know, what that is a sort of program of daily "recovery" from the ignorance, stoopity and greed that the West has exploited and made the dominant factor of so-called modern life. It really isn't everyone's cuppa as I've discovered, but it's meant to be. Like any twelve-step group, you just plunk yourself down in a virtual chair and share as much as you do or do not like. I never throw anyone out, but plenty leave, seeing some slight done them or some "improper" behaviour or thinking on the part of someone else.

You could say it's my social "experiment" to see if it CAN work.

The solid basis for it is a sound appreciation that we really ARE one and that the faster we recognize that the healthier our personal outlook can become, and at the same time we try to stay OUT of denial and delusionville. I hand picked people I saw hanging around on threads and asked them to join, trying to create some synergy although I had people from EVERY WHERE I could join the first batch. But no one every really invited anyone else.

Beginning days were SLOW, but eventually some real intimacy was evident and the postings greatly increased. Now I admit it's a bit dead from time to time, but some others of us have really bonded very tightly. Maybe that's how it was supposed to go, but I think that people took more out of it, than they gave in most cases and you'll get out what you put in, even on the internet where you only have WORDZ, some digital pictures and the occasional video to post to get across who you are and what you CARE about. My telling you ALL about it, would take many pages, what happens/happened would obviously be a chapter in a book I "plan" to write!!

On occasion I bump into someone on the internet I can feel myself resonate to and I know immediately that person is on my frequency. I just KNOW, based on a dual-brained functioning I have which demands I pay attention to it. When I saw planetization.org, I just flipped!! A kindred soul, another of like SPIRIT.

We came together through this impeachment effort as someone sent me to look as they are posting around the ballots for a citizen's referendum. Cool. They are spiritual AND they are active. Now this is what was missing in the 1960s; there was an obvious split between my flower child self (and those friends) and my activist self (and those allies); a gulf I could never seem to close. Now in the year 2007, I am finding others who have been on this long journey, too, finding the answer is seeing yourself as part of the entire world.

I prefer to refer to the process of recovering from the world's ill as being humans repairans, a way to becoming people who can recover when so much has been laid to waste.

Planetization is another thing to call it. But it's this profound sense that personal and social empowerment are precisely the same thing and the minute you can't focus your activities so that things are win/win, brother to brother -- you are screwed and so is everyone else.

It comes down to energy in the end:
externally and internally.


Where are ya gonna spend it?

How do you get it?

Who is benefitting from it?


So rather than ramble on, I am just going to present you with some planetization material, right now, right here and put the earthlings email footer at the bottom.

As a species and as individuals we have a right amount of work to do -- together.

We are all suffering from trauma and post traumatic stress, is what I think. The political/financial system has ENSURED that this happens. And they don't want us thinking that there is anyway out. I think sharing and caring is the answer, by sharing our stories and lives with each other in an honest, open way and willingness to put back the BALANCE, we all get to where we and this planet needs to be.

Planetization Is Where America Left Off


Post 9/11

(Aint' it the truth? Precisely!!)

Planetization is a blueprint and plan of deep unity that moves and locks the world into an evolutionary framework where the future is unbounded and infinite, open to all. It presents as a FREE CHOICE and an alternative pathway for our collective well being on the Planet.

Planetization is a better, kinder, gentler global vision for the Planet that represents humanity’s and the Planet’s interest.

It captures all life — animal-human-environmental— on the Planet as an integrated whole. That Whole draws from the infinite nature of our higher selves where we are no longer harming, but helping. Essentially it offers the alternate vision to war, and the corporatized, militarized New World Order which has turned humanity’s values inside out. As we turn the System right side up, where essentially, people and all life on the Planet are before profits, we see a new world – whole, unified, abundant, evolving and free. Through Planetization, a way has been created for the will of the people to once and for all as a single voice turn swords into ploughshares and to pursue the rightful interests of humanity.

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The Ghosts of Misplaced Conscience

By Charles Sullivan

11/28/07 "ICH" - --- Everything about America is done to the max—super sized—including ourselves. Americans are fond of excess, fond of glitz and glitter, the bright beads and trinkets of capitalism; the symbols of conspicuous consumption. Millions of us live in McMansions, drive fast cars and hulking tanks and work at high stress glamorous jobs that provide enormous financial reward but leave us spiritually empty.

We tell ourselves that these events signal that we have arrived and achieved greatness worthy of respect and envy. They are a declaration that we have played the game and won; that we have acquired economic power that results in elevated socio-economic status and disproportional influence over the lives of the less successful; and those who have utterly failed or refused to participate.

We love to consume and waste with an appalling sense of entitlement. Our lives are enacted amid heaping mounds of swelling garbage and filth, while some of our fellow human beings pass lives of quiet desperation in cardboard boxes beneath our nation’s highway bridges, like beetles that move beneath the bark of trees: out of sight, out of mind, inconsequential—or so we think.

It’s a jungle out there where only the fittest survive. Those who cannot compete must not survive to reproduce; they must be expelled from the gene pool. Modern capitalism is economic Darwinism carried to the extreme.

America is a land of extraordinary contradictions. She has produced not only George Bush and Dick Cheney but also George Carlin, Upton Sinclair, Eugene Debs and Howard Zinn. This is a land of extremes; enigmatic even to itself. It is a place of posh surroundings with all of the amenities money can buy; but it is also a land of unknowable hardship and destitution that often exists in close proximity to stupendous wealth.

Just as the continent holds lush temperate rain forests, so it also harbors deserts where only the strong and well adapted survive the harsh conditions of heat and drought and oscillating cold.

Surely the national pastime must be shopping, which has acquired the stature of a genuine addiction; a disease on a par with alcoholism and played with the passion of a competitive sport. Witness the insanity of black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year where people are annually trampled at the doors of Wal-Mart in the quest for the latest incarnation of the X-Box. He with the most toys wins and the losers are trampled underfoot, ground into dust. Possessions matter more than people.

And we are a restless, fiercely competitive people—constantly on the move; a people that cannot countenance open spaces or unmanaged nature.

Hundreds of thousands of shopping centers and strip malls bear ample testimony to our excess, as do the mountains of debt that rise out of our spending habits like a newly spawned volcano swelling above a rising column of molten magma. Eventually they will become our gravestones—monuments to our lack of empathy and testaments to our unbridled greed and contempt for the earth.

The developers cannot relax until every inch of the earth is urbanized and paved and there is a McDonald’s and Wal-Mart on every street corner; a development in place of every orchard and farm. We cannot relax until everything wild and natural has been eradicated or imprisoned in zoos and admission is charged. Imagine a continent sized gated community for the well-heeled and the wealthy. The poor and destitute need not apply.

More than democracy, more than liberty, more than life—give us our shopping malls so that we can purchase happiness and fill our empty lives with possessions. Our senses are incessantly assaulted by merciless commercialism—we are programmed to consume and to be consumed by our programmers in the advertising industry whose job it is to plant the seeds of want in our all too receptive minds. Conspicuous consumption is the cornerstone of mature capitalism and no people in history have been more prominent consumers than we Americans—as measured by the girth of our waistlines and the girth of our mounting debt.

But as much as we are the products of Madison Avenue advertisers, we are also products of arrested psychological and spiritual development. We exhibit extreme pathologies because our lives are not rooted in nature and community; nor are they rooted in reality. Like spoiled adolescents, we have locked ourselves away with our box of toys and we call the world our own. We are a danger not only to ourselves but to the entire world. Quarantine should be drawn around us lest we infect the rest of the world with our madness.

Oblivious to the consequences of our own excess, our sphere of caring rarely extends beyond the self and our immediate families to the communities in which we are embedded that in turn spill into the great world beyond. We have erected psychological and physical barriers that isolate us from the rest of the world which have given rise to pathological visions of grandeur and exceptionalism. And, like a run-away virus, we are replicating our madness to the rest of the world which is, thanks to the disciples of Milton Friedman, seeking to emulate our example.

Better the world turn away and run for their lives as if we were infected with a new strain of pox or rabies. Better they should save themselves and let us perish, as will surely occur when we are consumed by the festering sewers of our swelling vanity.

We call ourselves a free people but we are prisoners of our own petty desires; prisoners of greed and excess and manufactured want; the products of capitalism taken to the extreme—replicating with the ease of cancer cells unrestrained by reason or empathy for others and for the earth. The world cannot tolerate another America. She cannot much longer sustain the one she already has. We have a carbon footprint vastly disproportional to our numbers and we are not only blotting out the sun; we are stamping out countless species of plants and animals and casting them into the abyss of eternal extinction. The ecological cost of our excess is incalculable.

We go on as if there are no consequences to what we do, ignoring the wolves baying at our door and the grim reaper peering at us through the curtain. We tell ourselves they are only apparitions of conspiracy theorists and alarmists, the ghosts of misplaced conscience.

Millions of Americans are experts at self-denial and delusional to the extreme, while others are realists and components of active resistance. But, cause and effect rarely enters our vocabulary. History, science and ethics are not our strengths—we prefer to go shopping or watching television, giving no thought to the kind of world we are leaving our children and their off spring, much less the offspring of other species. We hold that the universe turns on its axis and we are its center; but it is not so.

As a result of our excesses, terms such as ‘peak oil’ and ‘peak water’ have come into existence. Gluttony occurs on one end of the supply chain at the expense of the other; just as food webs are affected by events occurring at all parts of an ecological web the size of the world. One cannot pluck a flower without also troubling a star. All things are interconnected.

How easily we forget that commercial exuberance rests on the broken bodies of the exploited worker; it rests on the scrolls of flora and fauna that have been pushed out of existence because there isn’t enough room for them and us with all of our precious, energy consuming toys.

Thus we live in a world that is not enriched by our example but is diminished by us. Injustice is a byproduct of commercial exuberance as manifested by declarations of superiority through class warfare and other avenues of inequality. And it is felt in the dimly lit sweatshop somewhere in the belching slums of industrialized China, engulfed by the droning hum of sowing machines that never cease behind bolted doors; and guided by gnarled hands attaching Nike labels to athletic apparel destined for upscale Target and Macy’s stores in the US.

True, capitalism has made cheap products available to the voracious American consumer; but it has also given the world preemptive war and famine, global corporatism, pestilence and wage slavery; it has stoked the fires of mass extinction, global warming and ecological collapse—all of which have acquired an unstoppable momentum of their own with unimaginable consequences that extend indefinitely into an already uncertain future. There are consequences to everything we do, just as there are consequences to inaction.

Yet it is increasingly obvious that too few of us care enough to take action, as long as we are free to buy and to consume. We keep the consequences of gluttony out of sight and out of mind and pretend they aren’t there. But they are present and they matter.

And this brings me to the main point of my essay: it cannot go on. The age of exuberance—like the age of cheap oil—is mercifully drawing to a close. So I will say what was never meant to spoken aloud in the land of excess; and I will say it loud and clear so that it cannot be mistaken: Americans must dramatically simplify their lives to want less and learn more. We constitute less than five percent of the of the world’s population while usurping more than a quarter of her bounty. This is not acceptable—nor is it ethical.

No one has a moral right to take more than their fair share when that taking jeopardizes the chances of others of living a decent life, or makes nil their chances for survival—including other species.

Contrary to what one might think, we do not have to live like third world nations or like the hunters and gatherers of the past. But we must dramatically reduce our consumption and shrink our carbon footprint. Not only must we live within our own means but within the means of the planet to support us.

The majority of our food should be locally grown and mass transit must supplant the gluttonous and polluting automobile that proliferates on our nation’s highways. Moratoriums on development and urban sprawl must be enacted in order to protect critical habitat and rainwater recharge areas. Cities and towns must be redesigned and revitalized with sustainable industry. Goods and services, including work and jobs must again, as they were in the past, be rooted in vibrant, small scale local economies; and free trade agreements revoked.

Technological advances—no matter how boldly they are touted as saviors of humankind cannot increase the world’s carrying capacity and they cannot invoke justice. The latter is entirely up to us as sentient beings endowed with conscience. And this brings me to a second point: we must reduce the human population through adoption and cease to procreate for at least one generation—so that the earth can recover her carrying capacity. What better way to save the world, literally.

Simultaneously simplifying our lives by wanting less and reducing the human population will allow room for other people and other beings to share the bounty of the earth. And it will almost certainly have a beneficent rather than pathological social and psychological consequence: it will end our isolation and reconnect us to the rest of the world. We could finally realize our enormous potential to become world citizens and good neighbors worthy of respect and love.

Rather than an economy based upon savage greed and exploitation, let us create an economy based upon justice and equality, need rather than excess; a society that does not leave people behind but invites the full participation of everyone and recognizes that, “An injury to one is an injury to all.” Let it be all inclusive and worthy of respect: where every woman, man, and child, every being of this earth is the same under the law and equally respected and valued—a great global community seeking harmony rather than competitive advantage.

In the end, equality is beholden to the system we choose. Did we ask that the world be run on the profits of greed, or the prophets of wisdom? Where was that democratic choice? The profits of greed have given us voracious greed, consuming everything in sight; but they didn’t give us a choice; they took away our freedom and made us into lesser beings. But, if we are to muster ourselves to call ourselves Human one last time, where the prophets of wisdom really did have something to say, where people and the planet are put before profits in the Golden Rule, and where we have one large collective foot standing on the profit of greed then maybe, maybe YES we will turn this thing around:

http://www.planetization.org.

Charles Sullivan is a nature photographer, free-lance writer, and community activist residing in the Ridge and Valley Province of geopolitical West Virginia. He welcomes your comments at csullivan@phreego.com.



This group IS for those people leaving their egos -- if they are able --at the door and are willing to make inner changes.

Earthlings Anonymous is fellowship of humans who share their experience, strength and hope with each other, that they may solve their common problems and help others recover from any dishonest relationship with Mother Earth.

The requirement for membership is a desire for change -- leading us to help save our planet: a commitment to stop the killing in its myriad shapes. We do not have, therefore a "singleness of purpose".

There are no dues or fees for Earthlings Anonymous (EA) membership. We ask that you notify the group of any useful/loving/sharing contribution you wish to make in the spirit of potlatch, or Give Away.

EA is not allied with ANY religion, sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes collectively. NO one may use the EA designation to promote their own cause. The Universe, All That IS, is doing that.

Instead, individual members are free and encouraged to ask for support for any activity that saves Mother Earth in any of its wonderful forms. We do ask that you help us save all totem and other animals, plants, water, rocks and other living things! We aim to speak for all those that cannot speak for themselves.

Our primary purpose -- to help others reclaim the spirit of love and compassion as well as to help other Earthlings to achieve true stewardship of the Planet. Remember: we are not alone. The whole Universe is colluding to help us save OurSelves. Always observe Rule 64 - don't take yourself too seriously.

Membership: Contact ladybroadoak@gmail.com

When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of Earthlings Anonymous to always be there. And for that, I AM Responsible. You are part of the ONEiverse. As I love the ONE I love you, even when it doesn't appear to be the case.
Earthlings_Anonymous


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When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of Earthlings Anonymous to always be there. And for that, I AM Responsible.
You are part of the ONEiverse.
As I love the ONE I love you as I am now able.

Grant us the courage to change what we can, the serenity to accept what we cannot change- and the wisdom to know the difference.

The Killing Must Stop Save our Mother Earth Consume less and share more Take some time for an earth walk today

Some sloganz: Surf's UP! Ride the waves! Coincidence ... or SYNCHRONICITY??!! Can you hear the BUZZ? Less babble, more DO. Who we are and what we do MATTER. Always do your best.
________________________________________
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
Visit the home page of www.groups.yahoo.com/group/earthlings_anonymous.
Membership: contact ladybroadoak@gmail.com
Should your wish to join, you must provide us with an email address
from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).



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incredible url to chck out

http://conpix.thegatekeepers.biz/

this is a fantastic shockwave extravaganza

Important taser video; Design flaws MUST WATCH

In this important video, a segment run on CTV, a competing manufacturer, calls Tasers unsafe, explains why and calls for a moratorium.

Fascism and the "Evolution of Fire Service"


Published on Friday, November 30, 2007.

Source: TruthNews - Kurt Nimmo
According to a Phoenix, Arizona, fire chief quoted by David Edwards and Muriel Kane of Raw Story, firefighters snooping around inside your home, looking for suspicious material that may indicate you might be less than enthusiastic about the government, represents an “evolution of the fire service.”

Actually, what it represents is the death of the Bill of Rights, specifically the Fourth Amendment.

Like the First and Second Amendments, the Fourth is fundamental to the Bill of Rights. It arises from the old English maxim, ”Every man’s house is his castle,” and has precedent in a legal case going back to 1603.

In Semayne’s Case, it was decided that an “execution of process” had to be announced, that the King’s agents simply couldn’t break down the door or walk in unannounced. In another case, Entick v. Carrington, general warrants not showing probable cause were ruled against when agents of the crown raided homes in search of polemical pamphlets attacking not only governmental policies but the King himself. In the colonies, English authorities made use of writs of assistance, which were general warrants authorizing the bearer to enter any house or other place to search for and seize ”prohibited and uncustomed” goods, mostly smuggled and thus untaxed goods. The Fourth grew directly out of this experience.

Now, more than two hundred years later, we are so lax, so distracted, or so ignorant as to not understand that a fireman poking around in our desk as he conducts an “inspection” amounts to the same sort of abuse inflicted on colonists by agents of the King.

Of course, fire chiefs who believe they have the right to search for “material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities,” that is to say material and behavior “hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States,” likely do not consider themselves fascist in the traditional sense. If they think about it at all, no doubt the more intelligent fire chiefs among us consider “fascism” little more than an outmoded, pejorative epithet, a word that conjures up images of Hitler and maybe Mussolini. For as George Orwell said, the word is almost completely meaningless, because it is used to describe all manner of bullies and thus divorced from the political context.

However, whether they realize it or not, firemen who snoop around looking for evidence of political crimes are foot soldiers for an authoritarian political ideology, even if they do not fully comprehend this ideology. In a dictionary definition sense, fascism is typified by totalitarian attempts to impose state control over all aspects of life and this is precisely what our rulers are attempting to do.


As Mike German, a former FBI agent, told Keith Olbermann, the Department of Homeland Security — let us call this agency what it really is, the “Ministry” of Homeland Security, an apropos if not frightening reference to Orwell — is attempting to turn firefighters into government spies, or more politely “intelligence gatherers.” In response to Olbermann’s question about firefighters now tasked with the job of ferreting out materials that may express “discontent” with the government. Mr. German said:
“Anytime you look at these stories, they always focus on certain reading materials, terrorist propaganda they might call it… and their focus on literature. Of course, again, there is a First Amendment in operation too, so we are concerned that is where the firefighters are turning their attention.”


However, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes so aptly noted, a “page of history is worth a volume of logic,” that is to say during “times of war” (even undeclared wars), the Constitution and the Bill of Rights become the first victims. “It is difficult to read our constitutional history,” explains Sanford Levinson, a law professor at the University of Texas,
“without believing that the Constitution is often reduced at best to a whisper during times of war.”
Constitutional liberties were restricted during the Civil War (or more accurately, the “Northern War of Aggression”), World War I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. According to constitutional experts and commentators, however, the coming suppression of liberty may make the abuses of those past conflicts pale by way of comparison.

“Experts disagree on what effect the war on terrorism will have on First Amendment freedoms. Some constitutional experts say the most egregious affronts to the Constitution have occurred in the Fourth Amendment arena. But many believe that freedom of speech will be curtailed,”
warns
David Hudson, writing for the Freedom Forum.

“I am very worried that there will be more efforts to suppress speech if the war on terrorism drags on,"
explains Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law professor at the University of Southern California.

Indeed, if the neocons have their way, the “war on terrorism,” actually a war on liberty at home in the name of globalist fascism, will drag on for a hundred years or more.
It’s not called the “Long War” for nothing.

IMPEACHMENT TOOLKIT; Members of Congress War Crimes

Member of Congress War Crimes Problem

The American government’s system of checks and balances relies on separation of power: Congress appropriates money; and the President spends it. This does not mean that war crimes only attach to those who do things. Nuremberg adjudicated war crimes against legal counsel and officers of the court (judges) for failing to enforce the laws, or attempting to enforce illegal laws. The precedent: Non-Executive branch civilian personnel, leadership, and staff counsel can be prosecuted for war crimes, regardless their distance from the illegal activity on the ground. Members of Congress and their staff counsel have a war crimes problem.

They’re gumming this to death. There are several lines of evidence suggesting there’s great concern within the Member of Congress staff meetings in re war crimes. After DoD JAGs documented their concerns to DOJ that ICC would have a possible/likely role in prosecuting US officials for prisoner abuse, the Military Commissions Act included language that would defend US government officials before “international” tribunals. JAG concerns were not isolated to one document, but related to many working group meetings which Congress and DOJ were well aware and involved.

Congress also has the power — and responsibility — to raise and support the armies [AI S8]. Attached with that is the legal obligation to ensure those funds are only going for lawful things. Congress cannot, in “supporting” an army, spend money on an illegal war, or illegal violations of Geneva.

After WWII, Nuremberg adjudicated war crimes not just against primary actors — those who committed war crimes — but also civilian policy makers, non-executive branch judges, and legal counsel. Nuremberg concluded that the Geneva obligations attached to those who had the power to enforce the law, strike down bad law, and ensure the laws of war were fully preserved. [ See ]

Based on information and belief, it appears the Congressional staff counsel, working in concert with DoD and DoJ Legislative Liaison created language to defend all US government officials — including non-Executive Branch personnel in Congress, as required — against war crimes. Legal counsel memoranda is presumed to exist. It is expected that the arguments in writing, under seal, are not consistent with the public statements of Members of Congress.

Based on information and believe: Congressional staff counsel have memoranda which explicitly raises to Members of Congress the risk that US Members of Congress could be adjudicated with war crimes; that the precedents of Nuremberg do not attach solely to primary acts; and that Members of Congress and the President have a joint interest in never fully investigating all war crimes related issues.

Where To Get The Evidence

Discovery isn’t as difficult as one might expect. It cannot be argued that it is a “state secret” that Members of Congress and DOJ created language defending US government officials before “international” tribunals. The only tribunal related to the MCA — the one the US says it will not recognize — is the ICC and The Hague.

What appears to have happened is the Congress and President have publicly asserted the ICC-The Hague have “no jurisdiction”; but privately, they’ve well discussed the JAG memoranda form the POW working groups. There must be notes, memoranda, meeting minutes, and other things which would coordinate the JAG concerns; develop language for Congress to pass in the MCA; but then develop a public relations policy that would, with the President, attempt to convince the public that the ICC has no jurisdiction. [See sample “working group” Memo: here ] These working groups started after 9-11 in 2001.

Note the link is part of the Congressional record: Someone inside the Congress knew about the working groups, and has discussed this, but where are the war crimes investigations? “Off the table”. That is alleged malfeasance which implicated the Justices at Nuremberg. There’s no case to be made that this alleged malfeasance could not also broadly be applied to individual Members of Congress.

Sample Grand Jury Discovery Plan

- When did Members of Congress and their staff/outside counsel review JAG memoranda from DoD outlining JAG concerns that US civilians could be prosecuted for war crimes before the ICC?

- How long have Members of Congress and their staff counsel known — but failed to investigate — known war crimes which the JAGs well discussed in 2001 in re prisoner abuse?

- When did legal counsel first raise with members of Congress the risks that US civilians could be prosecuted before the ICC?

- When did the DOJ Staff Counsel discuss with Members of Congress, staff counsel and others the need to insert language within the MCA to defend before the ICC or other international tribunals war crimes charges against US Members of Congress, staff counsel, or others in the Executive Branch?

- Which Contractors did Congress and/or President hire to develop this public relations strategy: To attempt to convince the public that Members of Congress are not subject to any judicial review before the ICC or The Hague?

- What meeting minutes do Members of Congress have which took the JAG concerns about prisoner abuse: Why did these notes and memoranda not result in a shut down for funding in a timely manner; and where are the Majority-Minority memoranda to DoD-DoJ-CIA-NSA General Counsels/IGs related to questions about funding for these illegal activities?

- Where are the member of Congress legal counsel memoranda discussing the JAG concerns with prisoner abuse; and why did these memoranda not result in any public investigation of the war crimes?

- Which legal counsel working in Congress have hired outside counsel to defend them before the ICC/The Hague for making allegedly frivolous legal argument: Pretending Members of Congress could not be prosecuted; that the Nuremberg precedents in re Justice Trial could not be applied to other non-combatants in the Legislative Branch?

- When did legal counsel discuss with Members of Congress, Congressional leadership, and other staff counsel in the Executive Branch the problem associated with war crimes evidence: Which “state secrets claims” were known to be frivolous; were jointly agreed by Legislative-Executive counsel to shield evidence damaging to both the Executive and Legislative branches?

- When did Legislative Counsel discuss with members of Congress and others using “state secrets claims” as a basis to allegedly falsely “We cannot get the information,” related to evidence they knew, or should have known was related to illegal activity which they knew or should have known could not be shielded by any state secret claim, privilege, or any executive order?

- When did Members of Congress, their staff counsel, Executive Branch personnel, and their staff counsel jointly agree or indirectly agree to not ask questions related to these memoranda because the war crimes issues attached not just to the President, VP, but also Members of Congress and staff counsel in both the Legislative and Executive Branches?

IMPEACHMENT TOOLKIT; Pledge to Impeach.org

WHY IMPEACH BUSH/CHENEY?

When I was a boy of 9(1963), my brother-in-law supported my sister and their four children on his earnings as a truck driver, hauling hay to dairy farms. They owned a new home in Carlton Hills, CA, a pickup, car, and had a huge pile of presents at Christmas. I will never forget that pile of Christmas presents. My brother-in-law did not believe in credit and except for the house, everything was paid for. Sound like the same America we have today? Not hardly. What happened?

Corporate America happened. Infiltration of our Congress happened. Complicity with foreign governments happened. Seduction into debt happened. Destruction of labor unions happened. And of course, an executive power grab happened following the tragedy of September 11, 2001. All of these developments have left the American people without a voice in directing our nation
and preserving our personal livelihoods. PTI believes impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney is the required public response to all of the above, and that it is an action that can reunite and bring our People back into the process of government.

Though we have our differences, the collapse of democracy in America happened to Republicans as much as Democrats.

Conspirators in government design issues in ways to divide us; such as making the war an issue of peace versus supporting our troops and pro-life/pro-choice. These tactics are implemented to keep us at odds with each other and from relating to the fact that the vast majority of us have the same common concerns and the same freedoms and rights to lose if these conspirators are
allowed to continue with their plans.

Most Americans now feel that the two-party system no longer exists and are aware of the
danger of electronic voting machines. But PTI believes that the root of the problem is in the nominating process.

Democracy is designed to allow citizens to choose the best man or woman from among their fellows to represent them at the local, state, and federal level. But this is not what happens today. Today, not only are candidates not drafted by the community, they are not even drafted by the party. They are drafted by a conglomerate of wealthy and powerful interests, some of whom are not even American or have duel citizenship.

The scope of the problem is great and so is the solution. But first we must organize. To the mind of PTI, once American workers lost their power in the work-place they lost it in government. Ever since Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 higly skilled air-traffic controllers the hunt for the working man and woman was on. Since those days of deregulation, management has been drunk
with power and profits. Meanwhile, our people have been subjected to years of divisive propaganda and social engineering until we are effectively disorganized, divided, and defeatist. Every American has been reduced to a hyphenated identity; Afro-American, Irish-American, Japanese-American, Mexican-American, while even our most honored founding fathers are
incessently denigrated and redefined as racists and hypocrites in order to disconnect us from our heritage and further weaken our national identity.

PTI believes the only way to restore representative government under the present circumstances is through re-uniting our people, first at the local precinct level, then by township, county, state, and finally as a nation. As all other options prove ineffective and Congress convinces more people that they are not going to act, our strategy is slowly taking hold in the
imaginations of more and more incensed Americans. PTI is calling on Americans in every community to find your allies among your neighbors and form your own local strike force, ready and waiting for the strike date to be announced once we have enough people on board to insure the effectiveness of the action.

There are PTI organizers in several states working to bring their neighbors together in the cause of defending our democracy. In Tennessee, a diner owner has not only signed a pledge to stay home when the strike is called, but has requested a PTI poster be placed in his window, announcing that the diner will be closed during the strike and telling people to come inside and learn about the movement to mount a national strike for impeachment. Already people are sending others to the diner of the man who has the courage to stand up to tyranny. We are working to duplicate this in the privately owned diners and coffee shops across America.

The beginnings are in motion. Our cause is not only to impeach Bush and Cheney but to also prevent the spilling of a single drop of blood, with a strong and comprehensive plan for effective passive resistance. PTI thinks we have such a Plan and asks that you read the Plan, Sign a Pledge, and start Organizing your precinct. Time is running short.

Once Bush/Cheney exit office without prosecution, the effort to stop the runaway train toward tyranny becomes nearly impossible. The next president will inherit all the expanded powers collected under the Bush Administration without any of their crimes. Under the new administration, we will be subjected to the will of those in power without any case to keep them at bey.

Today we can still stop them without ever breaking a law, getting arrested, getting pepper sprayed, netted, or tasered. Not a drop of blood need be spilled. When we have the law, the truth, and the People with us,

we will win. I guarantee it.

IMPEACHMENT TOOLKIT; ballot for a People's Referendum

Impeachment is not a choice..it is dictated by the Consititution.

NOT TO IMPEACH IS A TREASONABLE OFFENCE.

If it does not happen, follow this or any other course to get rid of the entire treasonous lot.....


This is your chance to take a stand for your country.



A Ballot for a People’s Referendum



The United States government is broken almost beyond repair, completely and totally under the control of business and non-responsive to the will of the American Citizen. Our rights guaranteed under the Constitution have been ignored and dissolved. We are engaged in a war that the majority of the People do not support. Our children and Iraqi children are being poisoned with depleted uranium and slaughtered. Our Veterans are being ignored and abused. Innocent Citizens of the World are being tortured under our name. Our environment is being destroyed. Monumental catastrophes in our country have been ignored. The system of elections has been corrupted. Our children are being denied health care. The illegal Federal Reserve System has stolen trillions of dollars from our economy and its laborers. The integrity, honor and spirit of the American People have been forever scarred.

It is long past time to take back this United States from the corporations who have become the government.

It is time to re-establish and refresh the original content and spirit of the Constitution of the United States of America.

This is a call to all True Americans to awaken from the nightmare that pervades our land….to create a new dream…..a dream based on truth, honor, integrity and real equality.

This ballot is the beginning.

DO YOU BELIEVE THIS GOVERNMENT…..
EXECUTIVE, LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL
SHOULD BE RECALLED AND DISSOLVED
AND A NEW DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
ELECTED DIRECTLY BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
PUT IN IT’S PLACE?

PLEASE CHECK “YES” OR “NO’


YES____ NO____


Signature_________________________________


Email Address (optional, but strongly requested)________________________


Postal Address (optional)_______________


___________________________________


Please copy, paste and send to ignotzle@windstream.net

IMPEACHMENT TOOLKIT. Kunich Privileged Resolution

Rep. Dennis Kucinich Privileged Resolution



The Flag of the United States of America

Washington, Nov 6 - Below is a copy of the speech Congressman Dennis Kucinich gave on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today.

Mr. Speaker:

Pursuant to 2.A.1. of Rule 9, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a Question of the Privilege of the House, The form of the resolution is as follows:

Resolved, That Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Article I
In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests, to wit:

(1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction:

(A) `We know they have biological and chemical weapons.' March 17, 2002, Press Conference by Vice President Dick Cheney and His Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain at Shaikh Hamad Palace.

(B) `. . . and we know they are pursuing nuclear weapons.' March 19, 2002, Press Briefing by Vice President Dick Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.

(C) `And he is actively pursuing nuclear weapons at this time . . .' March 24, 2002, CNN Late Edition interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `We know he's got chemicals and biological and we know he's working on nuclear.' May 19, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(E) `But we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons . . . Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.' August 26, 2002, Speech of Vice President Cheney at VFW 103rd National Convention.

(F) `Based on intelligence that's becoming available, some of it has been made public, more of it hopefully will be, that he has indeed stepped up his capacity to produce and deliver biological weapons, that he has reconstituted his nuclear program to develop a nuclear weapon, that there are efforts under way inside Iraq to significantly expand his capability.' September 8, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(G) `He is, in fact, actively and aggressively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.' September 8, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(H) `And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.' March 16, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no legitimate evidence existed of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Vice President pressured the intelligence community to change their findings to enable the deception of the citizens and Congress of the United States.

(A) Vice President Cheney and his Chief of Staff, Lewis Libby, made multiple trips to the CIA in 2002 to question analysts studying Iraq's weapons programs and alleged links to al Qaeda, creating an environment in which analysts felt they were being pressured to make their assessments fit with the Bush administration's policy objectives accounts.

(B) Vice President Cheney sought out unverified and ultimately inaccurate raw intelligence to prove his preconceived beliefs. This strategy of cherry picking was employed to influence the interpretation of the intelligence.

(3) The Vice President's actions corrupted or attempted to corrupt the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, an intelligence document issued on October 1, 2002, and carefully considered by Congress prior to the October 10, 2002, vote to authorize the use of force. The Vice President's actions prevented the necessary reconciliation of facts for the National Intelligence Estimate which resulted in a high number of dissenting opinions from technical experts in two Federal agencies.

(A) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate stated `Lacking persuasive evidence that Baghdad has launched a coherent effort to reconstitute it's nuclear weapons program INR is unwilling to speculate that such an effort began soon after the departure of UN inspectors or to project a timeline for the completion of activities it does not now see happening. As a result INR is unable to predict that Iraq could acquire a nuclear device or weapon.'.

(B) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate also stated that `Finally, the claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in Africa are, in INR's assessment, highly dubious.'.

(C) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate references a Department of Energy opinion by stating that `INR accepts the judgment of technical experts at the US Department of Energy (DOE) who have concluded that the tubes Iraq seeks to acquire are poorly suited for use in gas centrifuges to be used for uranium enrichment and finds unpersuasive the arguments advanced by others to make the case that they are intended for that purpose.'.

The Vice President subverted the national security interests of the United States by setting the stage for the loss of more than 3800 United States service members; the loss of more than 1 million innocent Iraqi citizens since the United States invasion; the loss of approximately $500 billion in war costs which has increased our Federal debt; the loss of military readiness within the United States Armed Services due to overextension, lack of training and lack of equipment; the loss of United States credibility in world affairs; and the decades of likely blowback created by the invasion of Iraq.

In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article II
In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in order to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests, to wit:

(1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the citizens and the Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda:

(A) `His regime has had high-level contacts with Al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to Al Qaeda terrorists.' December 2, 2002, Speech of Vice President Cheney at the Air National Guard Senior Leadership Conference.

(B) `His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us.' January 30, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney to 30th Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

(C) `We know he's out trying once again to produce nuclear weapons and we know that he has a long-standing relationship with various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda organization.' March 16, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the '90s, that it involved training, for example, on biological weapons and chemical weapons . . .' September 14, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

(E) `Al Qaeda had a base of operation there up in Northeastern Iraq where they ran a large poisons factory for attacks against Europeans and U.S. forces.' October 3, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney at Bush-Cheney '04 Fundraiser in Iowa.

(F) `He also had an established relationship with Al Qaeda providing training to Al Qaeda members in areas of poisons, gases, and conventional bombs.' October 10, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney to the Heritage Foundation.

(G) `Al Qaeda and the Iraqi intelligence services have worked together on a number of occasions.' January 9, 2004, Rocky Mountain News interview with Vice President Cheney.

(H) `I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.' January 22, 2004, NPR: Morning Edition interview with Vice President Cheney.

(I) `First of all, on the question of--of whether or not there was any kind of relationship, there clearly was a relationship. It's been testified to; the evidence is overwhelming.' June 17, 2004, CNBC: Capital Report interview with Vice President Cheney.

(2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no credible evidence existed of a working relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, a fact articulated in several official documents, including:

(A) A classified Presidential Daily Briefing ten days after the September 11, 2001, attacks indicating that the United States intelligence community had no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11th attacks and that there was `scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda'.

(B) Defense Intelligence Terrorism Summary No. 044-02, issued in February 2002 by the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, which challenged the credibility of information gleaned from captured al Qaeda leader al-Libi. The DIA report also cast significant doubt on the possibility of a Saddam Hussein-al-Qaeda conspiracy: `Saddam's regime is intensely secular and is wary of Islamic revolutionary movements. Moreover, Baghdad is unlikely to provide assistance to a group it cannot control.'.

(C) A January 2003 British intelligence classified report on Iraq that concluded that `there are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network'.

The Vice President subverted the national security interests of the United States by setting the stage for the loss of more than 3,800 United States service members; the loss of more than 1 million innocent Iraqi citizens since the United States invasion; the loss of approximately $500 billion in war costs which has increased our Federal debt; the loss of military readiness within the United States Armed Services due to overextension, lack of training and lack of equipment; the loss of United States credibility in world affairs; and the decades of likely blowback created by the invasion of Iraq.

In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article III
In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran absent any real threat to the United States, and done so with the United States proven capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining the national security of the United States, to wit:

(1) Despite no evidence that Iran has the intention or the capability of attacking the United States and despite the turmoil created by United States invasion of Iraq, the Vice President has openly threatened aggression against Iran as evidenced by the following:

(A) `For our part, the United States is keeping all options on the table in addressing the irresponsible conduct of the regime. And we join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.' March 7, 2006, Speech of Vice President Cheney to American Israel Public Affairs Committee 2006 Policy Conference.

(B) `But we've also made it clear that all options are on the table.' January 24, 2007, CNN Situation Room interview with Vice President Cheney.

(C) `When we--as the President did, for example, recently--deploy another aircraft carrier task force to the Gulf, that sends a very strong signal to everybody in the region that the United States is here to stay, that we clearly have significant capabilities, and that we are working with friends and allies as well as the international organizations to deal with the Iranian threat.' January 29, 2007, Newsweek interview with Vice President Cheney.

(D) `But I've also made the point and the President has made the point that all options are still on the table.' February 24, 2007, Vice President Cheney at Press Briefing with Australian Prime Minister in Sydney, Australia.

(2) The Vice President, who repeatedly and falsely claimed to have had specific, detailed knowledge of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction capabilities, is no doubt fully aware of evidence that demonstrates Iran poses no real threat to the United States as evidenced by the following:

(A) `I know that what we see in Iran right now is not the industrial capacity you can [use to develop a] bomb.' Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, February 19, 2007.

(B) Iran indicated its `full readiness and willingness to negotiate on the modality for the resolution of the outstanding issues with the IAEA, subject to the assurances for dealing with the issues in the framework of the Agency, without the interference of the United Nations Security Council'. IAEA Board Report, February 22, 2007.

(C) `. . . so whatever they have, what we have seen today, is not the kind of capacity that would enable them to make bombs.' Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, February 19, 2007.

(3) The Vice President is fully aware of the actions taken by the United States towards Iran that are further destabilizing the world as evidenced by the following:

(A) The United States has refused to engage in meaningful diplomatic relations with Iran since 2002, rebuffing both bilateral and multilateral offers to dialogue.

(B) The United States is currently engaged in a military buildup in the Middle East that includes the increased presence of the United States Navy in the waters near Iran, significant United States Armed Forces in two nations neighboring to Iran, and the installation of anti-missile technology in the region.

(C) News accounts have indicated that military planners have considered the B61-11, a tactical nuclear weapon, as one of the options to strike underground bunkers in Iran.

(D) The United States has been linked to anti-Iranian organizations that are attempting to destabilize the Iranian government, in particular the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), even though the state department has branded it a terrorist organization.

(E) News accounts indicate that United States troops have been ordered into Iran to collect data and establish contact with anti-government groups.

(4) In the last three years the Vice President has repeatedly threatened Iran. However, the Vice President is legally bound by the U.S. Constitution's adherence to international law that prohibits threats of use of force.

(A) Article VI of the United States Constitution states, `This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land.' Any provision of an international treaty ratified by the United States becomes the law of the United States.

(B) The United States is a signatory to the United Nations Charter, a treaty among the nations of the world. Article II, Section 4 of the United Nations Charter states, `All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.' The threat of force is illegal.

(C) Article 51 lays out the only exception, `Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.' Iran has not attacked the United States; therefore any threat against Iran by the United States is illegal.

The Vice President's deception upon the citizens and Congress of the United States that enabled the failed United States invasion of Iraq forcibly altered the rules of diplomacy such that the Vice President's recent belligerent actions towards Iran are destabilizing and counterproductive to the national security of the United States.

In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

Mr. Speaker: This resolution is similar to a resolution which I introduced earlier this year and has the support of 22 of my colleagues here in the House of Representatives.

Print version of this document

Poll: Most Americans Support Full Due-Process Rights for Terror Suspects.

A recent survey showed that whether Republican or Democrat, Americans strongly support terrorism suspects rights. 73% of Americans support basic due process rights for terror suspects. And a majority of Americans, 57%, were against the Bush administration's practice of extraordinary rendition.

read more | digg story

How Bush Keeps Rendition Victims Out of Courts

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL OF LAW

Andover, Massachusetts

A MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL OF LAW REPORT

“Thousands” Illegally Rendered By Bush Administration for Interrogation, Torture; How Bush Changed Rendition Policy

In violation of international and U.S. law, “thousands” of alleged terrorists have been victims of “extraordinary rendition” by the Bush Administration since 9/11, two legal scholars say.

“Instead of working to bring those committing crimes against the United States to justice in U.S. courts, the Bush Administration seems intent on doing exactly the opposite---keeping such individuals away from U.S. courts, hidden in a web of secret prisons, underground interrogation cells, and in the hands of cooperative governments,” write Margaret Satterthwaite and Angela Fisher.

Satterthwaite is an assistant professor of clinical law at NYU School of Law and Fisher served as assistant research scholar with the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice.

“Extraordinary renditions, whether originating in territories under U.S. control (actual or effective) or merely carried out by U.S. agents, are unlawful and in violation of international treaties to which the United States is a party,” the authors write.

“Despite this clear prohibition, the Bush Administration continues to engage in this practice, using it to transfer detainees out of the reach of U.S. courts and into the realm of secret detentions and brutal interrogations.”

“Having altered the procedure from a transfer sanctioned by U.S. courts to a transfer that is extralegal, this Administration completed the transformation of extraordinary rendition from transfer to justice to transfer out of the justice system,” the authorities contend in an article titled “Tortured Logic: Renditions to Justice, Extraordinary Rendition, and Human Rights Law” published in “The Long Term View,” a journal of informed opinion published by the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover(Volume 6, No. 4).


The authors explain that extraordinary rendition is an updated form of “rendition to justice,” first secretly authorized in 1986 by President Reagan in National Security Decision Directive 207, which formalized U.S. policy to fight terrorism. It came into being, they say, because the U.S. in the 1980s did not have valid extradition treaties with countries that commonly housed terrorists or because those nations refused to give the suspects up.

Under Reagan, they write, “it has never been suggested that the purpose of the program was to subject the detainees to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Once in the United States, the rendered individual would be treated like any other federal detainee awaiting trial.”

Satterthwaite and Fisher said President George H.W. Bush authorized specific procedures for renditions in 1993 through National Security Directive 77.

President Clinton, they noted, went further “emphasizing rendition as a key counter-terrorism strategy” and signing presidential decision directive PDD-39 on June 21, 1995, which stated, in part, “Return of suspects by force may be effected without the cooperation of the host government…” One outcome of the Clinton policy, the scholars write, was the rendition of Tal’at Fu’ad Qassim, an Egyptian national that had been granted asylum in Denmark and seized by the U.S. in Bosnia and transported to Egypt, where he was reportedly executed---the first known rendition by the U.S. of a victim to a third country with a record of torture.

Between 1998 and 2000, the CIA rendered more than two dozen suspects, then-CIA Director George Tenet testified. In 2004, Tenet testified before Congress there had been more than 80 renditions prior to September 11, 2001.

Since 9/11, the scholars wrote, renditions have been used not to obtain jurisdiction over the suspects in order to prosecute “but instead to get an individual to talk.
” Previous renditions that required approval by an inter-agency group that included the Departments of Justice and State, were now placed in the hands of the CIA, which could render suspects “without consultation.”


Satterthwaite and Fisher write extraordinary rendition is prohibited by a number of international human rights treaties the U.S. has signed, including the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment(“CAT”), and the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights(ICCPR, or “the Covenant”).

Both prohibit the refoulement, or transfer, of an individual to another state where the person faces the risk of torture. Both treaties require ratifying states to institute domestic laws penalizing torture and CAT specifically requires states to criminalize conspiracy and aiding and abetting in torture.

Sherwood Ross has worked as a publicist for the City of Chicago and Nassau County, N.Y.,governments; as a news director for the National Urban League; as a reporter for the Chicago Daily News; as a workplace columnist for Reuters; as a media consultant to colleges, universities, law schools and more than 100 national magazines including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Business Week, and Foreign Policy; as a speechwriter for mayors, governors and presidential candidates, and as a radio news reporter and talk show host at WOL, Washington, D.C. He holds an award for "best spot news coverage" for Chicago radio stations in 1963. His degree from the University of Miami was in race relations and he has written a book, "Gruening of Alaska," a number of national magazine articles and several plays, including "Baron Jiro," produced at Live Arts Theatre, Charlottesville, Va., and "Yamamoto's Decision," read at the National Press Club, where he is a member. His favorite quotations are from the Sermon on The Mount.


TASER FILE: Guliani connection

The Giuliani Connection to the TASER Abuse Explosion

by Zak Maymin Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com



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giulianikerik.jpg

Bernard Kerik, former Giuliani's driver , is behind the sudden advancement of tasers. The phenominal rise of tasers is mainly due to the efforts of Rudy Giuliani. In 2001, Taser International developed its "Advanced Taser Electro-Muscular Disruption" system and became a publicly traded company ("Taser"). In 2000, Giuliani installed Kerik as the New York City police commissioner. In 2002, Kerik, a senior vice president at Giuliani Partners and CEO of Giuliani-Kerik LLC, became Taser's director.

With Kerik at the steering wheel, Taser's profits grew ten times in two years, to $68 million in 2004, up from just under $7 million in 2001. By the way, sales have been helped along by police officers who have received payments and/or stock options from Taser to serve as instructors and trainers.

received weapons orders from Homeland Security. In 2004 Bush, lobbied by Giuliani, nominated Kerik as Secretary of Homeland Security. The same year, Kerik made more than $6 million from Taser.

Just five years earlier, Kerik faced lawsuits over delinquent payments for his condo. The life of this high school dropout changed after he became Giuliani's chauffeur. Giuliani made him rich, powerful, and, as a result, well-educated. After Kerik got a mail-order Bachelor's Degree from Empire State College in 2002, he went on to receive Honorary Doctorates from Iona College, New York Institute of Technology, Manhattanville College, the College of New Rochelle, and Michigan State University. In 2002, according to keriklegaltrust.com, "Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, also honored him with an honorary appointment as Commander of the Most Excellent Royal Order of the British Empire."

In 2004, the Commander of the Most Excellent Royal Order withdrew as nominee for secretary of homeland security and resigned from Giuliani Partners "to clear his good name. " "He continues to be a friend,'' said Giuliani of the Commander and immediately renamed Giuliani-Kerik LLC to Giuliani Security & Safety LLC.

Earlier this month, Kerik was indicted on federal criminal charges.

A U.N. committee called the use of tasers "a form of torture." Amnesty International estimated in hundreds taser related deaths.

Giuliani: "Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do."

Ok, we get it. It's all because of the war on terror. Just where is it all going?

Next we will see flying taser saucers zapping us from the sky. Don't believe it? This weapon has already been built by Taser and tested in Houston. Then there is the crowd control taser. The Air Force secretary Wynne called for using it against US citizens first, before we try it on terrorists, because that "... would make it easier to avoid questions in the international community over any possible safety concerns."

Yesterday's poll showed Rudy Taser Giuliani as the best candidate to address terrorism. Just don't tase us, bro!

www.publicani.com

Zak Maymin works in finance and writes about freedom.

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