War Crimes are for Real and Bush Should Pay

There is an excellent a very detailed article by Matthew Rothschild, of the The Progressive concerning the apparent impunity of Rumsfeld and Bush with respect to war crimes. Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the ACLU, the American Bar Association, and Human Rights First (formerly known as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) have joined in a call for a special prosecutor. But, guess what, that decision is up to Gonzales and ultimately Bush. These guys have managed, with the appointment of Abu Gonzales to immunize themselves from any prosecution for their crimes.
It is imperative that that issue be kept alive in the media and on the internet. It would be the greatest travesty if these bastards got away with this unscathed. Bush and Cheney should not be allowed to just dismiss the opinions of all of these respected human rights organizations by just saying their findings are absurd. Somebody in the media have to call them on it and keep pressing. It is probably too much to expect our media to do the job.

Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International USA say there is "prima facie" evidence against Rumsfeld for war crimes and torture. And Amnesty International USA says there is also "prima facie" evidence against Bush for war crimes and torture. (According to Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "prima facie evidence" is "evidence sufficient to establish a fact or to raise a presumption of fact unless rebutted.")

The Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture all prohibit the torture and abuse that the United States has been inflicting on detainees. Article 2 of the Convention Against Torture states that "no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."

Article VI of the Constitution makes treaties "the supreme law of the land," and the President swears an oath to see that the laws are faithfully executed. Bush has violated his oath of office not only in this but in many ways.

Here is the White House response from Scotty

"The allegations are ridiculous and unsupported by the facts," McClellan said. "The United States is leading the way when it comes to protecting human rights and promoting human dignity. We have liberated fifty million people in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . We're also leading the way when it comes to spreading compassion."

Gag me with a spoon! When did death, maiming and misery become compassion?