A Torture Report Could Spell Big Trouble For Bush Lawyers

Instead of asking "Is it wrong/ right to torture" why dont we ask our veterans of WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. The ones in the Japanese camps or people that were in the Unit 731. Or ask the Americans that got tortured in Korea or Vietnam. I would be willing to bet they would never want a humun to go throught what they did. Heck, Lets just ask Senator John McCain. The same same people that are saying "we need to torture" the terrorist are the same ones protesting when our troops are torture. Do unto others as you would want unto you. Wake up America, lets stop being Republican or Democrats, Liberals or Conservative. Lets be AMERICANS

This I truly believe. Yo creo!

"Perhaps Republicans would do well to emphasize traditional conservatism and dally less with hate groups and "religious" freaks.

Perhaps Republicans should wipe the grins off their face, having stolen our treasure and walked away from it with billions in odd change falling out of their pockets.

For some, it comes as news that conservatism is not totalitarianism.

To some it comes as news that conservatism is not religious bigotry.

Conservative has nothing to do with crashing the once greatest economy in history into the twin towers of prudence and integrity. All gone now. Perhaps forever.

Conservatism is not corporatism.

Republicans flirted all too seriously with totalitarianism over the past 8 years: the so-called "unitary executive" charade.

There was virtually nothing "conservative" about the BushCheneyRove years.

Federal government interference in people's personal, medical, social and religious life is not "conservative."
Such invasion of inalienable rights is often closer to hate than compassion and closer to demonic that "religious."

Dr. Dobson and his ilk are mentally challenged crackpots, completely out of step with classical conservatism as well as being avowed enemies of what most Americans perceive, even dimly, as the zeitgeist.

With the late, great, Barry Goldwater, a true conservative, his party needs to declare, as he did, that "Jerry Falwell can kiss my ass." I could vote for that and so could a majority of our citizens.

Republicans have just about done us in. They have no credibility here or around the world. They are not a joke.

They are a virus.

Republicans need now to show some patriotism. Patriotism is more than just sending our men and women to die in some hell-hole for "freedom." There is more to love of country than a hand slap and a "Semper Fi."

All the draft dodgers wrapped in the flag to sell wars that were never fully explained, never fully justified, have given "conservative" a bad smell.


Republicans, so-named, need to be the party that checks the extremes of liberal progressivism, for the good of the nation. They need to have credibility.

Fat chance of that in any of our lifetimes.

We need them to do anything constructive at all. As of today, they are sitting on the sidelines, laughing up their sleeves as America tries to dig out of the grave they have left for us. Child idiots, all. Dangerous at that.

We do need them though.


We need them to stop hating America."

Mark Thieme 16 February 2009

Based on my more than 32 years of litigation practice in the Federal Courts, I state that the critical issue for our Republic is that most citizens have failed to understand that the abuses and malfeasance of DOJ was constructed upon the foundation created since Watergate by DOJ and the Rehnquist and Roberts tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

These jurists have gutted the benchmark holding of Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137 (1803), which established the doctrine of judicial review. Here, in a brilliant display of deductive logic, Chief Justice John Marshall confirmed in a three page opinion that judicial review iby an impartial and independent Judicial Branch s a constitutional imperative by pointing out certain fundamental principles of the United States??? constitutional system: first, that the people had united to establish a limited government; second, that they organized it into three departments and assigned certain powers to each, while at the same time setting limits to the exercise of those powers; and, third, these limits were expressed in a written constitution, which would be a useless document ???if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained.??? Id. at 140.

By disregarding this holding, the Federal Judicial Branch has abuse the delegated authority under the Rules Enabling Act and the Judicial Conference Act to conspire with DOJ during the past 35 years to do away with the right to jury trial to determine issues of malfeasance and to declare both absolute judicial and executive immunity for both tortious and criminal acts. The fact is that this violation of separation of power and checks and balances, as well as the expansion of immunity has occurred under both Democratic and Republican Administrations. I note a case I argued and won in the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of immunity: See Martinez v. Lamagno and DEA, 515 U.S. 417 (1995)(A FTCA involving a negligent DEA agent who caused an accident while driving drunk and having sex. The 4th Cir. and Dist Ct for E.D. of Va., were reversed by the Court holding that an Article III judge must review the Attorney General???s Scope of Employment Certification-"James Bond Defense")

This is just one person's, an ex-Republican-never-a-Democrat-now-Independent, expression of frustration. When I read the articles on the internet and see/hear the news I simply get depressed with all of the negative aspects of everything and by everyone's aggressive and angry criticism aimed at each other. In every case it is always extreme and then rationalized that the other position is always where the fault is. Regrettably, most of the negatives addressed are actually true, as I can't recall ever having seen things as bad/challenging as now and anyone who argues differently would seem to be ignoring reality in blind support of their own strong bias. Some recent examples: more home foreclosures than ever; more job losses than since the great depression; Wall Street corruption and self-indulgence; the financial industry irresponsibility and self-indulgence; corporate irresponsibility, self-indulgence and corruption; political irresponsibility, self-indulgence and the pursuit of private agendas; politicians belligerently disagreeing, faulting and refusing to cooperate or give others any deserved credit; substantial costs of the falsely justified Iraq War; the Afghanistan negative realities contradicting what has been reported; Pakistan's questionable status as a real ally or as being Taliban/al Qaeda tolerant; worldwide economic negatives; challenges with Iran and North Korea; and in everything, a bold and arrogant self-serving gross dishonesty.

(continued below)

The Obama administration needs to look into all aspects of any possible criminal behavior that occured during the Bush administration. It's the only right thing to do. To not do so is to tell every citizen of the world that American law does not apply to all Americans. It says to all Americans and the world that some people, because of rank and privilege, are above the law. When the Obama administration ends, I would hope exactly the same would occur. Ignoring illegal acts by prior administrations has become too much the norm. It's unamerican.

Dear j.cam -- You need to start thinking for yourself. You need to separate the way you FEEL from the way the world is -- which are not (necessarily) the same.

The problem with this "democracy" thing we've got going is that the huge (vast) majority of the population simply cannot distinguish how they FEEL about things and the way things REALLY are.

And, one thing that tips this off is when someone (you in this case) resorts to categorizing groups instead of using reason and logic to interpret the facts ... as best as we can tell. I see it all the time; "you lefties", "you liberals" (like you just wrote), or "you socialists" (even though the people who use this term can never seem to explain to me what "socialism" is, only that they're against it!!!).

Are you a parrot, who brainlessly repeats whatever Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity says -- a zombie with no dignity -- or are you a rational human being with dignity of your own?

Your basic choice here is whether you are going to accept the world for the way it is, and operate on the basis of reality, or if you are going to bend the facts to fit the way you would like the world to be -- and lie to yourself.

Jimbob...

what is it like to live in a world that scares you, that you do not understand?

what is it like not to be able to read or write well?
what is it like to be told you have "low comprehensive skills?"
what is it like to wonder why everyone smirks when you come into the room?
what is it like to be embarrassed by your own ignorance?
what is it like to know you are really dumb and be just barely smart enough to know it is true?

what is it like?

This article raises hopes that are apparently not reality-based. John Yoo is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, which assured me in a 3-page letter in May 2008 (see http://www.snewcomb.net/yoo/killion-yoo-response.pdf) that nobody should expect the Pennsylvania Bar to take any disciplinary action against Yoo. Paul J. Killion, Chief Disciplinary Counsel, also seemed to recommend that I not publish his letter, lest I lose immunity from civil prosecution by Yoo, I suppose for defamation of character. My Dad was a member of that Bar and he had a lot of faith in its professionalism, in the professionalism of its members, and in the rule of law. I'm glad that, being dead, he didn't have to read Killion's letter. Go ahead, take a look for yourself.

Take heart: there is help for the Bush haters gathering here. Just repeat the following to yourself, until you're lulled back into the peaceful fantasy state in which you obviously prefer to live your lives:
1. America's standing in the world is not affected by whether or not Islamists love and respect us.
2. Terrorists are not seeking our sympathy and understanding; they are seeking our annihilation.
3. Claiming that our supposed violations of the Geneva Convention expose our military personnel to torture has no relevance when we're talking about terrorists and jihadists who don't observe any international conventions, Geneva or otherwise, in the first place.
4. Whatever Bush, Cheney, et al did in the heat of battle in the first months and years after 9/11, they were not power-mad sadists. They did what they did to protect Americans. We can debate methods, but don't invent motives just because you hate Republicans.

I am shocked! Been gone 2 hours and nary a rebuttal to comments here to the effect that the Bush administration (?) was beyond corrupt and indeed criminal. No rebuttal to the reality that Republicans may not be traitors, but they hate America. I guess Truth trumps, after all.

Ever notice all the machowingnuts travel in packs?

Apparently, they can't take Rush's heat. Our style here has been pompous and demogogical, just like their role model Rush, but either they were spooked by our number or they are licking wounds (aargh!)

At any rate, perhaps this will provide enough temptation for some of them to come out from their caves and demonstrate their low IQ, macho imperialist brand of "patriotism."

" WE MUST PROTECT OURSELVES!" As they used to say in the olden days, LMAO.

One little tidbit for those who will ask why Obama is sitting on all the Bush secrets. You don't want to know.

Right now, our country would slip under the waves in one big gulp if the world really knew what Obama now knows. It is going to be tricky, but the Bush boys may be surprised how and when their Hell begins.

Hope to hear from some of the cult here soon. Miss your swagger and snark.