‘Holy Hell’ Over Torture Memos

If you don't want to read about it, don't let it happen. If you do it, don't cry and whine when people find out that you did it. We need accountability. If American officials can authorize violations of the law, or violate it personally (whether llaws against torture or anything else), with great assurance that they will never be held to account for those crimes, then we might as well not have those laws to begin with...or we can quit making the claim that "nobody is above the law", because officials (or anyone under their orders) certainly ARE above the law, if the law won't or can't touch them.

Release the memos. If laws were violated, enforce them. Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Let justice be done, no matter which well-connected big cheese in a three-piece suit is implicated.

As you may have heard, North Korea recently detained two Korean-American journalists and is going to try them on numerous charges. US is trying to negotiate their release.

I can imagine the dialog:

USA: "Are they given access to legal councel"?
NK: No. Terrorists are not entitled to legal councel. That's what many american people think, too"
USA: "Were they tortured?"
NK: "Nothing President Bush would not approve to the terrorists. He would not call it torture."
USA: When is the court hearing?
NK: "We can hold terrorists indefinitely without a hearing. That's what you do, too"

friendofamerica, did you notice that Bush stopped trying to get Bin Laden, the person actually responsible for the 9/11 attack? I think it's interesting that the reasoning given for blocking the release of the memos is that it might embarrass foreign countries, not the U.S. I think U.S. citizens have the right to know if our values have been trampled. We have a right to know if members of our government decided they are above the law. Torture has not helped to get any useful information and has caused our nation great political harm. Our use of torture actually helped Al Qaeda in it's recruitment drive.

In addition to releasing the memo's there are people that need to be investigated for crimes against humanity - and in the case of our ousted CIA officer - treason during a time of war.

Is Newsweek owned by Sheiks of the Arab World? Why do you sound so apologetic? You guys keep on criticizing Bush but you forget conveniently that there was no terrorist attack in USA after Sept. 11, 2001 largely because of the tough stand that Bush took to fight terrorism. Let's see how your darling Obama fairs in this count? It seems you are bent on converting the whole America into one Islamic country with Fareed Zakaria calling for living witht the radical Islamists?

People who violated the US and international laws have to be prosecuted. They have commited horrific crimes, jailed and tortured innocent people and created even mmore mess in the most explosive region of the world. To let them off the hook would be a huge mistake, a very costly one if the US cares about restoring it's image and, even more important, its integrity.

Simple! We are either against torture or we are in favor of torture. The White House should act accordingly, thus letting the entire world know that we DO mean what we say. Anything else is simply 'politics as usual'.