Alberto Gonzales represents a certain mind set, a mind set that the world has seen before. The mind set of tyrants and dictators. "He (Gonzales) refused to say whether conduct mentioned in F.B.I. e-mails was illegal - such as burning detainees with lighted cigarettes, exposing them to extreme temperatures, or subjecting them to forcible enemas and prolonged stress positions in their own urine and feces," Kennedy (Senator Kennedy) said. From: Senate Judiciary Democrats still waiting for answers from Alberto Gonzales.
Didn't these people ever read "The Gulag Archipelago"? The way to defeat the bad guys is NOT to "become" the bad guys.
"The battle over Gonzales has focused largely on an Aug. 1, 2002, memo he approved that stated only the most severe types of torture were not permissible under U.S. and international agreements. The memo was withdrawn after a public outcry." From: Reid: Most Senate Democrats Oppose Gonzales
And consider this: "Gonzales' legal briefs arguing that Presidential statements shielding torturers from arrest imply that the President is above the law, or that the President himself IS the law; that sovereignty and law emanate from him. Compare that to some definitions of tyranny." from: Reid Using Gonzales Vote to Fight Tyranny at Home
But what about the rebuttal to complaining against torture? Aren't all these people being tortured and abused the worst kinds of terrorists? Well, apparently you can be detained for 3 years at Guantanamo and still not produce enough evidence to face trial.
"He (Lieutenant Commander Flex Plexico, a Pentagon spokesman) said: 'They were labeled enemy combatants at Guantanamo but in Britain they are being assessed on a legal standing as opposed to a combative standing. I believe the UK did not have the information needed to charge (them).' " From: US captors' 'systematic torture'
These are the sad days in America where our Administration tries its best to bring our country down to the level of our worst enemies by bringing on policies of prisoner torture and abuse and perpetual detainment without trial...
And Alberto Gonzales is a collaborator and enabler of this process. He doesn't deserve to be Attorney General, the question is whether he deserves to be on trial for war crimes or not...
Article comments
1 - Roy Smith
One sure way to lose the war on terror is to be the biggest hypocrites on the planet. Confirming Mr. Gonzales will only strengthen those who see us as tyrants and hypocrites. On the bright side, both of my senators are voting against confirmation, so at least I and the citizens of my state still retain some moral leverage.