"Despite the hopes of many human-rights advocates, the new Obama Justice Department is not likely to launch major new criminal probes of harsh interrogations and other alleged abuses by the Bush administration," Newsweek's Michael Isikoff reports. "But one idea that has currency among some top Obama advisers is setting up a 9/11-style commission that would investigate counterterrorism policies and make public as many details as possible."They should be.
"At a minimum, the American people have to be able to see and judge what happened," said one senior adviser, who asked not to be identified talking about policy matters. The commission would be empowered to order the U.S. intelligence agencies to open their files for review and question senior officials who approved "waterboarding" and other controversial practices.
Obama aides are wary of taking any steps that would smack of political retribution.
If they are talking about quitting the Patriot Act (because heaven forbid people are bitching unnecessarily about the possibility that their phone records might be accessed -OH MY!), I'd say grow up and choose something else to talk about. Our rights are not being taken away, our freedom is being protected.
Too easily said? If Obama attacks the Bush administration's oversight of our military in a time of war and the methods they may have used to obtain vital information to keep Americans safe from terrorism, we know the press will happily perform for him, but it will harm our resolve.
Some soldiers partaking in activities demoralizing other human beings should be punished, yes. But there are some things best left off of the American public's radar screen.
3 comments:
Its sad that you take such a sarcastic and nonchalant view of the 4th amendment.
The government listing in on conversations without a warrant is a big deal. You cannot protect freedom by taking other freedoms away.
It's not nonchalant and sarcastic. To sum it up in a blog post, perhaps it appears that way.
But I have zero hesitation to do whatever it takes to protect the people of the United States.
What freedoms do you take away from terrorists, but their freedom to plot mass murders of thousands of human beings, simply because they disagree with the God we worship or don't worship?
What freedoms do you take away from terrorists when you thwart their plans and their connection to eachother by holding them in prison, as criminals who have committed injustices and should be punished?
Call me whatever you wish, but I'm happy to deny anyone that freedom.
And you actually think that these laws will pinpoint only the terrorists, and that the rest of us won't ever be spied upon, or subject to prosecution b/c of these things?
Its already happened. Anti-terrorism laws are being used for all sorts of non-terrorism related crimes.
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