Barry O’Bomber: Where Are The Lawyers? by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
May 30, 2012

Image by SS&SS via Flickr

The rule of law is rapidly breaking down at the top levels of our government. As officers of the court, we have sworn to “support the Constitution,” which clearly implies an affirmative commitment on our part.

Take the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The conservative American Bar Association sent three white papers to President Bush describing his continual unconstitutional policies. Then and now civil liberties groups and a few law professors, such as the stalwart David Cole of Georgetown University and Jonathan Turley of George Washington University, have distinguished themselves in calling out both presidents for such violations and the necessity for enforcing the rule of law.

Chris Hedges and Carl Mayer: NDAA – Who is a Terrorist? + Ron Paul: I’d Veto the Indefinite Detention Act (NDAA)

with Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Jan. 17, 2012

Image by Truthout.org via Flickr

democracynow on Jan 17, 2012

http://www.democracynow.org – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges has filed suit against President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to challenge the legality of the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes controversial provisions authorizing the military to jail anyone it considers a terrorism suspect anywhere in the world, without charge or trial. Sections of the bill are written so broadly that critics say they could encompass journalists who report on terror-related issues, such as Hedges, for supporting enemy forces. “It is clearly unconstitutional,” Hedges says of the bill.

“It is a huge and egregious assault against our democracy. It overturns over 200 years of law, which has kept the military out of domestic policing.” We speak with Hedges, now a senior fellow at the Nation Institute, and former New York Times foreign correspondent who was part of a team of reporters that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for the paper’s coverage of global terrorism. We are also joined by Hedges’ attorney Carl Mayer, who filed the litigation on his behalf in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Obama versus civil liberties

Dandelion Salad

Image by sandy_sanders via Flickr

Editorial
SocialistWorker.org
Jan. 4, 2012

Far from being the exception, the undermining of constitutional rights is standard operating procedure under capitalism, regardless of which politicians are in charge.

THE U.S. military can indefinitely detain U.S. citizens without trial–that’s the latest of our supposedly “inalienable rights” sacrificed by the Democratic former constitutional law professor who currently inhabits in the White House.

After promising during his campaign to roll back the abuses of the Bush administration, Barack Obama has spent the last three years pushing through attacks on civil liberties that Republicans could only dream about.

Ralph Nader: Debating Taboos: Legality of Afghanistan and Iraq Wars

Dandelion Salad

with Ralph Nader

C-SPAN Video Library
Nov. 18, 2011

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

Panelists debated the legality of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and actions taken by the George W. Bush and Obama administrations since the start of them. Topics included the the use of waterboarding or other enhanced interrogation techniques, continued detainment of combatants without due process, and the killings of Osama bin Laden and American al-Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki.

Torture used to fabricate false case to invade Iraq + Cheney Ordered Torture For War

Dandelion Salad

firedoglake
May 15, 2009

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Rachel Maddow: The Bush Administration I Mean Obama Administration…

Turley: Pelosi’s denials not credible

Dandelion Salad

firedoglake
May 07, 2009

Rachel Maddow-Professor Jonathan Turley: Speaker Pelosi’s denials not credible
05_07_09 visit: http://firedoglake.com

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New Chief Prosecutor Appointed For Military Commissions At Guantánamo by Andy Worthington

Obama Returns To Bush Era On Guantánamo by Andy Worthington

Nancy Pelosi: We Were Not! I Repeat NOT EVER TOLD Waterboarding Was Used!

We Are All Torturers in America By Naomi Wolf

Countdown: Torture – Who to prosecute + Maddow: Philip Zelikow

Dandelion Salad

firedoglake

Countdown-Jonathan Turley – Torture: Who to prosecute… 04_21_09

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Rachel Maddow: the torture memos, part 1

Olbermann Special Comment: We cannot let mistakes of the past haunt our future + Torture Memos

Dandelion Salad

firedoglake

Countdown-Special Comment-On OLC memos, Obama turns his back on the rule of law.
04_16_09 visit: http://firedoglake.com

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U.S. future depends on torture accountability

Olbermann: We cannot let mistakes of the past haunt our future

SPECIAL COMMENT

By Keith Olbermann
Anchor, ‘Countdown’
msnbc.com
Thurs., April 16, 2009

As promised, a Special Comment now on the president’s revelation of the remainder of this nightmare of Bush Administration torture memos. This President has gone where few before him, dared. The dirty laundry — illegal, un-American, self-defeating, self-destroying — is out for all to see.

Mr. Obama deserves our praise and our thanks for that. And yet he has gone but half-way. And, in this case, in far too many respects, half the distance is worse than standing still. Today, Mr. President, in acknowledging these science-fiction-like documents, you said that:

“This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I respect the strong views and emotions that these issues evoke.”

[…]

via Future of U.S. depends on torture accountability – Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com.

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When The President Approves It… It Is Not Illegal!

Countdown: Warrantless Wiretapping & The Military Industrial Complex

Dandelion Salad

VOTERSTHINKdotORG

http://earth2obama.org/

April 08, 2009 MSNBC Keith Olbermann

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Pt 2

Countdown: War Crimes + The Near Miss on Complete Financial Collapse + Leahy + Kanjorski

Dandelion Salad

firedoglake

Jonathan Turley discusses Obama administration prosecutions of Bush and Co. war crimes

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heathr456

The Near Miss on Complete Financial Collapse

Olbermann: C.I.A. Dir Nominee Panetta Retracts Statement On Torture

Dandelion Salad

no longer available

VOTERSTHINKdotORG

February 06, 2009 MSNBC Keith Olbermann

see

Obama’s CIA Man: Afshin Rattansi and ex-CIA man, Ray McGovern

Obama preserves rendition two days after taking office

Olbermann Special Comment: It May Be Time For Mr. Cheney to Leave This Country

Countdown: Turley on Torture Memos and Holder Nomination

Dandelion Salad

heathr456

Keith talks to Jonathan Turley about the ACLU’s request to release the torture memos and on Eric Holder’s supposed assurances to Republican Senators.

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Countdown: Wiretapping, Torture and Rove Subpoena + Ghost Detainees (updated)

Torture on Dandelion Salad

Turley-Jonathan

Countdown: Wiretapping, Torture and Rove Subpoena + Ghost Detainees

Dandelion Salad

Updated: 1.27.09 added video

heathr456

Keith talks to Jonathan Turley about whether there will be any convictions for illegal wiretapping and torture and whether Karl Rove will honor his subpoena to appear before Congress.

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Bush Admin Kept Almost No Records On GITMO Detainees! (Ghost Detainees)

VOTERSTHINKdotORG

http://cspanjunkie.org/

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Updated

Countdown: Rove’s possible HJC testimony and executive privilege

firedoglake

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Conyers Subpoenas Karl Rove: “It’s Time to Talk”

Obama Sides With Bush in Spy Case

Torture on Dandelion Salad

Domestic Spying on Dandelion Salad

Turley-Jonathan

Obama to close terrorist ‘black sites’ + Countdown: Gitmo & Dept of Justice + Executive Orders

Dandelion Salad

Updated: 1.24.09 added another story, scroll down

Updated: added executive orders; added a video of the signing

Sara A. Carter and Eli Lake
Washington Times
Thursday, January 22, 2009

President Obama on Thursday will order the closure of so-called black sites, where CIA and European security services have interrogated terrorist suspects, under executive orders dismantling much of the Bush administration’s architecture for the war on terror, according to four individuals familiar with a draft executive order.

[…]

Mr. Obama, in one of his first acts as president, on Wednesday suspended all the military commissions for 120 days. During his campaign and after his election, he promised that his administration would not practice torture. In his Inaugural address Tuesday, he said, “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals … Those ideals still light the world and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”

[…]

via Washington Times – Obama to close terrorist ‘black sites’.

h/t: CLG

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Countdown: Jonathan Turley visits, discusses blown Oath, Guantanamo detainees, Department of Justice

New Questions About U.S. Interrogations Techniques

Dandelion Salad

VOTERSTHINKdotORG

http://cspanjunkie.org/

January 20, 2009 CBC The National

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From CLG

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government

21 Jan 2009

http://www.legitgov.org/

All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Obama to sign order shutting Guantanamo prison within a year 21 Jan 2009 President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order Thursday to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center within a year and halt military [kangaroo] trials of terror suspects held there, a senior administration official said. The executive order was one of three expected imminently on how to interrogate and prosecute ‘al-Qaida,’ Taliban or other foreign fighters believed to threaten the United States. The official said the president would sign the order Thursday, fulfilling his campaign promise to shut down a facility that critics around the world say violates domestic and international detainee rights.