Obama wins right to continue Bush torture policies

[Quantum Windbag]

It just sends a quiver up my leg every time I see that Obama is so much better than Bush.

The sharply divided ruling was a major victory for the Obama administration’s efforts to advance a sweeping view of executive secrecy powers. It strengthens the White House’s hand as it has pushed an array of assertive counterterrorism policies, while raising an opportunity for the Supreme Court to rule for the first time in decades on the scope of the president’s power to restrict litigation that could reveal state secrets.
By a 6-to-5 vote, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed a lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan Inc., a Boeing subsidiary accused of arranging flights for the Central Intelligence Agency to transfer prisoners to other countries for imprisonment and interrogation. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the case on behalf of five former prisoners who say they were tortured in captivity — and that Jeppesen was complicit in that alleged abuse.
Judge Raymond C. Fisher described the case, which reversed an earlier decision, as presenting “a painful conflict between human rights and national security.” But, he said, the majority had “reluctantly” concluded that the lawsuit represented “a rare case” in which the government’s need to protect state secrets trumped the plaintiffs’ need to have a day in court.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/us/09secrets.html?_r=2&emc=na&pagewanted=all

Get that folks? National security trumps human rights under Obama.

Here, further litigation presents an unacceptable risk of disclosure of state secrets no matter what legal or factual theories Jeppesen would choose to advance during a defense. Whether or not Jeppesen provided logistical support in connection with the extraordinary rendition and interrogation programs, there is precious little Jeppesen could say about its relevant conduct and knowledge without revealing information about how the United States government does or does not conduct covert operations. Our conclusion holds no matter what protective procedures the district court might employ. Adversarial litigation, including pretrial discovery of documents and witnesses and the presentation of documents and testimony at trial, is inherently complex and unpredictable. Although district courts are well equipped to wall off isolated secrets from disclosure, the challenge is exponentially greater in exceptional cases like this one, where the relevant secrets are difficult or impossible to isolate and even efforts to define a boundary between privileged and unprivileged evidence would risk disclosure by implication. In these rare circumstances, the risk of disclosure that further proceedings would create cannot be averted through the use of devices such as protective orders or restrictions on testimony.

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2010/09/08/08-15693.pdf

But we don't have to worry, because Obama is not doing anything like Bush did.

The Obama administration will continue the Bush administration’s practice of sending terrorism suspects to third countries for detention and interrogation, but pledges to closely monitor their treatment to ensure that they are not tortured, administration officials said Monday.
​

Human rights advocates condemned the decision, saying that continuing the practice, known as rendition, would still allow the transfer of prisoners to countries with a history of torture. They said that promises from other countries of humane treatment, called “diplomatic assurances,” were no protection against abuse.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Obama administration is continuing the Bush administration practice of relying on diplomatic assurances, which have been proven completely ineffective in preventing torture,” said Amrit Singh, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, who tracked rendition cases under President George W. Bush.
​

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/us/politics/25rendition.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

That makes me feel better, they promise they won't torture them.

 

[shintao]

It just sends a quiver up my leg every time I see that Obama is so much better than Bush.

That makes me feel better, they promise they won't torture them.

Hey, you have the presidents word on it, so chill. They keep it in there for when we have republican facists dictating to America, and that isn't likely to happen again, will it?

 

[hjmick]

Meet the new boss...

 

[DiveCon]

so far, Obama is doing all the same crap Bush did, only Obama is spending 4 times as much

 

[shintao]

so far, Obama is doing all the same crap Bush did, only Obama is spending 4 times as much

Yeah, I think republicans detest a Democrat acting like a republican. Tsk!!

 

[DiveCon]

so far, Obama is doing all the same crap Bush did, only Obama is spending 4 times as much

Yeah, I think republicans detest a Democrat acting like a republican. Tsk!!

actually, it was more a case of Bush and the GOP in congress, spending like democrats
and thats why they got kicked out on their asses
and likely why the dems are gonna get the same treatment this fall

 

[shintao]

so far, Obama is doing all the same crap Bush did, only Obama is spending 4 times as much

Yeah, I think republicans detest a Democrat acting like a republican. Tsk!!

actually, it was more a case of Bush and the GOP in congress, spending like democrats
and thats why they got kicked out on their asses
and likely why the dems are gonna get the same treatment this fall

I really don't see it happening, but I would be fine with the change, as neither party is worth a crap, and it seems the voters & couch huggers just don't give rats ass.

Maybe what we should do, is vote all dems out this election, and then next election vote all the republicans out, and keep changing back and forth, or just automate the damn system, as none of them make any change.

 

[chanel]

Congratulations Mr. President.

 

[rightwinger]

Rendition and torture is an embarassment for this country

We should be above this

 

[CrusaderFrank]

When will Eric Holder bring charges against Obama?

 

[Mr. H.]

Oh the irony.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

It just sends a quiver up my leg every time I see that Obama is so much better than Bush.

That makes me feel better, they promise they won't torture them.

Hey, you have the presidents word on it, so chill. They keep it in there for when we have republican facists dictating to America, and that isn't likely to happen again, will it?

One of these days somebody is going to have to explain to me why no one knows what fascist means. Republicans ten toward totalitarianism if they want to concentrate the power in the government, it is Democrats who would tend toward fascism.

Thanks for playing.

 

[California Girl]

Rendition and torture is an embarassment for this country

We should be above this

And we are... except we're not.... but we are really, except when we're not.

Fact is, sometimes really unpleasant things are necessary - in the best interests of the American people. And, for once, I actually respect the President for making decisions that go against the morality of pretty much any decent human being - because sometimes what is morally wrong is the right course of action. Hard shit being POTUS, huh?

 

[syrenn]

Hope and change.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Meet the new boss...

We don't get ...ah fuck we got fooled again

 

[Trajan]

Rendition and torture is an embarassment for this country

We should be above this

hey we agree for once... fuck rendition, just do it here.
Cut that line out of the budget. Transportation and security to Pakistan and Egypt aint cheap RW....good call.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

This'll be fun to watch the partisans spin. Partisan Democrats will be trying to argue that somehow its different. Partisan Republicans get to claim they never ever ever ever supported a horrible evil terrible thing like Rendition. Then Jon Stewart gets to play clips of both sides showing them to be the hypocrits we all know them to be.

Good times. It's all fun and games until someone gets tortured.