In yet another example of President Obama’s hypocritical rhetoric starkly contrasting his actions and that of his administration, the President said in a statement:

I strongly believe that the American system of justice is a key part of our arsenal in the war against al-Qaida and its affiliates, and we will continue to draw on all aspects of our justice system – including (federal) courts – to ensure that our security and our values are strengthened,” Obama said in a statement. Going forward, all branches of government have a responsibility to come together to forge a strong and durable approach to defend our nation and the values that define who we are as a nation.

and yet proceeded to recommence the military trials of terrorism suspects held at Gitmo. So much for rule of law, habeas corpus, separation of powers, and all that nonsense. Apparently, it’s better to bow to congressional asshats who cannot stomach trying the detainees in civilian courts and on U.S. soil. EPIC FAILURE OF PRINCIPLE, Mr. President.

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The Guantánamo Diaspora

An infographic of where Guantánamo detainees were transferred to according to the recent WikiLeaks cables released to the public.

[via:uzairm]

ProPublica’s excellent investigative piece on the Department of Justice’s deceiving the public regarding federal judge Henry Kennedy Jr.’s court opinion that ordered the release of Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman, a Yemeni national held at Guantánamo Bay without charges for nearly eight years, shows how the status quo of the Bush regime has not changed since President Obama took office.

Although President Obama inherited many aspects of U.S. detention policy from his predecessor, Guantánamo detainees have been fighting their detentions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia almost entirely on his watch.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2008, as Obama was campaigning for president, that detainees could challenge their detentions in federal court under the constitutional doctrine of habeas corpus, which protects individuals from unlawful imprisonment by the government.

Obama, still a senator then, issued a statement calling the ruling “an important step toward re-establishing our credibility as a nation committed to the rule of law, and rejecting a false choice between fighting terrorism and respecting habeas corpus. Our courts have employed habeas corpus with rigor and fairness for more than two centuries, and we must continue to do so as we defend the freedom that violent extremists seek to destroy.”

And yet, Obama’s DoJ continues to undermine habeas corpus and rule of law, failing to protect freedom and fairness, and turning the President into a bald-faced hypocrite.

War Criminal Tony Blair Awarded ‘Peace Medal’

British ex-Prime Minister and war criminal Tony Blair today received a medal from his old buddy Bill Clinton for ‘peace resolution.’ We live in a strange world.

Lets remind ourselves that this is the same Tony Blair who lied his country into an illegal war with Iraq, who has the blood of up to a million innocent Iraqis and tens of thousands of Afghans on his hands, who was complicit with Bush in his hideous torture regime with its kidnappings and illegal detention and all the horrors of Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib and the secret CIA torture prisons around the world.

This is a man who should be in the Hague along with Bush standing trial for war crimes and here he is getting a medal for ‘peace resolution’. Pass the vomit bag.

Either I’m crazy or the society I live in is, but I know one of us isn’t sane.

[via:elledark]

Extraordinary Rendition by Andrew Becraft

Dear President Obama,

Let’s try delivering on that campaign promise to close Guantánamo Bay.

Cheers,
daniel extra

[via:legoexpress]

Liberty has been secured!

Dubya Era throwback but still a powerful editorial cartoon. And frankly, not much has changed under Obama in terms of rule of law, due process and habeas corpus for detainees held without charges or trial.

[via:fuckyeahpoliticalcartoons]

One core truth that I taught to more than 5,000 service members is that torture, stress and duress, fear and despair and the heartless brutality that is physical and psychological coercion do not work. There is no yardstick long enough to measure the failure of torturers. I can say to you quite assuredly that torture never works.

Malcolm W. Nance, Counter-terror intelligence specialist and combat veteran

More about torture from Amnesty International USA.

[via:caraobrien]

Check out this slide presentation by MotherJones.com on Obama’s record at Gitmo, which is deplorable. Rule of law? Habeas corpus? Treated fundamentally the same during the Dubya regime.