Thursday, November 18, 2010

WHEN WILL BUSH BE ARRESTED FOR WAR CRIMES? Will Foreign Troops be called into Arrest the War Criminals all across North America?

WHEN WILL BUSH BE ARRESTED FOR WAR CRIMES? Will Foreign Troops be called into Arrest the War Criminals all across North America?

By Kevin Stoda

I recently came across the following piece (spoof?) online and dated 2004.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-28935.html

OTTAWA, CANADA (AP) -- On the first of his two-day planned visit to Canada, George W. Bush was taken into custody by Canadian authorities citing war crime charges. Under Canadian law, even a non-citizen can be charged for crimes committed outside of Canada once that individual enters the country.

The arrest claims that President Bush has been "party to the crime of torturing prisoners held in Guantánamo Bay and Abu Ghraib."

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin released a written statement indicating that "proceedings have commenced against President George W. Bush under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (s. 9(3))."

Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, had began an investigation into the alleged crimes of the Bush administration on the basis of reports prepared by human rights organizations, journalists and scholars as well as recent decisions by U.S. courts.

"Let this serve as a warning to any current or former official of the Bush administration, like Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld," said Cotler, "that they enter Canada at their own risk."

Bush's trip to Canada was originally planned to negotiate security and trade issues with Martin, including the on-going ban on Canadian beef and the 27 percent tariff on softwood lumber imports imposed by the U.S. in 2001.

Bush received a minor injury to his face during the arrest when Canadian authorities confronted members of the Secret Service trying to protect the president during the welcome ceremony.

The charges were initially drafted by a group called Lawyers Against the War (LAW) and then adopted by Canadian prosecutors. Michael Mandel, Professor of Law and co-chair of LAW, issued the following statement:

"The actions of George W. Bush and his administration are nothing short of mass murder. They have killed Iraqi civilians without any lawful justification or excuse. That's a crime in the United States and in Canada and under international law. No one is above the law, not even presidents. If they do terrible things, we are going to see to it that they are personally brought to justice. We are going to prosecute them for each and every crime they commit."
U.S. condemns arrest as ‘illegal and dangerous'

In a press conference this morning, White House spokesman Jim Morrell said, "Under international law, active foreign officials and diplomats are immune from state prosecution. Given this fact – and the sheer absurdity of these illegal and dangerous allegations – we demand the immediate release of President Bush and a formal apology from Canada to all Americans."

While international law forbids issuing process against a head of state, Canadian prosecutors claim that there is nothing in the decided cases on immunity from local process that prevents the opening of an investigation into international crimes committed by any foreign government official.

Both parties in the U.S. Congress also condemned the arrest. Democrats in the House stated that "the case against President Bush is without merit and flies in the face of international guidelines and basic common sense."

Using the same expletive from a heated exchange earlier this year, Vice President Dick Cheney was overheard on the Senate floor with an even stronger response. "These charges are f****** outrageous."

"The incarceration of a sitting U.S. president is unthinkable," stated Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay. "Prime Minister Martin must release President Bush without delay, or face the full glory, might and wrath of the United States of America."

Martha Johnson, a Republican voter in Ohio, expressed similar outrage. "How dare these pretentious, liberal Canadians arrest our president? Who do they think they are? I can't believe their chutzpah. Forget North Korea and Iran … we must invade Canada next."
Canadians are solidly Anti-Bush

According to polls, Canadians are strongly opposed to the Iraq war and disagree with many of the president's domestic and foreign policies. An Ekos Research survey last month showed support at 84 percent for Canada's decision not to send troops to Iraq and 59 percent of respondents indicating an overall dislike of President Bush.

The No to Bush Committee organized a large protest march in anticipation of the president's visit to Canada. Speakers include Naomi Klein, a writer known for her work against globalization, and Brandon Hughey, a U.S. war resister who escaped to Canada from Texas. The protest committee is composed of the New Democratic Party, the Canadian Peace Alliance, and the Canadian Arab Federation.

Protesters were unanimous in their praise of the arrest this morning. "Yes, I believe that George W. Bush should be held accountable for his crimes in Iraq," stated Harold Smith from Toronto. "His actions in the U.S. and around the world have been reprehensible."

Another protester justified Bush's arrest with a hypothetical analogy. "Let's say I heard that my ex-convict neighbor is stockpiling weapons in his apartment. I call the police but they don't act swiftly enough. So, in order to protect my family from this threat, I take matters into my own hand and break into my neighbor's home while torturing and killing members of his family. Of course, I do not find any weapons."

"If justice is to be served, regardless if my claims had proven true, I would be thrown in jail forever for acting like an insane, murdering, vigilante cowboy. All we ask is that George W. Bush – who did the same exact thing in Iraqi on a larger, more horrifying scale – be likewise held accountable."

A third protester was more literal. "Whatever his reasons, Bush invaded a sovereign country. He tortured and killed thousands of innocent people. He should feel very lucky that we Canadians, unlike the Texans, do not believe in the death penalty."

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?28935-Bush-Arrested-for-War-Crimes-in-Canada&s=c245ab3a3782a4552c4140d57a004ad1

This past week, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL made public a renewed call for the arrest and prosecution of WAR CRIMINAL George W. Bush after Bush published a book telling of many of his war crimes.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/us-must-begin-criminal-investigation-torture-following-bush-admission-2010-11-10

US MUST BEGIN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF TORTURE FOLLOWING BUSH ADMISSION

In his memoirs, former President Bush admits to having authorized the use of torture
© APGraphicsBank

10 November 2010
Amnesty International today urged a criminal investigation into the role of former US President George W Bush and other officials in the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" against detainees held in secret US custody after the former president admitted authorizing their use.

In his memoirs, published yesterday, and in an interview on NBC News broadcast on 8 November 2010, the former President confirmed his personal involvement in authorizing "water-boarding" and other techniques against "high value detainees".

"Under international law, the former President's admission to having authorized acts that amount to torture are enough to trigger the USA's obligations to investigate his admissions and if substantiated, to prosecute him," said Claudio Cordone, Senior Director at Amnesty International.

"His admissions also highlight once again the absence of accountability for the crimes under international law of torture and enforced disappearance committed by the USA."

In his memoirs, former President Bush focused on the cases of two detainees held in the secret programme.

Abu Zubaydah was held at various undisclosed locations from April 2002 to September 2006. In August 2002, he was subjected to "water-boarding" in which water is used to begin the process of drowning, more than 80 times.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested on 1 March 2003 in Pakistan and transferred to secret CIA custody. That same month he was "water-boarded" 183 times, according to a report by the CIA Inspector General.

After three and a half years being held incommunicado in solitary confinement in secret locations, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was transferred to military custody in Guantánamo, where he and Abu Zubayhdah remain held without trial, along with more than 150 others.

Water-boarding was far from the only technique alleged to have been used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubayhdah and others held in the secret programme that violated the international prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Other techniques included prolonged nudity, threats, exposure to cold temperatures, stress positions, physical assaults, prolonged use of shackles, and sleep deprivation.

"Under international law, anyone involved in torture must be brought to justice, and that does not exclude former President George W Bush," said Claudio Cordone.

"In the absence of a US investigation, other states must step in and carry out such an investigation themselves."

It is quite obvious that all members of the United Nations and signatories to the Universal Declarations on Human Rights and prose curatorial agreements with the courts in Den Haag need to follow on up with arrests and prosecution. This means the Unites States is responsible in the first instance for such an arrest. Perhaps failing that, the state of Texas, will allow Mexican or Yemeni forces to cross over for a night raid and clear its territory of terrorists and war criminals.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/bush-decision-points-rove-plame-wilson

Meanwhile, David Corn of MOTHER JONES, has made it clear that another reason to start delayed war crimes against George W. Bush and friends now in 2010 is the fact that Bush’s new book is a full-frontal lobotomy of good historical narration—by any logical standards.

Corn notes, “In his new book, George W. Bush repeatedly challenges the charge that he misled the country into the Iraq war. He writes, ‘I didn't like hearing people claim I had lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.’ But while defending his integrity, he presents assertions that are outright false: for instance, that Iraq had a WMD infrastructure and was pursuing such weapons at the time of the invasion (it did not and was not), and that Saddam Hussein had refused to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors (he was not fully cooperating with inspectors, but the inspectors had reported Iraq's cooperation was increasing). His account is often selective—such as when he recounts a 2003 meeting with Tony Blair and fails to mention that at this session he (Bush) raised the possibility of kick-starting the Iraq war with a phony provocation.”

In short, Bush’s new book is all about covering up all “skulduggery or dishonesty at the highest levels of the government.”

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