Bush Secrecy

[Trueblue]

Help Wabash out-it's a well known fact that Bush and Cheney have an unusually secretive administration, but Wabash doesn't seem to know that. Post any links you have that document how much this President and VP like to hide what they're doing.

http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/2404/1/281

The report systematically analyzes long standing federal public access laws, new laws that restrict public access, and barriers to congressional access. The report examines changes in the implementation of several major open government laws including the Freedom of Information Act, Presidential Records Act and Federal Advisory Committee Act. Investigators found that these laws, which were designed to ensure public access, have been undermined by various new policies and an overall culture shift that accompanied the Bush administration.

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/12/bush-secret-shredding-soars.php

Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government's brand spanking new database of federal expenditures, shows spending on "contracts for paper shredding services" going back to 2000. Click here for the full, heartbreaking breakdown. In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the "Cheney Effect" had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/index.html

[Cookie Parker]

He's been doing it forever...

http://archive.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6375

US Energy Policy? A secret, only revealed to Dick Cheney and his billionaire oil friends.

FBI records of any investigations? A secret not only to you the average voter, but also a secret from any official you elect (I guess Bush gets to see them because he wasn't elected by you, he came in second.)

Bush's Texas Driver records? Secret, scrubbed his record and gave him Texas DL number 00000005.

Bush drug use? A secret, he doesn't answer personal questions (or public one's either as you will see)

All records from the 12 years of Reagan and Bush presidencies? This is a BIG secret says Junior, orders ALL records sealed, anything to be released only at his sole personal discretion.

Why did US intelligence fail Sept 11? A secret, Bush wants no investigations into the biggest failure ever.

What are US homeland security plans? Semi-secret, for $1k donation to Republican Party they will tell you some of it.

What did Bush do for 6 years as Governor of Texas? A secret, Bush carted off all public records and sealed them in his daddy's Presidential library.

Does the Bush regime torture their prisoners of war? A secret, Bush says 'up yours' to Geneva Convention and refuses their inspectors.

Does the US still only produce defensive nuclear weapons or are we trying to become a 'first strike' nuclear threat to Russia and the world? A secret, Bush cancels 30-year nuclear treaty with Russia, refuses any inspectors.

What are the details of US international treaties? A secret, Bush requests and gets sole personal authority to make public and/or secret deals without review by any of your elected officials.

What are our plans to go to war, and with whom will our sons and daughters die fighting, and why? A secret, not only from you, all your elected officials (Thomas Jefferson and the Constitution be damned) but also, Bush's war plans are a secret from the Pentagon too!

How do we know Bin Laden was behind the 911 attacks? A secret, just because George says so.

Why did Bush give $43 million to the Taliban in May 2001? A secret, no reason given by Junior.

What are future policy plans of Bush regime? Semi-secret, for $15k donation to Tom DeLay's office you can get a meeting with a 'top level White House official'. (DeLay is currently being sued by conservative Judicial Watch)

What went on in the airplanes Sept 11? A secret, Bush refuses to release any cockpit tapes, even to the families of the crew and passengers who died.

What evidence do we have to prove someone is a terrorist? A secret, Bush wants all trials done in secrecy, including secret hangings (dead men tell no tales?).

What is the extra $10 billion just added to the Bush defense budget for? A secret, Bush wants the extra taxpayer money with no assignment, to do with as he pleases, in secret of course.

How does Bush plan on cutting taxes, fund huge increases in defense spending and still not raid Social Security and bankrupt the US Treasury? A secret, strangely Bush doesn't want to talk about this at all anymore, ever since the election was over.

When and where did this secret Bush shadow government come from? You know, the one none of your elected officials even knew about. Answer: secret, secret, secret!

What did Bush mean by restoring honor and integrity to the White House? Obviously it's A SECRET!

I guess the answer is in Bush's secret government in that cave in some mountain in Virginia?

Besides the Bush administration of the United States, what kind of government would hide in caves in a mountain??

That's the only question Bush doesn't keep secret!

Now, I have ONE question for you:

What kind of 'public servant' would you consider President George W Bush to be?

[Trueblue]

Thanks for the refresher, Cookie.

Democracies die behind closed doors.

http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=3938

The decision was the latest in a series of court cases in which the judiciary has reigned in Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Justice Department. The cases, while acknowledging the role the government plays ensuring the safety of citizens, have been sharply critical of the Justice Department’s efforts to conduct terrorism investigations and prosecutions entirely in secret. In early August, for example, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington, D.C., ordered the department to release the names of more than 1,200 foreign nationals secretly detained since 9/11. The government is appealing the order.

The 6th Circuit’s ruling, which is binding in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, is particularly remarkable for its strong endorsement of the role the media plays in a democracy. The court notes that America is an information-based society. For the system to work, the media must provide enough information about what the government is doing so that voters will have the information they need to make good choices at the ballot box.

[nixon]

Thanks for the refresher, Cookie.

Democracies die behind closed doors.

http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=3938Why can't the Conservatives grasp this concept? If you aren't doing anything wrong, what have you to hide?

[Ringo]

Thanks for the refresher, Cookie.

Democracies die behind closed doors.

http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=3938

Democracies also die when the likes of the Rosenbergs, the Walker Family or POTUS traitors like CLINTON are allowed to run free!

we are facing that TODAY with the likes of 75% of the Democrat Congress, MOVE ON, CNN, MSNBC, and Media Manners, withe the Big 3 being shakey at best! Look at the brainwashing success they have had on you sheep, and THEY have their REP right here on Board, in YDT! Bet you 10 to 1 he represents the far left corner of the DNC, the ACLU or the MOVE ON Commie Soros!!

Yea maybe secrecy is at the utmost importance! By the way Goldilocks, do you suppose China-Russia & Irans Defense Depts are an open book?? Bad argument but I bet you get better at this when you grow up!!:mw:mw:mw

[Saguaro]

Democracies also die when the likes of the Rosenbergs, the Walker Family or POTUS traitors like CLINTON are allowed to run free!

we are facing that TODAY with the likes of 75% of the Democrat Congress, MOVE ON, CNN, MSNBC, and Media Manners, withe the Big 3 being shakey at best! Look at the brainwashing success they have had on you sheep, and THEY have their REP right here on Board, in YDT! Bet you 10 to 1 he represents the far left corner of the DNC, the ACLU or the MOVE ON Commie Soros!!

Yea maybe secrecy is at the utmost importance! By the way Goldilocks, do you suppose China-Russia & Irans Defense Depts are an open book?? Bad argument but I bet you get better at this when you grow up!!:mw:mw:mw


They aren't democracies like the US

[Ringo]

They aren't democracies like the US

Sag you still need degree's of Secrecy to afford yourself an edge in Military readiness, and you need espionage gathering to be Secret to keep the Enemies of your Nation, one step behind and at arms link!!

Other than that what the hell are the "Sky is Falling, the Earth is getting Colder, there is a Homophobe Klansman behind every tree" LIBERAL worried about???:mw:mw:mw

[April15]

Associated Press 09:45 AM Nov, 02, 2006

Two federal agencies are investigating whether the Bush administration tried to block government scientists from speaking freely about global warming and censor their research, a senator said Wednesday.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) said he was informed that the inspectors general for the Commerce Department and NASA had begun "coordinated, sweeping investigations of the Bush administration's censorship and suppression" of federal research into global warming.

"These investigations are critical because the Republicans in Congress have ignored this serious problem," Lautenberg said.

He said the investigations "will uncover internal documents and agency correspondence that may expose widespread misconduct." He added, "Taxpayers do not fund scientific research so the Bush White House can alter it."

Messages left Wednesday at the offices of the inspectors general, which serve as the agencies' internal watchdogs, were not immediately returned.

Kristen Hellmer, a spokeswoman for the White House Council for Environmental Quality, said Wednesday night that the administration has supported the scientific process in its approach to studying climate change.

"We have in place the most transparent system of science reporting, and claims that the administration interfered with scientists are false," Hellmer said. "Our focus is on taking action and making real progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The nearly $2 billion worth of climate science we publish annually leads the world and speaks for itself."

Carbon dioxide and other gases primarily from fossil fuel-burning that scientists say trap heat in the atmosphere have warmed the Earth's surface an average 1 degree over the past century. The White House has committed to reducing the "intensity" of U.S. carbon pollution, a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of economic growth.

But the total U.S. emissions, now more than 7 billion tons a year, are projected to rise 14 percent from 2002 to 2012.

In February, House Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and other congressional leaders asked NASA to guarantee scientific openness. They complained that a public affairs officer changed or filtered information on global warming and the Big Bang.

The officer, George Deutsch, a political appointee, had resigned after being accused of trying to limit reporters' access to James Hansen, a prominent NASA climate scientist, and insisting that a web designer insert the word "theory" with any mention of the Big Bang.

A report last month in the scientific journal Nature claimed administrators at the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration blocked the release of a report that linked hurricane strength and frequency to global warming. Hansen had said in February that NOAA has tried to prevent researchers working on global climate change from speaking freely about their work.

NOAA has denied the allegations, saying its work is not politically motivated.

[April15]

Here are a list of international statutes Bush has violated. His actions constitute criminal behavior punishable under international law.
Quote:
The United Nations Charter

Article 1: The Purposes of the United Nations are:

1. To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;

Article 2, paragraph 4 All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. Article 39 The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Quote:
General Assembly Resolution 3314

On December 14, 1974, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 3314, which defined the crime of aggression. This definition is not binding under international law, but it is often cited in opposition to military actions.
This definition makes a distinction between aggression (which "gives rise to international responsibility") and war of aggression (which is "a crime against international peace"). Acts of aggression are defined as armed invasions or attacks, bombardments, blockades, armed violations of territory, permitting other states to use one's own territory to perpetrate acts of aggression and the employment of armed irregulars or mercenaries to carry out acts of aggression. A war of aggression is a series of acts committed with a sustained intent.The definition's distinction between an act of aggression and a war of aggression make it clear that not every act of aggression would constitute a crime against peace; only war of aggression does. States would nonetheless be held responsible for acts of aggression.
Quote:
Waging a war of aggression is a crime under customary international law and refers to any war waged not out of self-defense or sanctioned by the UN.
To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.
-Robert H. Jackson
Quote:
Nuremberg Principles

Principle I

Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefore and liable to punishment.

Principle II

The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.

Principle III

The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.

Principle IV

The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.

Principle V

Any person charged with a crime under international law has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.

Principle VI


The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:

(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;

(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

(b) War Crimes: Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation of slave labor or for any other purpose of the civilian population of or in occupied territory; murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the Seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.

(c) Crimes against humanity: Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhumane acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.

Principle VII
Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.
Quote:
Article 7 of the treaty stated that:


For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:

(a) Murder;

(b) Extermination;

(c) Enslavement;

(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;

(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;

(f) Torture;

(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;

(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;

(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;

(j) The crime of apartheid;

(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

What kind of penalty is appropriate for such crimes?

[April15]

The International Herald Tribune

Bolton documents contain classified company names
By Douglas Jehl The New York Times
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2005

WASHINGTON The information that the White House has refused to provide Congress for its review into the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations includes the names of companies mentioned in intelligence reports on commerce with China and other countries covered by export restrictions, according to officials briefed on the matter.

It had been reported that the White House was refusing to hand over only the names of 19 Americans mentioned in 10 intelligence reports by the U.S. National Security Agency.

The names of the individuals and companies, which remain highly classified, were provided to Bolton by the agency in response to requests he made as under secretary of state for arms control. The Democrats who forced postponement of a vote on Bolton's nomination last week argued that the Senate should insist on access to the same information.

But the White House has said Congress has "all the information it needs" to make a decision on the nomination, and at a news conference on Tuesday, President George W. Bush dismissed the request for more information as "just another stall tactic by his opponents in Congress."

The administration has permitted the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee to review copies of 10 intelligence reports, based on communications intercepted by the agency, about which Bolton requested the additional information. But the names of Americans and U.S. companies were deleted, and the administration has refused to provide the names to Senate leaders.

The government officials who described the intelligence reports declined to speak for the record, citing the classified nature of the documents and the extraordinary political sensitivity surrounding them. They would not say what countries other than China might have been the subject of the intelligence reports, but they noted that Bolton's responsibilities also included monitoring efforts to prevent Iran, Libya and other countries from acquiring dangerous weapons.

The officials included people on both sides of the debate over Bolton's nomination who said they wanted to give the public a clearer picture of the nature of the dispute between Congress and the White House.

The officials said either that they did not know or would not say which companies were mentioned in the documents, nor would they say whether the intelligence reports suggested that the companies were involved in any wrongdoing.

The names provided to Bolton constitute one of two main subjects about which Senate Democrats are demanding additional information before a vote on the nomination. The second has to do with a prolonged dispute that Bolton waged with U.S. intelligence agencies in 2003 over assessments of the threat posed by Syria.

As under secretary of state for arms control, Bolton's responsibilities included efforts to enforce sanctions involving possible weapons proliferation.

The senators who were briefed about the intelligence reports by General Michael Hayden, principal deputy director of national intelligence, said in separate letters last week that Bolton had obtained access to what they described as "American persons' identities." But the government officials said that "persons" was a blanket term used by the agency that encompasses businesses as well.

The senators, Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, chairman of the intelligence committee, and Jay Rockefeller, Democrat of West Virginia, its most senior minority member, both said they had concluded that Bolton had acted properly in requesting the information. Both senators said they did not need to know the names in order to reach that conclusion. But Rockefeller questioned whether Bolton might have improperly shared the names.

In persuading 39 other Democrats and one independent to block until at least next week any vote on Bolton's nomination, Joseph Biden Jr., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cited the administration's refusal to provide the names to Congress as an affront that the Senate should not tolerate.

Senator Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, the Foreign Relations Committee's chairman, joined Biden in urging the administration to give Congress the same information that Bolton received.





IHT Copyright © 2005 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com

[Zanoog]

Makes you cringe, doesn't it? The bastards!

[Ringo]

Here are a list of international statutes Bush has violated. His actions constitute criminal behavior punishable under international law.
Quote:
The United Nations Charter

Article 1: The Purposes of the United Nations are:

1. To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;

Article 2, paragraph 4 All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. Article 39 The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Quote:
General Assembly Resolution 3314

On December 14, 1974, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 3314, which defined the crime of aggression. This definition is not binding under international law, but it is often cited in opposition to military actions.
This definition makes a distinction between aggression (which "gives rise to international responsibility") and war of aggression (which is "a crime against international peace"). Acts of aggression are defined as armed invasions or attacks, bombardments, blockades, armed violations of territory, permitting other states to use one's own territory to perpetrate acts of aggression and the employment of armed irregulars or mercenaries to carry out acts of aggression. A war of aggression is a series of acts committed with a sustained intent.The definition's distinction between an act of aggression and a war of aggression make it clear that not every act of aggression would constitute a crime against peace; only war of aggression does. States would nonetheless be held responsible for acts of aggression.
Quote:
Waging a war of aggression is a crime under customary international law and refers to any war waged not out of self-defense or sanctioned by the UN.
To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.
-Robert H. Jackson
Quote:
Nuremberg Principles

Principle I

Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefore and liable to punishment.

Principle II

The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.

Principle III

The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.

Principle IV

The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.

Principle V

Any person charged with a crime under international law has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.

Principle VI


The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:

(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;

(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

(b) War Crimes: Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation of slave labor or for any other purpose of the civilian population of or in occupied territory; murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the Seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.

(c) Crimes against humanity: Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhumane acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.

Principle VII
Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.
Quote:
Article 7 of the treaty stated that:


For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:

(a) Murder;

(b) Extermination;

(c) Enslavement;

(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;

(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;

(f) Torture;

(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;

(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;

(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;

(j) The crime of apartheid;

(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

What kind of penalty is appropriate for such crimes?

Bill Clinton wouldn't want these in force and by the way FUCK the UN and their ONE WORLDER ideals and tickets to steal, ALA Kofe Annan!!!

Bills Waco incident alone would get him HUNG, niot to mention Viki Weaver or Juanita Broderick, the scummy Hope Ar prick!!!:godzilla

[Ringo]

Makes you cringe, doesn't it? The bastards!

Not as much as having DRUG Dealers sleep in the Whitehouse, having murder for hire POTUS and first bitch in the Clintons being there, OR having the CHI COMS with access to Military secrets via Fat Al Gore, the commie bastard!

That makes your skin crawl, STILL DOES!!!

[Trueblue]

Nobody is asking for an open book, Ringo. We are asking for Congressional oversight.

Do you really think that Bush's record as Texas Governor is some kind of national security secret???? :rofl

I'm sure Bill Clinton wants all of those treaties in force, BTW.

[Zanoog]

Not as much as having DRUG Dealers sleep in the Whitehouse, having murder for hire POTUS and first bitch in the Clintons being there, OR having the CHI COMS with access to Military secrets via Fat Al Gore, the commie bastard!

That makes your skin crawl, STILL DOES!!!

Ringo - if you keep ramping up like this, you're going to stroke out. I'm a little worried about you.

Let's all hope for a better America in the future.

[Yellowdogtexan]

One of the bush secrecy tactics that I dislike is the use of the state secrets doctrine. I am glad to see that congress is going to put limits on this tactic. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41024
NEW YORK, Jan 31 (IPS) - Alarmed by the George W. Bush administration's increasing use of the so-called "state secrets privilege" to keep politically embarrassing lawsuits against the government from ever coming before a judge, Congress is stepping in to help ensure that people with grievances can have their cases heard.

A new bill sponsored by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, would provide a mechanism for protecting legitimate secrets while also permitting civil litigation to proceed. Both are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The state secrets privilege is a common law right that lets the government protect sensitive national security information from being disclosed as evidence in litigation.

The privilege was first recognised by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1953, in a case later shown to have been bogus. It has been asserted since then by every U.S. administration, Republican and Democratic. But the Bush administration has increased its use dramatically. It has invoked the privilege in over 25 percent more cases each year than previous administrations, and has sought dismissal in over 90 percent more cases.

The privilege has been invoked to dismiss claims of unlawful domestic surveillance, detention, torture, and misconduct by government employees, on grounds that adjudicating them would cause unacceptable damage to national security.

"When courts dismiss cases alleging human rights violations on state secrets grounds, and leave no alternative for redress, the U.S. is in violation of its obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to provide a remedy," Gabor Rona, international legal director of the advocacy group Human Rights First, told IPS.

The proposed new legislation "will ensure that the litigation process will not reveal state secrets, using many of the same safeguards that have proven effective in criminal cases and in litigation under the Freedom of Information Act," according to Senator Kennedy's office.

Steven Aftergood, head of the Government Secrecy Programme at the Federation of American Scientists, says the Kennedy-Specter legislation "would go a long way towards restoring confidence that the privilege is being properly used, and would help deter abuse." He told IPS, "The government's 'say-so' would not be enough."

"The state secrets privilege has been used to derail legal challenges to government policies on detention, rendition, and interrogation, among other outstanding issues. There has to be a better way. There is no incentive for the executive to regulate itself or to curtail its use of the privilege," he said.

[Trueblue]

How can they even try to put these things over on people?

[Saguaro]

Because they have done it already and no one has said a word.Silence implies consent

[issac the dragon]

Why can't the Conservatives grasp this concept? If you aren't doing anything wrong, what have you to hide?

Read you mail?
Your email?
Tap your phone?
Search your medical records?
Track your reading at the library?

If you object to that, the Bush question is: "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?

[nixon]

Read you mail?
Your email?
Tap your phone?
Search your medical records?
Track your reading at the library?

If you object to that, the Bush question is: "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?Classic. Hang in there, we are almost finished.

[Ringo]

Ringo - if you keep ramping up like this, you're going to stroke out. I'm a little worried about you.

Let's all hope for a better America in the future.

Nah Darling, I am Cool as a cucumber on a cool rainy night, and I view TRAITORS with the cold blue steely eyes of a gunfighter! But hey thanks for worrying about me!!

Now my life has not changed ONE little bit since Bush took office, EXCEPT I keep more of what I earned! The RIGHTS I was born with, I STILL have, but ALAS, I am no Terrorist or criminal soi they have no interest in me!!

If something is truly going on, I want to know about it, but I don't need to know BS just for getting a PROVEN Criminal Traitor elected!!

Yes I do want a better Country in the future, but I am afraid that might be created only by

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87yq372R4Ts[/url


[U]YOU IN??

[nixon]

Nah Darling, I am Cool as a cucumber on a cool rainy night, and I view TRAITORS with the cold blue steely eyes of a gunfighter! But hey thanks for worrying about me!!

Now my life has not changed ONE little bit since Bush took office, EXCEPT I keep more of what I earned! The RIGHTS I was born with, I STILL have, but ALAS, I am no Terrorist or criminal soi they have no interest in me!!

If something is truly going on, I want to know about it, but I don't need to know BS just for getting a PROVEN Criminal Traitor elected!!

Yes I do want a better Country in the future, but I am afraid that might be created only by

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87yq372R4Ts[/url


[U]YOU IN??There is something that you are overlooking, Sir. Little by little the government you so adamently defend is chipping away at YOUR rights. I know, Bush has prevented another terrorist attack, (which really isn't true because right after 9-11 several people, maybe 6, died from antrax in the mail, you never hear about that anymore in our Liberal media, do you?) Bush prevented another attack? Maybe if the Asshole was doing his job (and Cundi Rice, National Security Adviser at the time) in the first place we would have never been attacked. Or maybe they let the attack happen so they could ralley support for the mess we are in now. Cherry pick inteligence, lie to the American people, and to the world, for that matter. Jim Morrison said it best in Miami, "Your all a bunch of fuckin' slaves". So you just keep voting Republican. Family values, Pro-Life, Pro-War, Make sure you go to your Christian Church and make sure not to find forgiveness in your heart. Peace, The American, Nixon. P.S. Fuck George Bush.