Justice Department Bans Justice for Torturers

James Bovard, January 30, 2010

The Obama Justice Department has apparently decided that, since torture is not a crime (at least not anything deserving of prosecution), then concocting legal doctrines that unleashed torturers around the world is also no offense.

A Justice Department internal investigation has concluded that John Yoo and Jay Bybee were gulity only of “poor judgment” in their memos which brought the Middle Ages into the new Millennium.

The Washington Post notes: “The conclusion is likely to unsettle interest groups that have sought a reckoning for lawyers who made possible brutal interrogation, warrantless wiretapping and other Bush counterterrorism strategies.”

Perhaps the Washington Post believes that only special interests oppose torture????



31 Responses to “Justice Department Bans Justice for Torturers”

  1. Bob Bogus
    January 31st, 2010 at 6:51 am

    "Justice Department Bans Justice for Torturers" Hmmm…..well, living in the United States of Bizzaro I guess it makes sense.

    After all, the peace candidate and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Borat Obombya, now seeks a massive increase in nukes.

    http://news.antiwar.com/2010/01/30/obama-seeks-ma…

  2. Perun
    January 31st, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Or one can say: America's Justice Department approves and makes torture legal.

  3. Bob Bogus
    January 31st, 2010 at 6:51 am

    "Justice Department Bans Justice for Torturers" Hmmm…..well, living in the United States of Bizzaro I guess it makes sense.

    After all, the peace candidate and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Borat Obombya, now seeks a massive increase in nukes.

    http://news.antiwar.com/2010/01/30/obama-seeks-ma…

  4. jeff davis
    January 31st, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Since it's clear that the US Justice Department (federal) wants nothing to do with accountability (ie justice), I wonder if States' Attorney Generals have any power to step into the accountability vacuum. For example, as Vincint Bugliosi has publicized, the felony murder statute is a state, not federal, statute. Consequently, virtually to a man, every Bush administration torture-justfying lawyer and war-on-fraudulent-evidence promoter is subject to state homicide charges arising out of the death of each and every American soldier lost in Iraq.

    For those not familiar with 'felony murder' — who might think "Isn't every murder by definition a felony?" — the "felony" in felony murder refers, not the homicide itself, but to any felony which, during or after, results in an unlawful death.

  5. XYZ
    January 31st, 2010 at 10:18 pm

    The War Crimes Act of 1996 makes all the principals in this case candidates for execution. That is, under the Act, if prisoners are tortured to death, the officials responsible should be tried and, if convicted, possibly executed. Many prisoners in fact were tortured to death, and so for this, Bush and his underlings who participated in this should be subject to trial with the possibility of the death penalty.

  6. Bob Bogus
    January 31st, 2010 at 11:02 pm

    Never happen.

    Why?

    Because the Amerikan government is a governmet of the criminals, by the criminals, for the criminals and is the greatest criminal enterprise the world as ever known.

  7. Henry_Clemens
    February 1st, 2010 at 1:36 am

    "Perhaps the Washington Post believes that only special interests oppose torture????" They don't call it the "Washington Compost" for nothing. Now do they?

  8. dick tracy
    February 1st, 2010 at 6:58 am

    Because of this foolish action US soldiers won't be protected under Geneva Convention articles. And these boys will squawk quicker than a camel salesman.

  9. Orville H. Larson
    February 1st, 2010 at 7:34 am

    The "Justice" Department "investigates" two lawless lawyers, and administers a wrist slap. I'm underwhelmed.

    There's no justice at the "Justice" Department.

  10. Orville H. Larson
    February 1st, 2010 at 7:36 am

    It sure as hell looks that way.

    The "Justice" Department's job today is to make the illegal, legal.

  11. Guest
    February 1st, 2010 at 11:21 am

    The department of "justice" is actually the department of 'just us"… and we (private citizens) aren't "us".
    Don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like my country back…

  12. Bruce Richardson
    February 1st, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Crime pays. Yoo has a new book, Bush has a new library, Cheney has a massive military defense-related portfolio. Rice has a super-tanker named after her, Bybee was appointed a federal judge,
    where-o-where is the justice???Obama. the current justice-in-chief was awarded a "Peace Prize" simultaneously with the publication of civilian casualty figures in Afghanistan exceeding those of Bush. When the elite step in poo-poo, "we must look forward", but when the lumpenprolitariat a.k.a. known as terrorists find themselves in the cross-hairs of the elite, they are detained indefinetely, tortured, or beaten to death in some black hole garbage pit in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Jordan and Cuba. What a fuc**d up world in which we live!

  13. Bruce Richardson
    February 1st, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    In concert with the narrative, I offer an Afghan joke that circulated around Kabul in the wake of the U.S. invasion in 2001: American journalist to Afghan official: "Why do you have a Department of Railways when you have no trains?" After a brief pause the Afghan official responds: "Well, you have a Department of Justice."

  14. Henry_Clemens
    February 1st, 2010 at 4:23 pm

    You are so right!

  15. February 1, 2010 « Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
    February 1st, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    [...] Perhaps the Washington Post believes that only special interests oppose torture????” http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2010/01/30/justice-department-bans-justice-for-torturers/ [...]

  16. Peaceful_Idiot
    February 2nd, 2010 at 3:22 am

    How about a compromise? 3/5ths due process for bad guys, 2/5ths if the bad guys look or talk funny. It's the American way.

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  18. Lear K
    February 2nd, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    The US also has a defense department!

  19. Henry_Clemens
    February 3rd, 2010 at 2:11 am

    Uh, didn't you really mean to say Department of Offense?

  20. Thomas B.
    February 4th, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    Don't you see Henry, it all makes sense.

    Department of Defense:Engages in undeclared wars overseas
    Department of Justice:Denies rights to American citizens
    Department of Commerce:Restricts economic activity
    Department of Education:Self-explanatory
    Department of the Treasury:Bankrupts the nation
    and so on…..

  21. markaleshnick
    February 5th, 2010 at 7:45 am

    Why not just call them what they are: the INjustice department and the department of UNdefense.

    mark aleshnick,
    Okinawa, Japan

  22. Lear K
    February 5th, 2010 at 6:45 am

    And a large number of the US population approves of the actions of the US government such as torture!

  23. liberranter
    February 5th, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    At least until THEY are on the receiving end of it. As I've said more times than I care to remember: Amoricons will NEVER lose their appetite for torture, war, and chaos until they get a nice, big, fat dose of their own medicine (and somehow I think that even then it will take a while for the dose to have any effect).

  24. Nike
    February 8th, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    Dead on the money, liberranter: Bush's torture chambers and other war crimes were widespread public knowledge BEFORE the American 'people' gleefully rewarded the Bush with a second term in power, back in 2004. As the majority of the citizens of the USA support torture chambers – using torture on other people's kids that is – beatings, water boarding, anal rape, etc, are now all a proud part of the fabric of American society! Family values nation, LMAO!
    God Bless America.

  25. softsoap
    February 8th, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    And still…there is no revolution!

  26. softsoap
    February 8th, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    We ALL share the blame.

  27. paulBass
    February 9th, 2010 at 12:14 am

    !ha ask any one on the left and they say there wont be a revolution till people are well off enough to organize.
    ask any anyone on the right and they say there wont be e revolution till people are worse off enough to be fed up.
    i don't think it is either way, its about education, what ever evils our country perpetrates through out the would, however immoral and corrupt politicians openly prove themselves to be. all they need to do is remind people the inherent goodness of our system, and almost every one just agrees on some level. set up a committee get a couple of televised humiliations, change a couple of titles and continue along .
    even the so called "radicals" really just want the same system with out all the bits they don't happen to like.

  28. Strider55
    February 9th, 2010 at 9:43 am

    . . . Ministry of Truth (lies)
    Ministry of Peace (war)
    Ministry of Love (torture)
    Ministry of Plenty (starvation)

    Orwell had it nailed.

  29. rom gold
    February 9th, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    And still…there is no revolution!

  30. plainolamerican
    February 24th, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    as they should

    terrorists should be tortured for information and then executed

    choose sides carefully

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