Should Canada indict Bush for war crimes? - Toronto Star

[Wonk]

Should Canada indict Bush?

THOMAS WALKOM

When U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in Ottawa — probably later this year — should he be welcomed? Or should he be charged with war crimes?

It's an interesting question. On the face of it, Bush seems a perfect candidate for prosecution under Canada's Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Act.

This act was passed in 2000 to bring Canada's ineffectual laws in line with the rules of the new International Criminal Court. While never tested, it lays out sweeping categories under which a foreign leader like Bush could face arrest.

(snip)

The case for the prosecution looks quite promising. First, there is the fact of the Iraq war itself. After 1945, Allied tribunals in Nuremberg and Tokyo — in an astonishing precedent — ruled that states no longer had the unfettered right to invade other countries and that leaders who started such conflicts could be tried for waging illegal war.

http://www.rabble.ca">MORE...

on edit: I just noticed a thread on this was posted in GD: Politics, too. Here's a link to it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1361807

[Warpy]

1. Somebody should.

[ObaMania]

35. I second that!

[ClassWarrior]

2. Go Canada!!

NGU.

[progressiveBadger]

3. If that happend

and after I was done crapping my pants from laughing so hard, I think my face would turn into a Joker-esque permanent smile.

[TexasChick]

31. Or permanent smirks for all of us! Hey now!!! LOL! n/t

[Domitan]

4. Martin has no balls

Bush will receive a statesman's welcome from Martin and fellow asskissers. Here's hoping that there are protestors making enough noise against Bush.

[fryguy]

5. he might invade in response

n/t

[Nikepallas]

6. I'd love to see IT

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[Spazito]

10. Let the Hague decide whether he is guilty of war crimes, as they are

doing with Milosevic. The invasion of Iraq was illegal, the torture at Abu Graib was a war crime, etc. There is plenty of evidence to say he is but, again, let him go before the Hague and be judged by the world.

[Minstrel Boy]

12. "I am not a Bush fan at all, but...."

Thank you, come again!

:hi:

[Bluebear]

13. Glad you jumped in!

I assume you lurked a bit and this was just the occasion to post! Glad to have you!

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kipepeo]

14. He started an illegal war

geez, what does it take to make one a war criminal these days?

[Bjornsdotter]

15. The invasion of Iraq...

...Guantanamo, and Abu Ghraib (sp).

Yes..he is a war criminal.

[blondeatlast]

18. Brave of you NOT to hide your profile; saves us the mild strain

of waiting for it to appear!

No beer for you. You've already insulted about 75% of DU.

Nice work in your first!

[firebee]

19. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

You need to go read the U.N. Charter and the Geneva Accord before you go making that statement. Bush has committed, conspired, acted as an accessory or accomplice to several war crimes as established by these treaties. He gave clearance to Ashcroft's legal authorization of torture, which led to Rumsfeld's implementation of torture. Their's one war crime he's involved in. He's dropping bombs with uranium, using cluster bombs and using napalm... all banned by the Geneva Convention, hence war crimes. He's established a policy of detaining prisoners without giving notification and providing humane treatment of POW's as established by the Geneva Convention, hence war crimes.
He's engaged in an unjustified war based on intelligence he knew was suspect and breached international security for his political interests, which is most certainly a war crime and a crime against humanity.

Matter of fact, go look up Sec. 243 I believe it is. "War Crimes'. This sec of our U.S. Code binds us to the laws of the Geneva Convention established in the U.N. Charter.

To put it simply... Bush and most of the people in this administration along with a number of other policy makers in this country... ARE WAR CRIMINALS!!!! Just because they're "American", doesn't mean they aren't what they are.

[DrWeird]

36. He ordered troops to use dogs to attack POWs.

There's an order declaring the Geneva Conventions null and void with his signature on it.

You'd have to be insane to think he's not guilty.

[RivetJoint]

40. You'll have to come up with some proof of that

Where's the documents with those orders? Unless you have those, you aren't going to be able to pin anything on him. Especially anything that the majority of Americans are going to buy.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

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[RivetJoint]

42. Let's see 'em

No need for hostility. If they exsist, let's see them. If not, let's find things that DO exisit to nail *

[DrWeird]

43. Google's your friend.

http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/USATODAY/2004/06/23/493532?extID=10032&oliID=213

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

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[DELUSIONAL]

7. Now that's an idea! All countries should charge bush with war crimes

trap the bastard in the US -- also charge all in the bush administration with participation in war crimes.

The only way to get bush under control is to do something like this.

[frogfromthenorth2]

9. Trap him????!!!! That ignorant BASTARD never left the country

before getting elected president. That dumb asshole doesn't even care about the outside world...

[Deja Q]

16. And apart from a few billionaire bedbuddies, he doesn't care about the US.

Pity 59 million people think he does.

And if he does, I've missed something.

[Bjornsdotter]

17. You are correct

He doesn't care about the rest of the world....classic Bear in the Cave allegory at work here or as we refer to it...head up the ass syndrome.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[bloom]

11. sounds good to me... eom

[American Tragedy]

20. I think you guys are forgetting something

Before any administration can be tried for war crimes, the nation must either voluntarily submit the defendants, or must be conquered by foreign powers. This precedent is fairly well established and was even privately acknowledged by the judges at Nurnberg. One example of this would be the Katyn massacre, which was included in the indictment against the Nazi high command, until it was established that a Soviet force was in fact responsible. Of course, the Soviet Union was a sovereign nation, one of the victorious Allies. Thus, the guilty party could never be charged for the murder of hundreds of innocent people in Katyn. This is how international law works.

[Spazito]

21. Well, Milosevic was indicted and look where he is!

Bush won't be in office forever, maybe not after January 05. I am patient, justice may grind slowly but it will happen.

[American Tragedy]

24. Once again, a borderline third world country with all of NATO attacking

it is totally different.

[Spazito]

28. History is full of countries and leaders that ended up facing justice...

and I see no reason to think the US will not be among them. It will not be tomorrow but it will happen. The US will be called to account in the world court for its war crimes.

[firebee]

22. If the U.N. charges this administration....

with war crimes and crimes against humanity, I really don't think we're going to have a problem with voluntarily submitting the defendants. I mean... come on. Look at Washington D.C.... I have a distinct suspician, that defendants would be turned in rather quickly. Otherwise, we have sanctions placed on us and provide for ourselves. Something the corporations wouldn't be very happy about. If Bush and his cohorts we're charged, his corporate supporters would abandon ship so fast it would make your head spin. They can't afford to lose all that cheap foreign labor and cheap foreign material.

[American Tragedy]

26. In order to submit the defendants, they must first be charged locally

The ICC in fact only intervenes if the nation(s) involved prove unable to competently try the criminals.

First of all, the President would have to be impeached. That would require a massive majority in the House that we decidedly do not have. Then, he would have to be convicted by the Senate, which can only be accomplished with 67 votes, or 2/3 of participating Senators.

Even if that were to happen, it is highly unlikely that the United States would be willing to send their own citizens, criminal or not, to be tried at The Hague, since that is an admission of judicial incompetence.

[cattleman22]

33. A real Civil War

I think that if any American President were given to an International Tribunal for charges, that a Civil War in the US would be triggered.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

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[Auntie Bush]

23. I think all the other countries in the world should boycott his visits.

Don't allow or invite him to their country and refuse to come to the White House. Boycott bush! Maybe that will teach him not to be a unilateralist! On second thought...they should accept the invitation to WH but when they get here refuse to see him and have many press conferences as to why they refused. That ought to make some headlines!

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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[noonriser]

27. Definitely! Someone needs to do it....

the sooner the better!!!

:bounce: :bounce:

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. Some Country needs to do this

Save the World.

[in_cog_ni_to]

32. If the idiot-in-chief thinks ANY country will indict him, he will Never

leave this country. The chicken hawk, yellow bellied bastard will hide in a bunker somewhere...like Saddam???? Many similarities here, eh?

I LOVE the thought though. Just don't give him a heads up. ;) :hi:

[Cleita]

37. Your thread has a lot of information the others don't,

so I hope the mods don't lock it. It was explained that Bush would have diplomatic immunity when he visits Canada, but if he visits as a private citizen they could arrest him.

[HEyHEY]

38. I don't see that ending in a positive way

As nice as it would be

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

39. Oh! To dream of criminals in orange jump suits. But, 'tis only a dream.

Still waiting to see Kissinger, Reagan, et al, in the dock where they belong. My only consolation is that some of them have condemned themselves to living in Texas, the place you can look the farthest and see the least.