War crimes act changes

[4bucksagallon]

The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners, according to U.S. officials and a copy of the amendments.

Officials say the amendments would alter a U.S. law passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions, a set of international treaties governing military conduct in wartime. The conventions generally bar the cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment of wartime prisoners without spelling out what all those terms mean.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801276_pf.html


"This removal of reference to humiliating and degrading treatment will be perceived by experts and probably allies as 'rewriting' " the Geneva Conventions, said retired Army Lt. Col. Geoffrey S. Corn, who was recently chief of the war law branch of the Army's Office of the Judge Advocate General. Others said the changes could affect how foreigners treat U.S. soldiers.

[global1]

1. *Co Is Getting Things Set Up So That When They Lose Control Of....

the House and Senate in Nov - they have an out.

[MrModerate]

2. I'm thinking they might have a little trouble . . .

Getting this passed before November. What with the recesses and busy election season coming up and all.

After November, they may all be under indictment.

[durrrty libby]

3. As they are so fond of saying .If you have nothing

to hide...what are you worried about??

[wtmusic]

4. Since when is prosecution a "threat"?

Just sayin'...

[wtmusic]

5. "I mean, what is degrading in one society may not be degrading in another"

Can we agree that getting peed on is universally degrading? :eyes:

[fordnut]

6. Bush is protecting his own ass

i guess he thinks he shouldn't go to jail

[Jack Rabbit]

7. The unitary executive theory

Would this mean that Mr. Bush, our presumptive President, takes all responsibility for acts of torture committed in his offshore network of gulags? That he is the only one who can be prosecuted for such crimes?

Is he saying, "Bring it on"? We'll bring it on, then.