It sounds sadistic but the deafening cry of the socialist Left and their radical Liberal satellites to hang the former Republican president and vice president for alleged “war crimes” is beyond Bush and Cheney themselves. The sword of anger is drawn not only to get them but also to strike down all U.S. presidents living or dead accused of genocide by foes abroad and by the enemy within.
In the title of this editorial, I am posing the question for one purpose only: To get the answer and clear the confusion victorious socialist democrats publicly perceived as intoxicated by their newly found power, had generated in the mind of the American public.
The first accusation was “torture” reportedly committed by our intelligence and security officers and the military under Bush as Commander-In-Chief.
To prevent any emotional reactions to this important query that usually turn vitriolic and irrelevant, let’s define and confine this accusation of “war crime” only on “torture” and “who” were tortured if such is the case, for public discussion purposes.
Furthermore, it is not that kind of commonly understood “torture” that forces us to kick the bucket in protest – it is “torture” allegedly committed -- and watch this carefully -- on captured terrorists that mass-murdered innocent Americans and bombed buildings to smithereens or those who were about to blow up structures in crowded areas and kill more Americans and innocent children had they not been discovered and caught, and when captured were given the courtesy of living in prison and fed by the taxpayers’ money.
These are the fundamental questions from which the main query in the title of this editorial was based. We want to know:
1. How many hundreds more after 9/11 – thousands may be million American lives [?] – would have been lost had it not for this “torture” of captured [not war combatants but …] savages of “war” that has neither name nor boundary? [And maybe you and I who are against it are six feet below the ground by now had it not been used on those murderous barbarians … nothing serious, just thinking!]
2. After those apprehended terrorists detonated their dirty bombs, would anyone very much dead and buried under the ground care about violation of human rights? A realist once copy-furnished me a copy of his e-mail addressed to what he thought were terrorist coddlers in this country: Save me first by not being killed by your terrorists, before you talk to me of “torture” in violation of the enemy’s human rights!
3. Obama’s legal hatchet men who cry vengeance is ours and sweet, argue that Bush and Cheney violated the law against “torture” and must be persecuted – I mean prosecuted -- because it is the law, and if found guilty hanged by the neck … but was not torture called “waterboarding” which they claimed is a crime against humanity justified on record under the dicta of the military tribunal also created by law?
4. Was not Bush, the Commander-In-Chief, likewise merely executing the law in protecting Americans lives from terror? [a] Read the Constitution. [b] Read the Patriot Act, as amended, passed by Congress. Under those amendatory acts of Congress the Commander-In-Chief was empowered to do what was necessary – including the creation of the military tribunal where I.I.T. was deliberated upon and justified together with the rights of incarcerated terrorists wanting protection of law equal to the rights of civilians they murdered. I.I.T. is “torture” we are referring to in this discussion -- Intelligence Interrogation Technique -- used by the military in war.
5. Under what time and circumstances was this alleged “torture” committed? Was not this country at war with faceless terror whose conduct of war, atrocities and slaughter of civilians, are outside the ambit of the Vienna Convention? The enemy is not a regular combatant – just savages sworn to kill Americans and destroy America. When the enemy operates outside the international rule of law of war, what is the rationale in talking about our alleged violations of human rights in favor of – not against -- this kind of enemy that cannot be defined under the civilized world’s articles of war? Wouldn’t extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures for the safety of all Americans and the survival of this nation? I am not justifying … don’t get me wrong. I am just wondering.
6. If command responsibility is the reason Bush and Cheney should be held accountable for the alleged “war crimes” committed by intelligence officers and soldiers under them, shouldn’t all American presidents be held similarly accountable and prosecuted accordingly for leading our wars abroad where crimes against humanity have reportedly been committed by them worldwide?
7. And finally, our homeland security officers and military personnel – not to speak of, and to include, the entire U.S. armed forces -- knew fully well that they were committing “crimes against humanity” as those who are after Bush and Cheney put it, when these guys followed command orders down the line, and yet they participated willingly. Does this mean that they too should be investigated and when found guilty, hanged by the neck? It is the law, isn’t it? Obama power-wielders stumped their feet on the ground – we must investigate and prosecute because it is the law!
In responding to these seven premise-questions, the ground rules have been laid down. Please do not react by simply saying that Edwin Sumcad who is writing this editorial is “in the payroll of President Bush” or “Edwin, we know who is paying your bill” kind of childish shenanigans and immature stuff that distract us from focusing on issues raised.
Also I am not a member of this website’s editorial staff who is outrageously mistaken by the narrow-minded as a “shill” in a propaganda drive to promote a Libertarian agenda. These delinquent biases are too retarded to carry as a personal baggage into print, and will not produce any intelligent discussion in the Forum of Freedomsphoenix.com.
If you think “torture” was conducted solely for the amusement of sadistic and sick individuals in the military, move over I am joining you against it. If the government is doing this for fun as you think it is, the Libertarian in me although I am not a Libertarian, will find me in the forefront of the campaign against this atrocious violation of our liberty and freedom.
Unfortunately that is not the purpose of “torture” which we suspect was committed as crime against humanity. Insanity of individuals is not the subject of discussion.
So there we are. The perimeters within which we may debate this bannered issue are clearly drawn. Let’s do it for the interest of the American public, and for the commonweal.
Let’s consider it a duty of every American citizen to clear up this absurdity – if indeed it is – of investigating past presidents who one way or another have been accused of “war crimes” by enemies outside of our borders that in many wars we have vanquished and some of them we are still vanquishing now, together with Bush and Cheney accused by the enemy within as having committed not only “genocides” or crimes against humanity but against the population of this country. #
© Copyright Edwin A. Sumcad. Freedomsphoenix.com access February 02, 2009.
The writer is an award-winning journalist. Know more about the author by reading his published editorials and feature articles or you may e-mail your comment at ed.superx722@yahoo.com.sg
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