Fom 2003 to 2005, Gina Haspel was a senior official overseeing a top-secret C.I.A. program that subjected dozens of suspected terrorists to savage interrogations, which included depriving them of sleep, squeezing them into coffins, and forcing water down their throats. In 2002, Haspel was among the C.I.A. officers present at the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, an Al Qaeda suspect who was tortured so brutally that at one point he appeared to be dead.Jesus! If a country considers itself to be civilized, then torture is not to be tolerated. How did we get into the position once again in which we argue whether or not torture is the way to go? Yes, I know, Bannon/Trump. Note: Waterboarding is torture.
On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced that Haspel would become the C.I.A.’s new deputy director.
It appears that the debate about torture in the President’s mind, if there ever was one, is over."
Will Jefferson Beauregard Sessions stand up to the Bannon/Trump maladministration and say no to the use of torture if he is confirmed as Attorney General? My guess is he will not. He'll be another lackey like Alberto Gonzales who refused to oppose the Cheney/Bush maladministration's torture plan.
Thus far, only the courts have succeeded in putting the brakes on Trump's governance by chaos with executive orders such as the travel ban on people from several majority Muslim countries, and only temporarily.
The Justice Department appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court for a stay to Seattle Federal Judge James Robarts' ruling to halt the implementation of Trump's travel ban.
The Ninth Circuit scheduled the oral argument in the case for Tuesday at 3 p.m. Pacific time. It is to take place by telephone, and the court said it would be live-streamed on its website. Holding an oral argument by telephone in a major case is unusual.We can but hope that Judge Canby upholds the stay. (Judge Canby is a real judge, along with Judge Robart, despite Trump's disparaging comment calling Robart a so-called judge.) However Canby rules, the case will very likely end up with an appeal to the Supreme Court.
The case will be heard by Judge William C. Canby Jr., appointed by President Jimmy Carter; Judge Michelle T. Friedland, appointed by President Barack Obama; and Judge Richard R. Clifton, appointed by President George W. Bush.
Interestingly, if it goes to the Supreme Court, the best Trump could hope for is a 4-4 split, which would leave things where the appellate court puts them (if it rules as I expect it to, that would be okay).
ReplyDeleteThanks, McConnell!
That's the good news.
DeleteOn the other hand, if the case drags on, and the SC holds off on a ruling, Gorsuch could be confirmed if and when the high court decides to take the case. Am I right?
DeleteNot terribly apropo, but I wouldn't bet much money that Americans will have any civil liberties left in four years. I may end up trying to help my grown children to leave, if there are any countries still friendly to Americans.
ReplyDeleteBluebird, if I had been young and unattached, I'd have left when George W Bush was elected. I'm too old now still attached, but if I were younger, I'd leave.
Delete