Laws, treaties, U.S. Constitution do not apply to U.S. interrogations: '03 memo 01 Apr 2008 
 
Resent-Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 21:50:56 -0500 (CDT)


Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
01 Apr 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news Laws, treaties and U.S.
Constitution do not apply to U.S. interrogations: '03 memo --Document
Granted Nearly Unfettered Presidential Power --Since rescinded,
memo asserted numerous laws and treaties that forbid torture or
cruel treatment 'would not apply' 01 Apr 2008 Federal laws prohibiting
assault and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators
who questioned 'al-Qaeda' captives because the president's ultimate
authority as commander-in-chief overrode such statutes, according
to a newly declassified March 14, 2003 Justice Department memo
released today. The memo, rescinded nine months after it was issued,
provides an expansive argument for nearly unfettered presidential
power in a time of war, contending that numerous laws and treaties
that forbid torture or cruel treatment should not apply to the
interrogations of enemy combatants overseas. The memo asserts that
domestic and international laws and treaties, as well as the U.S.
Constitution, would not apply to U.S. interrogations in foreign
lands because of the president's inherent wartime powers.

'By all accounts, we find that civilians are just being taken out,
executed and then dressed up in uniforms so they can claim body
counts of guerrillas killed.' Colombian Troops Kill Farmers, Pass
Off Bodies as Rebels' 30 Mar 2008 Under intense pressure from
Colombian military commanders to register combat kills, the army
has in recent years also increasingly been killing poor farmers and
passing them off as rebels slain in combat, government officials
and human rights groups say. The trend has prompted concern among
some members of the U.S. Congress. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.),
chairman of the Senate Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee,
said he is holding up $23 million in military aid until he sees
progress in the fight against impunity and state-sponsored violence
terrorism. "We've had six years, $5 billion in U.S. aid. More than
half of it has gone to the Colombian military, and we find the army
is killing more civilians, not less," Leahy said in an interview.

"And by all accounts, all independent accounts, we find that civilians
are just being taken out, executed and then dressed up in uniforms
so they can claim body counts of guerrillas killed."

Hamas TV puppet 'kills' Bush as revenge for U.S., Israeli actions
--Unnamed child tells Bush: "You are a criminal. You deprived me
of everything." 01 Apr 2008 In a Hamas TV production for Palestinian
children, a puppet stabs U.S.

President [sic] George Bush to death in revenge for American and
Israeli actions. The children's puppet aired Sunday, part of series
called "Exceptionals." In the episode, Bush, a hand-held puppet
dressed in a green uniform and wearing boxing gloves, is shown
talking to a Palestinian child.

The child, with tears in his voice, accuses Bush of killing his
father in Iraq, his mother in Lebanon and his brothers and sisters
in Gaza with the assistance of the Israelis.

Bush forced into embarrassing crow-eating 31 Mar 2008 George W.
Bush's first appearance with Kevin Rudd as Australian Prime Minister
was almost embarrassing to watch as the US President [sic] ate
political dirt and performed tortuous linguistic contortions in the
name of the alliance.

..[F]or someone who genuinely worked on the Australian-US alliance, it was an
act of public crow-eating that was inevitable since Labor's victory
last year.

How Moqtada al-Sadr Won in Basra 01 Apr 2008 The Iraqi military's
offensive in Basra was supposed to demonstrate the power of the
central government in Baghdad. Instead it has proven the continuing
relevance of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Sadr's militia,
the Mahdi Army, stood its ground in several days of heavy fighting
with Iraqi soldiers backed up by American and British air power.
On Sunday Sadr issued a call for members of the Mahdi Army to stop
appearing in the streets with their weapons and to cease attacks
on government installations. Within a day, the fighting had mostly
ceased. It was an ominous answer to a question posed for months by
U.S. military observes: Is Sadr still the leader of a unified
movement and military force? The answer appears to be yes.

Britain delays Iraq troop cut 02 Apr 2008 Britain is to delay a
planned reduction of forces in southern Iraq, following recent
unrest [trouncing by al-sadr] around Basra, Defence Secretary Des
Browne said today. The move will likely be welcomed by the United
States, which is reportedly counting on British forces to help
maintain order in southern Iraq while the "surge"

centred on Baghdad continues.

U.K. Shelves Plan to Cut Force in Iraq After Fighting 01 Apr 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown shelved a plan to withdraw more British
soldiers from Iraq after violence flared in Basra, where the U.K.
has responsibility for security. The U.K. will maintain a contingent
of about 4,000 troops at the airbase outside the southern Iraqi
city instead of reducing it to 2,500, as announced in October,
Defense Secretary Des Browne said today in Parliament.

Rockets fired at Baghdad Green Zone 31 Mar 2008 Rockets have smashed
into Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, a day after Shi'ite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called a ceasefire with Iraqi and 'coalition'
troops. There have been no reports of fatalities from Monday's
attack, which hit the compound housing the Iraqi government and the
U.S. Embassy.

'A few hundred' French troops for Afghanistan 01 Apr 2008 France
may send "a few hundred" additional troops to Afghanistan to help
Nato fight the Taliban and train the Afghan army, prime minister
Frangois Fillon announced today.

US confident on increased NATO support in Afghanistan 01 Apr 2008
The United States is confident NATO members will offer extra help
for Afghanistan at their summit in Romania this week. Washington
has been pushing its NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan
and to lift restrictions on those already there to help combat a
resurgent Taliban.

GAO Blasts Weapons Budget --Cost Overruns Hit $295 Billion 01 Apr
2008 Government auditors issued a scathing review yesterday of
dozens of the Pentagon's biggest weapons systems, saying ships,
aircraft and satellites are billions of dollars over budget and
years behind schedule. The Government Accountability Office found
that 95 major systems have exceeded their original budgets by a
total of $295 billion, bringing their total cost to $1.6 trillion,
and are delivered almost two years late on average.

Arms supplier in plot on Army base gets 20 months 31 Mar 2008 An
ethnic Albanian immigrant [Agron Abdullahu] who supplied firearms
to a group of Muslims accused of plotting to kill soldiers at a
U.S. Army base was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Monday.

Pentagon pursues Guantanamo tribunal for embassy bombing suspect
--Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was indicted by a federal grand jury in
1998 -- so why a military trial? critics ask. 01 Apr 2008 The
Pentagon charged a Guantanamo detainee with capital murder and
terrorism Monday for his alleged role in the 1998 bombing of the
U.S. Embassy in Tanzania and his suspected ties to Al Qaeda
[al-CIAduh]. [See: Lawyer: Pentagon using Gitmo trials to influence
'08 election 28 Mar 2008 The Navy lawyer for Osama bin Laden's
driver argues in a Guantanamo military commissions motion that
senior Pentagon officials are orchestrating war crimes prosecutions
for the 2008 campaign.]

FBI asks for $450 million budget increase to fight terrorism
--Increase would boost FBI spending to over $7 billion in coming
year, increase staffing to record 31,340 employees 01 Apr 2008 The
FBI needs more than 1,000 new agents, intelligence analysts and
support staff, bureau Director Robert Mueller told House members
Tuesday. Mueller is appearing on Capitol Hill to push for a $450
million budget increase to expand the bureau's ability to combat
terrorism, spying and other national security threats.

Tory rebels may back 42-day terror Bill 01 Apr 2008 A handful of
Conservative MPs could spare Gordon Brown his first Commons defeat
by backing Government plans to detain terror suspects without charge
for 42 days. The Telegraph has learnt that the group is preparing
to defy David Cameron by voting with Labour when the contentious
plans are put to a Commons vote next month.

MPs debate 42-day terror detention 31 Mar 2008 Plans to extend the
time terror suspects can be held without charge to 42 days are
facing their first Commons test amid disquiet on Labour's backbenches.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission said that it believed
the new plans to extend the limit were discriminatory and in breach
of the Magna Carta.

Terrified, humiliated  and innocent: the evidence against 42-day
detention --As ministers press ahead with their anti-terror measures,
Colin Brown hears the story of one woman's incarceration 01 Apr
2008 A young Muslim woman has spoken about the appalling conditions
she had to endure when she was held for 12 days without charge by
police using existing powers to detain suspects in terrorist cases.

Bush to Bypass Over 30 Laws to Build Fence 01 Apr 2008 The Bush
dictatorship plans to use its authority to bypass more than 30 laws
and regulations in an effort to finish building 670 miles of fence
along the southwest U.S. border by the end of this year, federal
officials said Tuesday. The move would be the biggest use of legal
waivers since the administration started building the fence.

Border fence to go up despite federal law --Bush to sidestep
environmental laws 01 Apr 2008 The Bush regime plans to use its
authority to bypass more than 30 laws and regulations in an effort
to finish building 670 miles of fence along the southwest U.S.
border by the end of this year, federal officials said Tuesday.

Author denies bill lets creationism slip into schools 01 Apr 2008
The chairman of the Senate education committee is sponsoring a bill
to revamp the way science is taught in public schools, including
views that challenge biological evolution. Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa
and sponsor of the bill, said Monday that it would be unfair to
label his bill as one that would pave the way for the teaching of
creationism. Nevers bill is called the "Louisiana Academic Freedom
Act."

Lawmakers bemoan high gas prices, big oil profits 01 Apr 2008 Rep.
Ed Markey, D-Mass., called for major oil companies to support a
measure to give up $18 billion in tax cuts and channel the money
into renewable energy. The measure passed the House earlier this
year but later died in the Senate. "Americans shouldn't have to
break the bank to fill the tank," Markey said in his prepared remarks
at the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
in Washington, D.C. "On April Fool's Day, the biggest joke of all
is being played on American families by Big Oil."

Congress grills oil execs on pump prices 01 Apr 2008 Five U.S. oil
company executives appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to explain
why they were not to blame for record-high gasoline pump prices
even as they reported $123 billion in profits in 2007.

Retail gasoline price at record $3.29/gln 31 Mar 2008 The U.S.
retail price for gasoline set a new high of $3.29 a gallon after
rising 3.1 cents over the last week, the federal Energy Information
Administration said on Monday.

Protect the Refuge, Reject Big Oil (Defenders of Wildlife) 01 Apr
2008 The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most important
onshore denning habitats for Americas struggling polar bears and
home to caribou, snow fox and millions of migratory birds. But thats
not stopping the Bush/Cheney Administration and its allies in
Congress from pushing to hand over this special place to Big Oils
rigs. Take action now -- tell your Senators to reject drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and support permanent protections
for this special place.

Audit: Death benefits improperly denied 01 Apr 2008 Police officers
and firefighters who died of heart attacks and strokes while on the
job were improperly denied survivors' death benefits after the
Justice Department decided they weren't responding to emergencies,
a new audit shows.

U.S. slams EU depiction of WTO meat hormone ruling 01 Apr 2008 The
European Union has mischaracterized a ruling from the World Trade
Organization court, the Bush administration said on Tuesday, insisting
the United States is not required to remove sanctions in an epic
trans-Atlantic trade spat. The ruling was made public on Monday in
the long-running case over beef from cattle treated with [deadly]
growth hormones.

Federal Agencies Pummel Public Health By Terry J. Allen 29 Mar 2008
In February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) admitted that
it had allowed into the country tainted, reportedly untested heparin.
Distributed by Illinois-based Baxter International, the blood thinner
was injected into thousands of vulnerable patients and was linked
to adverse effects in more than 800 people, as well as 19 deaths...
Baxter imported much of the 35 million vials of heparin it sold
last year in the United States from Changzhou SPL. The Chinese
company included crude heparin squeezed from the intestines of
slaughtered pigs processed in filthy kitchen factories that would
make a backwoods meth lab look like an Intel clean room. The FDA
never inspected SPL or most of the 3,249 firms on its list of
approved importers, and never tracked the supply chain. Funding for
inspections is down nearly 30 percent under President [sic] Bush,
according to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chair of the appropriations
panel responsible for FDA funding.

Senate Readies Bipartisan Bill to Deal With Housing Slump 01 Apr
2008 The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to move forward
with a package of housing legislation. The 94-to-1 Senate vote,
while a procedural one, was a clear sign of a growing consensus
among Congress, the Bush administration and financial regulators
that further government intervention is needed to stem the crisis.

USA 2008: The Great Depression 01 Apr 2008 Startling official
statistics show that as a new economic recession stalks the United
States, a record number of Americans will shortly be depending on
food stamps just to feed themselves and their families. Dismal
projections by the Congressional Budget Office in Washington suggest
that in the fiscal year starting in October, 28 million people in
the US will be using government food stamps to buy essential
groceries, the highest level since the food assistance programme
was introduced in the 1960s.

Spectacular pictures of nature at its wildest, captured by the storm
chasers who risk their lives to follow twisters 31 Mar 2008 As these
pictures taken by storm chasers Mike Hollingshead and Eric Nguyen
show, tornados can be both deadly - and hypnotically beautiful.

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[Previous lead stories:] Al-Sadr trumps in latest showdown 31 Mar
2008 The Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who directs the Mahdi Army
militia, was facing a possible stranglehold after Iraqi forces moved
last week against Shiite gangs in the southern city of Basra.
Instead, al-Sadr emerged as a self-styled peacemaker and patriot
after offering Sunday to rein in the Mahdi militiamen who rose up
to protest the crackdown. In the balance of politics in Iraq, that
means the biggest hit is taken by the Shiite-led government of Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki and its allies.

In the Sadr City neighborhood, there were reports that two American
Stryker personnel carriers had been blown up by roadside bombs.
Sadr Offers Deal for Truce as Fighting Persists in Iraq 31 Mar 2008
The Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr on Sunday took a step toward
ending six days of intense combat between his militia allies and
Iraqi and American forces in Basra and Baghdad, saying in a statement
that his followers would lay down their arms providing the Iraqi
government met a series of demands... Just minutes after the statement
was released, however, two mortar shells fired by militia fighters
hit the presidential palace in Basra. And in Baghdad, the Green
Zone continued to be a target for mortar and rocket attacks throughout
the afternoon.

Iranian general played key role in Iraq cease-fire 30 Mar 2008 Iraqi
lawmakers traveled to the Iranian holy city of Qom over the weekend
to win the support of the commander of Iran's Qods brigades in
persuading Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to order his followers to
stop military operations, members of the Iraqi parliament said.
Sadr ordered the halt on Sunday, and his Mahdi Army militia heeded
the order in Baghdad, where the Iraqi government announced it would
lift a 24-hour curfew starting early Monday in most parts of the
capital.

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Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder
and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.