Nuremberg II

Obama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

"In court papers filed today (PDF), the United States Department of Justice requested that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz be granted procedural immunity in a case alleging that they planned and waged the Iraq War in violation of international law. Plaintiff Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother and refugee now living in Jordan, filed a complaint in March 2013 in San Francisco federal court alleging that the planning and waging of the war constituted a 'crime of aggression' against Iraq, a legal theory that was used by the Nuremberg Tribunal to convict Nazi war criminals after World War II." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

Brazil threatens to take claims of U.S. spying to the U.N.

"Brazil said Wednesday that it may go to the United Nations over US spying, which it said was not only used to combat terrorism, but also for industrial espionage. 'We are not satisfied with the explanations presented' by US Secretary of State John Kerry during a visit Tuesday, Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo told a congressional panel. 'Consequently, we will bring the case to international organizations, probably the United Nations.' American officials have defended the espionage programs as entirely lawful measures that have helped foil dozens of terror attacks globally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrazil threatens to take claims of U.S. spying to the U.N.

Egypt’s ElBaradei: liberal with ‘troubled conscience’

"The ex-diplomat, UN executive and Nobel laureate turned liberal political leader stepped down after scores were killed in a crackdown by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. 'It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,' ElBaradei said. Ahead of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, he won admiration around the world and infuriated Washington by challenging claims that Saddam Hussein was hiding a secret nuclear programme." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt’s ElBaradei: liberal with ‘troubled conscience’

CIA Should Probably Stop Having Drones Fire Again On Whoever Shows Up After a Strike

"Double tapping is sure to make even those who support the use of drones at least a little queasy. To many, it is uncomfortably similar to the tactics used by some of the terrorists we are supposed to be morally superior to: Hamas, for example. Some argue that it is a violation of international law, including at least one UN official. At the very least, it is a risky tactic for a country that holds itself up as an example of rectitude in the world and it weakens our moral authority. Worse yet, it creates a justification that could be used against us by future enemies who don't even pretend to have our level of regard for human life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA Should Probably Stop Having Drones Fire Again On Whoever Shows Up After a Strike

Snowden’s full statement from Moscow: ‘I did what I believed right’

"A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort. I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone’s communications at any time. That is the power to change people’s fates. It is also a serious violation of the law. The 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution of my country, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and numerous statutes and treaties forbid such systems of massive, pervasive surveillance. My government argues that secret court rulings, which the world is not permitted to see, somehow legitimize an illegal affair." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden’s full statement from Moscow: ‘I did what I believed right’

The Shoes Keep on Dropping… What Next?

"All branches of the Federal Government have been complicit in the warrantless surveillance of U.S. residents since before World War II when FDR authorized wiretaps of individuals suspected of Nazi sympathies. With the passage of the National Security Act in 1952 and the establishment of the National Security Council, it became standard government practice. Only the rudimentary technology of the time limited its scope. Fear – now of terrorism and whatever other apprehension the government, particularly the executive, can stir up — continues as the principal determinant of 21st century government surveillance of its citizens." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Shoes Keep on Dropping… What Next?

World Service Authority Issues World Passport to Edward Snowden

"Edward Snowden is an alleged National Security Agency whistleblower who exposed the mass monitoring of U.S. citizens. Deprived of his United States Passport, he is currently immobilized in a Moscow Airport Transit Lounge with no ongoing ticket to any nation. This is a flagrant violation of Article 13 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states the following: (Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.) The World Service Authority (WSA), a Washington D.C. corporation and executive branch of the World Government of World Citizens, has issued Mr. Snowden a World Passport so he can travel without limitation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld Service Authority Issues World Passport to Edward Snowden

It Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

"That tactic is known as the 'double tap,' which bombs multiple targets in relatively quick succession — meaning that the second strike often hits first responders. In 2007 the FBI said the tactic as commonly used by terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Last year a study by NYU and Stanford detailed the U.S. use of the double tap, providing first-hand accounts of its devastating effect on rescuers and humanitarian workers. Last June the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Christof Heyns said he considers secondary strikes to be 'war crimes.' The fact that it is now normalized as a common tactic of the U.S. drone war is stunning." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt Is Now Common Knowledge That US Drones Bomb Civilian Rescuers

Jimmy Carter: U.S. Has ‘A Cruel and Unusual Record’

“Recent legislation has made legal the president’s right to detain a person indefinitely on suspicion of affiliation with terrorist organizations or ‘associated forces,’ a broad, vague power that can be abused without meaningful oversight from the courts or Congress. In addition to American citizens’ being targeted for assassination or indefinite detention, recent laws have canceled the restraints in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to allow unprecedented violations of our rights to privacy through warrantless wiretapping and government mining of our electronic communications.” Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJimmy Carter: U.S. Has ‘A Cruel and Unusual Record’

Jimmy Carter: ‘A Cruel and Unusual Record’

"Recent legislation has made legal the president’s right to detain a person indefinitely on suspicion of affiliation with terrorist organizations or 'associated forces,' a broad, vague power that can be abused without meaningful oversight from the courts or Congress. In addition to American citizens’ being targeted for assassination or indefinite detention, recent laws have canceled the restraints in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to allow unprecedented violations of our rights to privacy through warrantless wiretapping and government mining of our electronic communications." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJimmy Carter: ‘A Cruel and Unusual Record’