'Frivolous lawsuit' irks Pentagon (Lawsuit Filed in Berlin, by Leftist Group)

Washington Times ^ | 12/14/04 | Rowan Scarborough

[kattracks]

The Pentagon expressed concern yesterday about a "frivolous" complaint filed against Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld by a leftist group that is using a new German law that claims the right to investigate war crimes anywhere in the world.
    The reaction was in response to a Nov. 30 lawsuit filed in Berlin by the Center for Constitutional Rights, whose founders include liberal activist William Kunstler.
    The New York-based center filed the German complaint against Mr. Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials on behalf of four Iraqis who, the complaint says, were abused by U.S. guards at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

[snip]

 "State is engaged in this," he said. "Obviously, it's something that we're focused on and very concerned with and are going to pursue with purpose to make sure this does not become part of a pattern."
    German-U.S. relations have been strained over the Iraq war, which the Berlin government adamantly opposed.
    The Pentagon's concerns resemble a dispute last year between Mr. Rumsfeld and another NATO country, Belgium. Mr. Rumsfeld traveled to Brussels for a NATO meeting and used the visit to bluntly chastise Belgium for a law that has made the nation a favored venue for accusations of war crimes against American leaders.

[HarryCaul]

Who's in for a lawsuit against Chirac for the slaughter of civilians in the Ivory Coast? Let's see just how far this can go before they realize the studpidity of it all.

[BykrBayb]

Maybe we could use this german law to prosecute kerry. We don't seem to be having much luck here. Yet.

[Billthedrill]

William Kunstler. Might have known. Haven't heard from that self-aggrandizing a-hole for awhile.

[kattracks]

Hopefully he's burning in hell as we type.

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/knames-nf/Kuntsler+William

[KwasiOwusu]

I have one really big war crimes for these American-hating Germans to investigate, and that is the massive slaughter of innocent Jews called the holocaust, carried out by these super evil German vermin.
Something that most of the German population at the time supported and which a high percentage of German citizens took part in, and something that they still try and wiggle out of even up to today with their pathetic "we were only following orders" routine.
If these stupid Germans want to look into war crimes, we have a huge dossier of war crimes to look into. War crimes carried out by the Germans.

[Billthedrill]

Ah, yes, thanks for the memory. Not to speak ill of the dead, but they certainly found a course of action he'd have approved of.

[paul51]

Does it irk the pentagon enough to mothball the bases?

[Graybeard58]

Republicans in Washington take a dim view of U.S. service members being subjected to international courts

May it ever be so.

[taxesareforever]

Does it irk the pentagon enough to mothball the bases?

And pull our troops out of Bosnia and Kosovo? I certainly doubt it. Don't want to step on those liberal toes.

[loboinok]

I'm not a lawyer but I think Title 18, Chapter 115, Sec.2388(a) of the U.S. Code might be valid for this situation.Any lawyers?

[57Chevy]

Leftist Group in Berlin or Gay Group in Berlin?

[swilhelm73]

So, the Center for Constitutional Rights is bringing a patently unconstitutional charge against an American in a German court.

LOL.

Perhaps we should bring American charges against the Hamburg cell terrorists in Germany. Or maybe drug and prostitution charges against any number of individuals in the Netherlands. Or corruption charges against Chirac?

Sure, American law has no sway...but why not claim it anyway? If it is good enough for the Europeans...

[AnimalLover]

Who's in for a lawsuit against Chirac for the slaughter of civilians in the Ivory Coast? Let's see just how far this can go before they realize the stupidity of it all.

And......how about all those crooks involved in the "oil for food" scandal?

[gakrak]

One can only hope. Maybe the French can protect the Germans. LOL

[LtKerst]

a new German law that claims the right to investigate war crimes anywhere in the world



Hey Germany....Go to Hell

[Route101]

Hey German radical groups....kissen meine assen!!!...(excuse the spelling...you get the point!).

[Alia]

Thanks for posting, kattracks. I haven't read a word on this matter since it first came up. Pentagon is right to be concerned -- but only because it might lead to ICC creep. Germany has little to no standing to enforce, much less enact such a criminal "hearing". The point of the American lefties in launching this suit, as I understand it, is to merely bollox communications we've solidifed with Europe. The lefties used to be able to go to the UN for just about anything their empty hearts wished. But now? not quite.

OTOH, should the suit go forward, wouldn't countries upset with the current EU have just exactly what they needed to pinion those forcing them into this "Union".

At any rate, the lefty lawyers just wish to cause trouble, to make the world messier than it is.

[Condor51]

I know you mean this : Küssen Meinen Esel

But for them to understand your meaning, it would more likely be: Küssen Sie Meine Hinterteile

Some of 'our' words translate poorly, like 'ASS', which they would litterly take as donkey. So 'buttocks' would get across better.

I recently made a mistake of using our word 'fine' as in ok and they took is as penalty and that I was 'fined'.

And for the record, not all Germans are raving moon-bat leftists.

[animoveritas]

As with other replies...two can play these silly reindeer games.