Posted on 11/10/2005 12:17:59 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he is more concerned about the leak of information regarding secret CIA detention centers than activity in the prisons themselves.
Frist told reporters Thursday that while he believed illegal activity should not take place at detention centers, he believes the leak itself poses a greater threat to national security and is "not concerned about what goes on" behind the prison walls.
"My concern is with leaks of information that jeopardize your safety and security — period," Frist said. "That is a legitimate concern."
He noted that the CIA has also called for a federal criminal investigation into the leak of possibly classified information on secret prisons to The Washington Post. A Nov. 2 Post article touched on a number of sensitive national security issues, including the existence of secret CIA detention centers for suspected terrorists in Eastern European democracies. The Bush administration has neither confirmed nor denied that report.
Frist was asked if that meant he was not concerned about investigating what goes on in detention centers.
"I am not concerned about what goes on and I'm not going to comment about the nature of that," Frist replied.
He added that as Senate majority leader he is privy to classified information and discussions about prison activity. "I'm going to make sure that everything that's done is consistent with the Constitution ... and the laws of the United States of America," he said.
Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., wrote the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees earlier this week calling for a joint congressional investigation into the leak.
"What is the actual and potential damage done to the national security of the United States and our partners in the global war on terror?" the letter said, referring to the leak.
The Post's story said the CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al-Qaida captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, part of a covert prison system set up by the agency four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries. Those countries, the Post said, include several democracies.
I guess in answer to your question I have to go back to my sense of what God expects of us. I think He expects really a lot and I don't think He often gets it. The notion of our guys having, as you say, "a pretty damn good idea of who it is they have locked up" is exactly the problem. The Old Testament lays out an incredibly stringent burden of proof in legal cases--multiple eyewitnesses, etc. The Constitution echoes that. Nowhere does it say that punishment--and torture is punishment, whatever its goal--can be meted out if the arresting officer has a pretty damn good idea of who it is he has locked up. God is always watching, whether it's the dictator's henchmen or the CIA guy in an unnamed Eastern European country.
I don't see why anyone on the Left should be upset about this. I mean, after all, the dirt-bags are being housed in Soviet-era compounds; and the Soviet Union was Paradise on earth.
Repeat that calmly when you are on your knees having your throat cut.
When the only people that point out their hypocrisy is talk-radio & conservative forums... they can lie all they want. Our elected Republicans are tongueless, cowering pissants.
Rear - Echelon - Mother -F***er
Jefferson could have started by practicing what he preached you know.
Yep--couldn't we all!
I've got news for you. The chances of "innocent" prisoners being in one of those prisons is practically zero and nil - and "nil" is winning.
These killers are well-vetted before they even get the chance of being an honored guest in one of these places.
Shed not a tear for any of these vicious murderers. You're wasting your time and your tears. Shed them instead for their tortured, dead victims. Rather, just pray they never again see the light of day - especially in your neighborhood or the neighborhood of somebody you love!
legal casesThese are not "legal cases". This is war. The winner will be around later to be nice to others (or not, in the case of the Islamofacists). The losers won't even be remembered.
You are assuming to know things that only God can know.
It's not war. It's not a fight between armed combatants. It's unarmed detainees being delivered summary justice.
I'm not assuming any such thing.
I'm only pointing out what He says! This is His warning, not mine.
Where are we told that God puts in an individual human being's hands the right to assess guilt and innocence and assign punishment? "Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord: I will repay." Given that God knows that we need, in human affairs, to take action to protect ourselves, he lays out institutions and processes for trying to bring His will into the process of administering justice. In all of these processes the hand of the prosecutor and the accuser is stayed, in some way, by collective and unbiased decision making. This is one of God's great gifts to us.
*sigh*
... among other places...
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3,4)
Rulers are given authority and responsiblity to make the call in secular dealings, but will bear the judgment of God for their calls - both for good and evil.
Does this mean that anybody can do anything to anybody, if they think they're right--if they think of themself as "the ruler"--and God will sort it out later? Anybody could take that quote and use it to justify anything. I don't think God wants us to leave it to Him to sort it out later. I think he wants us to take the responsibility for Justice here and now--not just the responsibility for survival. If it was only about survival, God wouldn't have bothered to give us the Word. But this is theology and the discussion goes on for millenia, literally, and in the end you and I are going to see what we need to see in the text.
As President Bush says, "... and we'll bring 'em to justice!".
We are talking about people who would plant a nuclear weapon in any city in this country of ours. If you don't see that as war, then you're daft.
The only thing holding those scumbacks back, the only thing stopping them, the only thing restraining them from killing more Americans than have ever died in all the "official" wars we've ever fought in, is the scumbags just don't happen to have their scumbag hands on the bloody weaponry yet.
But given enough time, and enough people like you, and they'll get their wish. And then you can kiss your ass and all the asses of all the people you know bloody good bye.
and torture is punishmentWrong. Failure. Grade: F.
You don't get it.
You lose the contest.
Buzzer for you.
Trap door under your feet.
Go to the corner; put on a duncecap.
Torture to gain information from scumbags who want to kill as many innocent Americans as they possibly can is not punishment of scumbags, but protection of innocent Americans.
I'm really beginning to question your motives here.
God is always watching, whether it's the dictator's henchmen or the CIA guy in an unnamed Eastern European country.Are you a Quaker?
In spirit, if not actually.
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