Posted on 09/16/2006 9:20:47 AM PDT by bobsunshine
If the Rep and Dem Senators leading the fight to gut our interrogation options in the face of a vaguely worded clause in the Geneva Conventions just stopped talking and thought about what they were saying, they would be surprised to find out they were interpretting the conventions in such a way as to violate the purpose for the conventions to exist in the first place.
The Geneva Conventions were developed to assure soldiers and civilians were treated humanely during the inhumane times of war. Therefore, any act by the terrorists should be no more allowed than acts of misguided legislators that violate this basic intent of the conventions. Right now there are some seriously misguided Senators who are claiming their fear of future violations of the conventions require innocent civilians to probably die now. In a perfect example of living in a bubble, and letting the letter of the law undermine the intent of the law, we have seen Rep and Dem Senators risk lives today so they can pretend they are saving lives tomorrow......
Bush noted that our IC interrogators will not and should not expose themselves to legal jeopardy over this insane clause. But what he did not say, and did not need to say, is the conventions cannot be interpretted in such a manner as to result in the very things they were designed to avoid. Those balking at clarifying these conventions so we can use tough questioning methods on some exceptionally hardened and dangerous people need to wake up. Or they will be standing at the base of a burning high rise filled with dead and dying people while holding onto a piece of international paper trying to convince themselves those above them are dying for a good cause.
(Excerpt) Read more at strata-sphere.com ...
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/008069.php
"Senator McCain is hardly the only American POW who had experience with GC violations, and that's the point. We have yet to fight against a wartime enemy that followed the GC with any consistency at all. The Germans routinely violated it even before Hitler began issuing orders to shoot captured pilots, and the massacre at Malmedy only crystallized what had been fairly brutal treatment at the hands of the Nazis for American prisoners (the Luftwaffe was one notable exception). The Japanese treatment of POWs was nothing short of barbaric, both before and after Bataan. The same is true for the North Koreans and the Chinese in the Korean War, and McCain himself is a routine example of the kind of treatment our men suffered at the hands of the Vietnamese."
But David Gregory said that countries like North Korea and Iran would only break the Geneva Conventions if the U.S. did it first. Don't you know that there would be no torture if it weren't for us evil Americans?
Seems to me this question could be moot if we quit taking live prisoners. But then what do I know? LOL!
Someone please ask john mccain and that little twirp-a-like, graham, when al qaeda signed on to the GC because apparently I missed that.
appeaser traitors.
There's never been an instance where any of our enemies have adhered to the Geneva Conventions ~ and he knows it.
David Gregory is quickly becoming nthing more than a Bush hater in the White House Press corps.....
Thanks for the posting from AJStrata on Strata-Sphere. Very good.
This is about questioning the prisoners to protect against future terrorist attacks.
Gregory is a 'snot-nosed punk'... whatever he 'thinks' is important... is nothing but some Dhimmicrat's, latest talking-point.
OR, we can ignore the U.N. and go our own way.
OR, both.
SCOTUS signed them up and that's the real problem. It no longer matters how the treaty defines it as a matter of law. Short of SCOTUS reversing itself or the US abandoning the treaty and drawing up a new one, thus breaking SCOTUS's hold on scrotus, it doesn't matter how the Convention was meant to be implemented. That suxor but there it is.
Will Sens. McCain, Graham and Warner come to my house after I am killed in the next terrorist attack and explain to my kids why upholding the Geneva Conventions were more important than them growing up with a mom? It really is that simple to me.
Yep and we haven't been punishing their illegal combatancy.
Article 17
Every prisoner of war, when questioned on the subject, is bound to give only his surname, first names and rank, date of birth, and army, regimental, personal or serial number, or failing this, equivalent information. If he wilfully infringes this rule, he may render himself liable to a restriction of the privileges accorded to his rank or status.
Each Party to a conflict is required to furnish the persons under its jurisdiction who are liable to become prisoners of war, with an identity card showing the owner's surname, first names, rank, army, regimental, personal or serial number or equivalent information, and date of birth. The identity card may, furthermore, bear the signature or the fingerprints, or both, of the owner, and may bear, as well, any other information the Party to the conflict may wish to add concerning persons belonging to its armed forces. As far as possible the card shall measure 6.5 x 10 cm. and shall be issued in duplicate. The identity card shall be shown by the prisoner of war upon demand, but may in no case be taken away from him.
No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.
Prisoners of war who, owing to their physical or mental condition, are unable to state their identity, shall be handed over to the medical service. The identity of such prisoners shall be established by all possible means, subject to the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
The questioning of prisoners of war shall be carried out in a language which they understand.
Yes spies and the like can be shot on sight...
Also, isnt against the GC for soliders to be tried in a civilian court...I thought as POWs, they could only be tried in Military,,,,
President Bush "Were it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that Al Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland."
'nuff said.
As to hypothetical violaters of GC who may hurt US soldiers this is a straw man argument. Our subservience to rules designed for a different era and enemy will not ensure anything from the current barbarian crew of killers who have no allegiance to anything but our destruction by any and all means.
US law and our Constitution trumps anything international. It is for us and US to decide.
Did he actually say that?
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