Posted on 09/28/2006 8:54:10 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1709588/posts?page=1
House passes detainee bill
Republicans pushed a bill supported by President George W. Bush to set rules for interrogating and trying terrorism suspects through the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday and Senate Republicans were expected to follow within a day.
The House passed the bill 253-168 largely along party lines, dismissing warnings from Democrats that courts would strike down the plan for failing to meet judicial standards.
Republicans who control both chambers want to send the bill to Bush by the weekend, when lawmakers head out to campaign for November elections that will determine control of Congress.
The bill sets up procedures to try foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Supreme Court struck down Bush's original plan, saying it violated U.S. and international standards.
As Senate debate on the bill got under way, Republicans defeated an attempt to pass an alternative that Democrats said would meet Supreme Court standards and help restore America's image, damaged by harsh treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The Senate was expected to pass the bill on Thursday, after considering several other amendments.
Republicans, seeking to polish their terrorism-fighting credentials in the final days of their campaigns, depicted the new rules as tough but fair.
"By formally establishing terrorist tribunals, the bill provides a critical tool in fighting the war on terror and it provides a measure of justice to the victims of 9/11," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, said the bill provides "basic fairness in our prosecutions but we also preserve the ability of our war fighters to operate effectively on the battlefield."
But Human rights groups and many Democrats said the deal gave Bush too much latitude to allow harsh interrogations and to deprive detainees of legal rights.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat, said agreeing to "such an ambiguous compromise would allow the president to define torture when and how he sees fit."
Rep. Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat, said the bill sends a signal that "America's leaders are willing to abandon our values ... in favor of thuggish tactics they hope might make them safer for a little while."
Democrats also predicted the courts would find the bill unconstitutional because it deprived detainees held without charges of the right to file legal challenges to their imprisonment.
Under a compromise worked out last week, the CIA will be able to continue aggressive interrogations, but supporters of the bill said agency interrogators would comply with the Geneva Conventions' requirement for humane treatment.
The bill also expands the definition of "enemy combatants," who can be held indefinitely without charges, to include those who knowingly support terrorist groups with arms, money and other activities.
Backers of the bill said that provision would choke off supplies to terrorist groups, but critics said it was too broad and could subject many more people to indefinite detention.
Morning/afternoon all, gotta work and lurk today.
Democratic Senate candidate James Webb charged his opponent, Republican Sentor George Allen of sinking to a "new low" in their increasingly bitter contest. Webb accused Allen of "grotesque immaturity" for calling the former Reagan Administration secretary of the Navy a "super-dooper poopy head."
Mr. Allen responded that "he started it." Adding, "I would never have dreamed of calling him a 'super-dooper poopy head' — though I stand by the factual accuracy of that statement — if he hadn't started with all that I'm-rubber-and-your-glue nonsense."
This latest chapter in the downward spiriling contest seemed to have been sparked by their most recent debate moderated by NBC Washington Bureau Chief, Tim Russert. While answering a question about social security privatization, Allen blurted out "Tim! He's touching me!" Russert told Mr. Webb "Please refrain from touching your opponent." Webb immediately responded "I did not, did not, did not!" and continued to repeat the phrase over and over again with his hands on his ears as Mr. Russert tried to change the issue to the war in Iraq.
An aide to Mr. Webb defended his candidate saying, "Look there's no denying this race has taken a sour turn. But it is a well established fact that it's all Allen's fault and the voters of the Commonwealth of Virginia know that he has cooties."
In a surprise turn of events University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato seemed to indicate that he has personal knowledge that Senator Allen in fact does have cooties, but he would not directly confirm or deny the allegation.
He's made references to similar protestations in the past. Don't know if what they said is that newsworthy to him now.
Not even with a 10 foot pole.
For all's attention:
The vote to give habeas corpus rights to the TERRORISTS FAILED...48-51...YIPPEEE!!!
BJ is an example of NO DADDY around....little bully ba$tard!
Yeah, the guys have the right to do it, but their judgment is sure poor...
Paula fawns all over him. It's disgusting.
LOL!
I am far from famous....but- the first show at 2 pm is live...the 2nd show is recorded....but will try and go live soon...
The phrase was also used (on page 51) in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile [1]
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. - OSS report page 51
Great news!
No, no, no, no
I don't take them no more.
I'm tired of waking up on the floor!
BUt, would Rush buy her a Select COmfort bed?
aaaaaaaaaaaw!
we miss you....
;-)
BTTT
ROFLLL!!!!
what a mess....
Morning eeevil.
Hi football girl.
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