Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

[pisshead]

Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

[align=left]Mathaba Net | January 9 2006[/align]

[align=left]John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody â?? including by crushing that childâ??s testicles. [/align]

This came out in response to a question in a December 1st debate in Chicago with Notre Dame professor and international human rights scholar Doug Cassel.

What is particularly chilling and revealing about this is that John Yoo was a key architect post-9/11 Bush Administration legal policy. As a deputy assistant to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, John Yoo authored a number of legal memos arguing for unlimited presidential powers to order torture of captive suspects, and to declare war anytime, any where, and on anyone the President deemed a threat.

It has now come out Yoo also had a hand in providing legal reasoning for the President to conduct unauthorized wiretaps of U.S. citizens. Georgetown Law Professor David Cole wrote, "Few lawyers have had more influence on President Bushâ??s legal policies in the 'war on terrorâ?? than John Yoo."

This part of the exchange during the debate with Doug Cassel, reveals the logic of Yooâ??s theories, adopted by the Administration as bedrock principles, in the real world.

Cassel: If the President deems that heâ??s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the personâ??s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

The audio of this exchange is available online at revcom.us

Yoo argues presidential powers on Constitutional grounds, but where in the Constitution does it say the President can order the torture of children ? As David Cole puts it, "Yoo reasoned that because the Constitution makes the President the 'Commander-in-Chief,â?? no law can restrict the actions he may take in pursuit of war. On this reasoning, the President would be entitled by the Constitution to resort to genocide if he wished."

What is the position of the Bush Administration on the torture of children, since one of its most influential legal architects is advocating the Presidentâ??s right to order the crushing of a childâ??s testicles?

This fascist logic has nothing to do with "getting information" as Yoo has argued. The legal theory developed by Yoo and a few others and adopted by the Administration has resulted in thousands being abducted from their homes in Afghanistan, Iraq or other parts of the world, mostly at random. People have been raped, electrocuted, nearly drowned and tortured literally to death in U.S.-run torture centers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantánamo Bay. And there is much still to come out. What about the secret centers in Europe or the many still-suppressed photos from Abu Ghraib? What can explain this sadistic, indiscriminate, barbaric brutality except a need to instill widespread fear among people all over the world?

It is ironic that just prior to arguing the President's legal right to torture children, John Yoo was defensive about the Bush administration policies, based on his legal memoâ??s, being equated to those during Nazi Germany.

Yoo said, "If you are trying to draw a moral equivalence between the Nazis and what the United States is trying to do in defending themselves against Al Qauueda and the 9/11 attacks, I fully reject that. Second, if youâ??re trying to equate the Bush Administration to Nazi officials who committed atrocities in the holocaust, I completely reject that tooâ?¦I think to equate Nazi Germany to the Bush Administration is irresponsible."

If open promotion of unmitigated executive power, including the right to order the torture of innocent children, isnâ??t sufficient basis for drawing such a "moral equivalence," then I donâ??t know what is. What would be irresponsible is to sit by and allow the Bush regime to radically remake society in a fascist way, with repercussions for generations to come. We must act now because the future is in the balance. The world cannot wait. While Bush gives his State of the Union on January 31st, Iâ??ll find myself along with many thousands across the country declaring "Bush Step Down And take your program with you."

pisshead Reviewed by pisshead on 01-09-2006. Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children Mathaba Net | January 9 2006 John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody â?? including by crushing that childâ??s testicles. This came out in response to a question in a December 1st debate in Chicago with Notre Dame professor and international human rights scholar Doug Cassel. What is particularly chilling and revealing about Rating: 5

[andruejaysin]

This, of course , includes my children (and yours), the idea that they should be free from torture is somehow incompatabile with "democracy", as we have came to understand it. Sig Heil, Mein Fuehrer.

[mfactor420]

I think it is about time that every single country gang up together and bomb the shit out of the American Admin. This is just getting disgustingly sick and if Bush ever tries to lay a hand on my son's testicles, I will personally kill that little lordbushit with my bare fucking hands.

[pisshead]

i know...the nazis did this in secret...they would never dare proclaim to the world they were torturing children...but when we do, it keeps us safe from al-qaeda...

if you're against torturing children and crushing their genitalia...then you're with al-qaeda...

this is very disgusting...

[mfactor420]

i know...the nazis did this in secret...they would never dare proclaim to the world they were torturing children...but when we do, it keeps us safe from al-qaeda...

if you're against torturing children and crushing their genitalia...then you're with al-qaeda...

this is very disgusting...

Just think what USA will do to Canada because we did not go to war with them in Iraq. We must be, as nation, with al-qaeda...

The lesser of 2 eveils???

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

try me. bring it on. i DARE you to torture me, you snot nosed piece of shits!

[FrenchInhale]

You guys are crazy. If you think that the Bush Administration tortures every single child they get their hand on, then your crazy. All that the guy was saying was that if the situation arose (which it probably never did and never would) in which a child withheld information detrimental to the safety of the U.S. as a country (300 million people) , then they would have the authority to torture them. Think of it this way, if you had to choose between a nuclear bomb hitting a major city in whatever country you live in (which could be millions of people), or torturing a kid that had the conscience not to tell American officals the information they needed, which would you choose?

[Psycho4Bud]

Just think what USA will do to Canada because we did not go to war with them in Iraq. We must be, as nation, with al-qaeda...

The lesser of 2 eveils???

If thats what ya want....heres a link to your nearest Al-Quada support group. :thumbsup:

[mfactor420]

You guys are crazy. If you think that the Bush Administration tortures every single child they get their hand on, then your crazy. All that the guy was saying was that if the situation arose (which it probably never did and never would) in which a child withheld information detrimental to the safety of the U.S. as a country (300 million people) , then they would have the authority to torture them. Think of it this way, if you had to choose between a nuclear bomb hitting a major city in whatever country you live in (which could be millions of people), or torturing a kid that had the conscience not to tell American officals the information they needed, which would you choose?

You are right, no one said that Bush and his cronies tortures every little kid, but your reasoning sounds rather Cardascian (See Star Trek DS9) to me. Why don't we torture you indstead?

And, if someone is gonna drop a nuclear bomb, better drop it on the city Bush is in at the time. Maybe he will visit Paris soon? :thumbsup:

Please explain to me what info a child is gonna have that is detrimental to the safety of the USA. So, yup it never will arise, but just the thought that lordbushit and his cronies have that kind of unchecked power is not right in my book.

Over to you psycho4bud!! :smokin:

[mfactor420]

If thats what ya want....heres a link to your nearest Al-Quada support group. :thumbsup:

Awww . . . . . ya got me. I should have guessed it was Alex Jones. I clicked the link, (curiosity killed the cat - satisfaction brought it back) but it takes too long to download, so I passed. :thumbsup:

Too funny, Man!!! Thanks. :smokin: