Join MN Protest of 10th Anniv. of US Torture Jan 9th 10:45am, MOnday 11am, and Jan 11th 7pm free

[annm4peace]

(please share this with others, thanks)

January 9, 2012 (11 am to aprox.1 pm) which is the 10 year anniversary of the Yoo-Delahunty Office of Legal Counsel Memo that advised George Bush Administration they did not have to adhere to the Geneva Conventions.

Meet at 10:45 am at the People’s Plaza ( Hennepin County Government Center )
at 300 South Sixth Street , Minneapolis (Light rail drops you off right in front of it )

For a march and rally in orange jumpsuits and black hoods.
We have extra orange jumpsuits as well as placards of torture victims’ statements. (10.00 donation to take it home)
(If it’s cold, we’ll go through the skyways.)

Join others as they march in orange “Gitmo” jumpsuits to the University of St. Thomas Law School on January 9, 2012, which marks the 10 year anniversary of MN's Robert Delahunty's and John Yoo's memo that advised George Bush that he did not have to follow the Geneva Conventions with regard to those labeled as "terrorists," Taliban and other "non-state actors."

Bush used these legal memos to sign directives establishing indefinite detention at Guantanamo and the legalization of torture. Bring signs without ticks and orange jumpsuits. Sponsored by: the WAMM Tackling Torture at the Top (T3) Committee. FFI: Visit www.worldwidewamm.org or call WAMM, 612-827-5364.



January 11, 2012 Amnesty International is showing the Movie, "You Don't Like the Truth", which is an award-winning documentary about the interrogation of a Canadian teenager in Guantanamo and features actual security camera footage of the interrogations as well as expert testimony.

The interrogations are not violent, but they are disturbing nonetheless as they call into question the ethics and efficacy how officials treat adolescent prisoners. To learn more about the film go to www.youdontlikethetruth.com. Discussion after the film.

Place: St Anthony Main Theater
Date: January 11th
Time: 7:00 PM
Price: FREE (w/suggested donation)
Website: www.AIstpaul.org
Contact: [e-mail]

* John Yoo is pushing for a (totally illegal) war on Iran except Yoo has this nutty theory of international law wherein US’ hegemonic interests are the sole criteria. Coleen Rowley

THE MEMO:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB127/02.01.09.pdf

[annm4peace]

1. we do not forget.. some day there will be accountablity

"There must be a full accountability for the abuse of Iraq detainees and important questions must be asked of the chain of command to understand what happened, how it happened, when it happened and how those in positions of responsibility either ordered, encouraged or authorized -- or maybe looked the other way -- such conduct."
-- Senator John Warner (R-Va), Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing May 19 2004



"All of those up and down the chain of command who bear any responsibility must be held accountable for the brutality and humiliation they inflicted on the prisoners and for the damage and dishonor that they brought to our nation and to the United States armed forces, which is otherwise filled with honorable men and women acting with courage and professionalism to bring stability and security and reconstruction to Iraq."
-- Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich), Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing May 11 2004

[annm4peace]

2. From National Security Archive

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB127/


Jan 9, 2002 - Department of Justice memo concerning the bearing of international laws prohibiting torture on President Bush and the U.S. military

The memo, entitled "Application of Treaties and Laws to al Qaeda and Taliban Detainees,"
was written by lawyers John Yoo and Robert J. Delahunty. *

It states: "Any customary international law of armed conflict in no way binds, as a legal matter, the President or the U.S. Armed Forces concerning the detention or trial of members of al Qaeda and the Taliba." The memo concludes that suspected terrorist detainees can be prosecuted for violating these same laws: "We do not believe that these courts would lose jurisdiction to try members of al Qaeda or the Taliban militia for violations of the laws of war, even though we have concluded that the laws of war have no binding effect [obscured] on the President."
[Referenced in "Double Standards?" by Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, May 25, 2004. Obtained from the Newsweek website at www.newsweek.com]

* Delahunty is Prof of Law at MN's St Thomas University. (can you imagine the twisted logic of his students ?)

http://www.stthomas.edu/law/faculty/bios/delahuntyrobert.htm

Deputy General Counsel at the White House Office of Homeland Security in 2002/2003.

He spent most of his legal career before joining the UST faculty, however, at the Office of Legal Counsel, where he was made Special Counsel and a member of the Senior Executive Service in 1992. His work and writing at the Office of Legal Counsel focused on the constitutional law of foreign relations, Presidential war powers, public international law, treaties, and immigration law. His usual clients included the Office of the Counsel to the President, the Office of the Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, the Office of Management & Budget, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of the Legal Adviser to the State Department.

[annm4peace]

3. We march to remind St. Thomas they are still employing a war criminal

(note Dean Mengler writes that Delahunty left the White House legal council Jan 2002 eluding that was before The Memo, yet Delahunty's bio from St. Thomas site says he was Deputy General Counsel at White House 2002/2003. hummm)

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2009/08/26/st-thomas-law-professor-robert-delahuntys-torture-memos.html


BY ROGER CUTHBERTSON, FREE SPEECH ZONE
August 26, 2009
Roger Cuthbertson explains the terrible significance of the "torture memos" written by former Bush Attorneys Robert Delahunty and John Yoo to St. Thomas Director of Communications Chato Hazelbaker on August 24, 2009, the first day of classes at the St. Thomas University's School of Law.


Exchange of letters between Roger Cuthbertson, Robert Heberle and St. Thomas University School of Law Dean Thomas M. Mengler,

Robert Heberle's initial letter, sent to the Star Tribune and University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean Thomas M. Mengler, May 30, 2009

The University of St. Thomas Law School's mission statement states that "The University of St. Thomas School of Law, as a Catholic law school, is dedicated to integrating faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice." Yet this school hired Robert Delahunty, a co-author of the "Torture Memo." Bill Moyer's show on PBS Friday, May 29, displayed the "Torture Memo" from John Yoo's office in the Department of Justice. Robert Delahunty's name was clearly included under John Yoo's. For some reason Robert Delahunty is never given credit as a co-author of these memos nor is the obvious contradiction between the law school's Mission Statement and hiring acknowledged.

University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean Thomas M. Mengler's response to Robert Heberle, 6/22/09

Dear Mr. Heberle:
Thank you for copying the School of Law on your recent email to the Star Tribune regarding Professor Robert Delahunty. The memo used as a photo illustration in the PBS special with Bill Moyer's dealt with the definition of "enemy combatants." It is unfortunate this was the memo pictured, because this memo is not one of the "torture memos" by most definitions.

Delahunty was a co-author of only one of several memos that were publicized in the spring of 2004. The memo he co-authored dealt with the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to al Queda and the Taliban. He took the position that the Geneva Conventions do not apply as a matter of law to al Queda, a pont of view shared by current Attorney General Eric Holder. Delahunty was not involved in any way with the memo that has caused the most controversy - the memo on the legality of torturing enemy combatants.

Furthermore, Delahunty was not at the Justice Department when the key memos were written. In January 2002, Delahunty left the Justice Department for the White House where he was on loan for 18 months While Delahunty was in the White House, not the Justice Department, is when many of the questions regarding interrogatoins tactics were answered. Most of the memos imprecisely lumped as the "torture memos" were written between January and August of 2002. The key memo regarding interrogation tactics was written on March 12, 2002.

[annm4peace]

4. Why why why

Last edited Sun Jan 8, 2012, 12:02 AM - Edit history (1)

Why St. Thomas?
Robert Delahunty is currently a professor at St. Thomas University School of law.
Prior to becoming a law professor at UST, Delahunty worked in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justidice, for president George W. Bush. In that capacity, John Yoo and Robert Delahunty wrote ‘legal’ opinions which gave the Bush administration cover for the harsh treatment of prisoners, which was being practiced.

Why Jan 9?
Ten years ago, on Jan 9, 2002, John Yoo and Robert Delahunty wrote the infamous memo which argued that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to the treatment of prisoners who were Al Qaeda or Taliban or “non-state” or rogue state combatants. This memo had the cornerstone effect of providing a green light for the harsh treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and CIA “black sites” worldwide.(now also Somalia )

Why do we march?
Guantanamo is still open, 10 years after the first prisoners were sent there Jan 11, 2002. There still has been no accounting for or prosecution in high places of the war crimes, including torture and waging aggressive war.
This failure to prosecute is a crime in itself, because of the treaty obligations of the U.S., including the Convention Against Torture, which we have signed. Torture is still practiced in Afghanistan by our client state military forces, with our tacit knowledge and approval. Abuse of prisoners is very much with us in the U.S.
A most notable example is the abuse of the whistle blower prisoner Bradley Manning. Our rights are under attack. The brand new Defense Authorization Act, which allows citizens accused of terrorism to be locked up indefinitely without trial is just one example. Additional context is extreme militarism and impending war with Iran. We can’t fight all the battles at once. This time we are just saying torture is always wrong. Torture doesn’t work. Torturers should be held accountable. We are Tackling Torture at the Top, a sub committee of WAMM

[annm4peace]

5. It was a great turnout today

We had a great showing. 28 of us marched through the Skyways wearing orange jumpsuits and blackhoods and pinned to our front and back were eithers names of those held at Guantanamo or somethings that were done to them.
We walked silently through the Skyways as a couple of us handed out flyers of why were marching.. below is the what was on the flyers.
Most in the skyway walked past us taking quick sideways glances and not taking a flyer. Only about 20% took flyers from us.
We were young and old.. students and retirees..Veterans and lawyers..... some took the day off (like me).
It was stream'd live on Occupy MN website.. and the Uptake, Bill Soren also video tapped it and interviewed individuals.
There was no news coverage. I do look forward to Bill's clip.

We walked to St Thomas Law School to go to their library to read Delhunty's memo but we were refused entrance.
and 3 squad cars showed up. We then went to our scheduled vigil on the corner of 11th ST and LaSalle.
We had 3 large banners that said. Close Guantanmo. Disbar Delahunty. Torture is Wrong.
The Spokes person, Mr Chato came out to talk to us. Like always he gives us the empty excuses of why St Thomas continues to employee Robert Delanty and allow him to teach their students about the Constitution.

It just seems incredible after 10 years Guantanamo is still open, and that no one has been held accountable and MN continues to tolerate someone like this misguided Prof Robert Delahunty is teaching at St Thomas Law School.