Biggest lawyers group taking stand on Bush admin's detention practices

[Nambe]

ATLANTA (AP)

Over the objections of the Bush administration, the nation's largest lawyers group is moving to condemn the government's handling of foreign detainees.

A resolution debated Monday by the American Bar Association criticizes what it calls ``a widespread pattern of abusive detention methods.'' Those abuses, it says, ``feed terrorism by painting the United States as an arrogant nation above the law.''

The ABA was responding to abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad and concerns about the treatment of about 600 terrorism suspects being held in Cuba.

Some lawyers complained that the nonpartisan group, with more than 400,000 members, was getting too political, especially as the presidential election nears. ..

Prisoners at Abu Ghraib were interrogated for as long as 20 hours at a time, kept hooded and naked, intimidated with dogs and forcibly shaved....
Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[clydefrand]

1. Are them thare them old trial lawyers?

He loves trial lawyers, doesn't he. He's just damn jealous he doesn't have sense enough to be one.

[movonne]

2. It's about bloody time!!!

[struggle4progress]

6. The ABA chickened out on any Gitmo stand earlier this year. eom

[Pastiche423]

3. Who would've thunk it?

Lawyers standing up for what is right. (Only half kidding.)

This does my heart good, knowing some Americans still believe that torture is wrong and are willing to do something about it.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I think there are plenty of corporate lawyers in ABA, not just...

"trial lawyers." Kudos to this group of legal eagles for taking a stand.

[teryang]

5. The torture issue and GTMO are an issue

...among lawyers and judges, even the conservatives. They think the torture memos, the Hamdi case, the practices in violation of international law, the black hole in GITMO, etc. are all legal non-sense and dangerous. The ABA is very conservative. For them to take this position is a good sign.