Wheee, it's official! The June 30th 'Handover' is officially bogus!

[WilliamPitt]

:grr:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A757-2004Jun23.html

U.S. Immunity In Iraq Will Go Beyond June 30

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 24, 2004; Page A01

The Bush administration has decided to take the unusual step of bestowing on its own troops and personnel immunity from prosecution by Iraqi courts for killing Iraqis or destroying local property after the occupation ends and political power is transferred to an interim Iraqi government, U.S. officials said.

The administration plans to accomplish that step -- which would bypass the most contentious remaining issue before the transfer of power -- by extending an order that has been in place during the year-long occupation of Iraq. Order 17 gives all foreign personnel in the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority immunity from "local criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction and from any form of arrest or detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their parent states."

...more...

[Paragon]

1. Shocking.

Just shocking. :eyes:

[Bluebear]

2. Oh now this is a big surprise!

[Bucky]

3. Is it only immunity for our people in Iraq?

I mean, if the president and SecDef conspired to orchestrate a policy of torture from outside the borders of the coalition's occupation of Iraq, can they still be put on trial?

Oh, who am I kidding?

[Tatiana]

4. I'm speechless!

You mean, our government lied? :eyes:

Really, these people have NO SHAME whatsofuckingever.

[Kadie]

5. It's Official, The Entire Bush Administration is Bogus!

That is the headling I am looking forward to seeing. Do you think we will ever see it?

[Spazito]

6. How, exactly, can a country give itself "immunity" from international...

courts??? How, exactly, can the US give itself "immunity" from Iraqis going to the courts for redress??? If this doesn't tell you that there is NO, repeat NO, intention to leave or let Iraqis have their country back. This is beyond disgusting and into the surreal.

[merh]

13. Okay, we really can't do this, but if you don't tell, they won't either.

Let's just keep it between us that this is AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW.
ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Spazito]

19. Well, they can kiss any international help goodbye, that's for ...

fucking sure. You have Biden, Kerry, Bush and others begging for NATO's help and this is the nail in the coffin for that and, even more sadly, this is the nail in many, many more coffins of US soldiers and Iraqi citizens.

I hope, with everything I have, that Kerry gets in.

[merh]

20. A few days ago the UN Secretary General publicly stated that

the U.S. soldiers would not be granted immunity. GW and his band of repugs had tried to get the votes necessary at the UN to allow the U.S. immunity for actions in Iraq, but they were unable to get the votes. Yeah, unless GW is dethroned, we will not get any help from U.N or NATO. The majority of the countries that are helping us now in Iraq are only there because we have threatened to withhold monetary support or to call in debts owed. The damned thugs.

[Seabiscuit]

33. DUHHH....

shhhhhhh.... :eyes:

[FlemingsGhost]

7. Legal had to get the words just right.

What a fucking joke.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. Yeah...they used the torture memos as a template.

[RBHam]

8. License to Kill

And the vast majority of these troops will suffer psychologically in ways we can only imagine - and be dropped back in the US with a Veteran's Affairs department gutted by program cuts. Others will become scarred in more nefarious ways - homicidal ways. And they'll be coming back too. With the thought that they were once able to kill and destroy with immunity. What happens when reality meets nightmare? What happens when an MK Ultra "handler" gets a hold of one of these McVeigh types, twists their minds, and suggests some more "domestic disturbance" would be in order to help free him of his demons....

DARK, DARK TIMES AHEAD...

yeah, we saw it coming...big deal...big whoop-de-freaking-do...

[PartyPooper]

9. Can you say U.S. P-U-P-P-E-T "government"?

:eyes:

[opihimoimoi]

10. What Happened to Sovereignty???? Oh, I guess its just a word

Don't mean shit to the Bushies.

I am telling you, these guys stay up nights trying to find ways to make America LOOK BAAAAAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are on OVERTIME 24/7 searching for ways to destroy America one way or another.

[Gregorian]

15. Do you mean "inturum soverty"?

That's the way he pronounces it.
I think we need to publish a book of George. Nukular; Abu Graif-ff-f-f; inturum soverty; and many many more. He's damaged.

(Did anyone ever expect the June 30th deadline to mean anything? And Saddam is being treated well, they say. He just fell out of a four story building is how he got all those bruises. I'm more than disgusted by the politicians running this country. I'm disgusted by the press, and those who believe it. Which means, I really am disgusted. )

[Philostopher]

36. Yeah, well, you know Opihi ...

words are malleable things for them. Just look at what neocons have done to shit all over words and phrases like 'family values' and 'ethics' the past twenty years. Family values now means 'whatever my church says you should behave like, or whatever you do that makes me feel confused, scared or threatened because I don't understand it,' and ethics is now 'whatever I can get away with, and the ends ultimately justify the means.'

I think you're right that they're deliberately, passionately destroying the America we all grew up in and loved. It's always had its faults, but a tacit insistence on lockstep Christian beliefs and intolerance of anybody who isn't just like everybody else was never as plainly the goal as it is right now.

[Amaya]

11. Everything they've done has been bogus.

.

[Crewleader]

12. no surprise there

it was only symbolic in Bush eyes, the librator...as the world knows the Iraq council needs all the protection of what's truly happening there...kill anyone helping the US.

[Cleita]

14. And you had hope it would be otherwise.

I didn't.

[WilliamPitt]

17. No

but my capacity to seeth, it seems, is bottomless.

[wtmusic]

16. And then Saddam went and be-stowed the same thing on HIMSELF...

this game is fun!! :crazy:

[tavalon]

42. Hah!

I love your quote from Kennedy.

[TrustingDog]

18. I too am shocked and awed....

This is a real turn in the tide, the U Ass of A can't seem to bomb them to liberty and freedom enough....

[WLKjr]

21. What Bushco keep it's word, ROFLMAO!

I mean come on, who seriously thought this would be the end of it?!?!?!

rack up another lie by the Furer himself, G.W. Bush

[Swamp Rat]

22. No surprise here

I've never believed one fucking word from these pig fuckers.

On the bright side, I don't care anymore about calling them fucking pig fuckers in front of fucked repigs.

[JSJ]

24. 'support the troops' 'liberals'...

... should be happy with this developement. I know I'm not.

[Bridget Burke]

32. Please explain....

Who, exactly, are 'support the troops' 'liberals' ???

[JSJ]

40. Anyone who calls him/herself liberal...

...and make his/her support for the troops known- as opposed to supporting peace and light- are 'support the troops' 'liberals'. I think those who label themselves liberal (in the classic sense of the word) but who support the troops despite their ongoing efforts to kill people in a country that's nearly 50% children are either schizo or hypocrites, and are more likely to be linked by blood, marriage, or whatever to a troop. Support the troops, in the end, is a selfish argument that benefits a comparitively small number of citizens- and when exploited by politicians leads to even more instances of infanticide and destruction.

[NewEmanuelGoldstein]

46. they're the

Liberal chickenhawks. As opposed to the Conservative chickenhawks.

[WilliamPitt]

25. .

[tavalon]

43. off-topic sort of

I came to DU mostly because I admire your work but I've looked at everything here because I feel like I've landed in a place with many, many kindred spirits. Anyway, I notice when you post and therefore, I've noticed these "." that you post, um, a lot. I am having a clueless newbie moment here (I checked the FAQ, I really did). What does "." mean, exactly?

[merh]

26. KICK!

[stickdog]

27. They will have full sovereignty* no doubt.

*Full sovereignty void where prohibited.

[anarchy1999]

28. Will, I've read nothing yet on this post I just know it is officially not

fair for you to say. You just can't say this. The Handover is Official and it is just so wrong of you to say not it is not so......Will Pitt, you just can't do this. Don't you know? Okay yes, I may have had one too many vodkas tonight. I'm so sorry and my heart breaks so.

[dusty64]

29. The biggest farce

ought to be their undoing, yet this is our regime we are talking about and their ability to skate through their crimes and treason is mind boggling.

[tom_paine]

30. In Other News: Nazis give Soldiers Immunity for actions taken In Poland

German Immunity In Iraq Will Go Beyond 1939

By Julius Streicher
Der Sturmer Staff Writer
Thursday, October 24, 1939; Page 1

:grr: :grr: :grr: :mad: :grr: :mad: :mad: :grr:

[LynneSin]

31. Yeah, like we're all sitting here SHOCKED over that announcement

Welcome to Iraqinam!

:eyes:

[LibDemAlways]

34. CNN sure isn't talking about this.

They are touting "Countdown to handover" - perpetuating the lie that Iraqis will be in charge after June 30. All of the violence and chaos after that date can then be blamed on inadequate Iraqi security, and the whores will solemnly intone that the new "Iraqi government" has requested that the US stay on to "finish the job" they started.

If this was a genuine and legitimate transfer of power to the Iraqi people, we'd be witnessing the Vietnam-like helicopter evauations sooner rather than later.

[I am Garry Owen]

35. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)

The United States has established SOFAs with every nation where our forces are stationed around the world. The SOFA specifies what actions can or can not be taken against our military while performing duties on foreign soil. This is not unlike the Diplomatic Immunity that EVERY diplomat and their family members enjoy as members of the United Nations living in New York. They are immune from prosecution for ANY offense albeit rape, arson, or even torture.

[Spazito]

38. The difference is this is not a peacekeeping mission, it was and is

the invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation. An invader giving itself immunity for war crimes. No different than if Hitler gave Germany immunity after invading Poland. It is not Iraq giving this immunity it is the US giving itself immunity which is beyond ludicrous.

The world spoke when it refused to extend the immunization resolution because of the war crimes already committed re the torture of detainees.

[DinahMoeHum]

37. "Partial Sovereignty" "Interim Sovereignty" What a f**king joke.

:evilfrown:

[roper]

39. Torture, ICJ, now this -- the US are above the law

The president is not bound by the Geneva convention, the US do not want to support the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and now they don't want to be held responsible in Iraq. This is a complete picture..

[PurityOfEssence]

41. All animals are equal, except some are more equal than others

Isn't the definition of hypocrisy when one holds others to accountability for things one reserves the right of immunity?

Just askin'...

[symbolman]

44. In honor of Will Pitt

laying it all out for us I've made this the feature story at Take Back the Media.com

and this little graphic to boot:



enjoy!

more at http://www.takebackthemedia.com

[bobthedrummer]

45. Someone better shut down this divine right of King's shit ASAP

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.