Thom Hartmann talks to John Dean about the Bush torture memos (4/4)

[thomhartmann]

Run time: 05:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2CnquSI6Go   Posted on YouTube: April 29, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: April 30, 2009 By DU Member: thomhartmann Views on DU: 648

 
Visit Thom Hartmann at http://www.thomhartmann.com to listen live, join the community or purchase a podcast.

[autorank]

1. K*R Great interview! Great combination! n/t

[JDPriestly]

2. We need prosecutions, not a truth commission.

The Watergate crimes were dismissed after a few lower level prosecutios and a pardon for Nixon. Sure, we passed laws intended to prevent recurrences of the Nixon crimes, but it took just four years for the Republicans to return to power, more popular than ever, more criminal than ever.

During the Reagan administration, we saw Iran-Contra (among other crimes), a far more serious and complex criminal conspiracy than has been recognized. Those crimes were followed by Bush I and the S&L Crisis -- where through criminal economic manipulation, a few big financial interests were given the opportunity to gobble up American real estate at cheap prices. (I believe that history will recognize that intentional deception at high levels lead to that economic debacle.) During Bush II, we survived countless crimes including outright theft of taxpayer money in Iraq and TARP, criminal violations of FISA, entry into war based on what the Bush administration had to have known were lies and then torture.

Although some minor figures were convicted and sentenced in Iran-Contra and Watergate, for the most part, we have never dared to prosecute the leaders of these criminal conspiracies.

And we have paid the price. Our failure to prosecute Nixon emboldened the criminals in the Reagan and Bush I administrations. And our failure to hold Reagan and Nixon I responsible for the crimes of their administrations empowered and emboldened Bush II.

The torture, unlike some of the earlier crimes, constitutes a violation of international crime -- a war crime. We must impose criminal penalties if we are to remain a member in good standing in the community of civilized nations.

I have a lot of respect for both John Dean and Thom Hartmann, and I am not usually hard-nosed when it comes to criminal justice. But here, history shows that we must prosecute those at the top of the government who clearly authorized these violations of law if we are to preserve our individual freedom.

If we succumb to the temptation to be "civil" we will trivialize the crime of torture. We will become a lawless nation. If we don't enforce the law against torture, our children and grandchildren will pay the price as our ruling class resorts to torture more and more frequently.

[JDPriestly]

3. Thanks so much for posting these clips, thom hartmann.

I try to listen to Hartmann's morning radio program here in L.A., but sometimes I have to work during that program.

[Phred42]

4. K&R - this is the kind of TV show Hartmann should have.

more along the ling of Moyers and Morrow