Garrison Keillor: Let war crimes be bygones

[TwilightZone]

I sat next to Ted Stevens at a Washington dinner years ago and found him unpleasant in a raspy, cartoonish way, but I was happy to see his conviction thrown out. A muddy case, a friend doing work on the senator's house perhaps in exchange for favors in Washington, and I say, have mercy. Let him go fishing in the cold, clear rivers of Alaska and examine his conscience, as we all do in our better hours, and let us all move on to something more promising.

I feel similarly about the Bush people whom some Democrats want to charge with war crimes. The widespread waterboarding and other acts of torture carried out in secret CIA prisons are no small matter. The free play of sadism on the helpless in the name of national service is not to be ignored. What's needed is a fair and thorough congressional investigation. Subpoena witnesses and lay the whole wretched business out on the public record. Look into the heart of darkness and meditate on it. But don't round up a few symbolic suspects and throw the book at them and let all the others go free. Which is what would happen if we launch a criminal prosecution.

(Snip)

Holding the Bush administration responsible for torture would give us some high political drama that would feed the media goat for the next two years and also sap the body politic. The healthcare system would go unfixed, schools would crumble, basic public services would deteriorate, all so that the left could have at the right. I am an old museum-quality Northern liberal, and I know something about the righteousness of my confreres. I've been with old lefty friends who can get emotional about the Haymarket bombing in Chicago and the innocent men railroaded to the gallows, but dear hearts, it happened in 1886. Let's move on.

(Snip)

Rather than square off in a bloody battle over war crimes, let's return decent train service to the Midwest and test out the German maglev (magnetic levitation) system -- the 360 mph trains -- and connect Chicago and St. Paul-Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, Omaha, Kansas City. Let's restore education to the public schools so that our kids get a chance to hear Mozart and learn French.

More: http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2009/04/29/retribution/

Garrison makes some interesting points about priorities. I have to agree with his comment about going after 'symbolic suspects' and letting the rest go, particularly since that's pretty much exactly what happened at Abu Ghraib.

He's certainly right in his statement that who we really want to nail are Bush and Cheney. He could also be right, however, in that expecting them to pay the price is probably not realistic. That's what underlings are for!

[kpete]

1. ugg

[JackDragna]

2. If we let those who perpetrate the worst crimes against humanity..

..walk free, we might as well surrender our bloody democracy. It's pretty damned well on the way of flushing itself as it is, but to let the criminals skate by with this is beyond the pale. They must go to prison. No compromise on this. Ever.

[Voice for Peace]

4. agree. just say no to double standards on criminal prosecutions.

too many potsmokers in jail
too many abused women in jail
too many addicts in jail

[xchrom]

3. sigh -- i love garrison -- and get his point --

but are we really willing to commit ourselves to the idea that the law doesn't really apply to everyone?

you and i would not ever be allowed to break the law and go about our merry business -- getting facials and having our nails done -- but i digress --

that's the point here besides the condoned sadism of the people who authorized torture and those who carried it out -- are some people REALLY above the law?

[BeyondGeography]

5. "So go talk to the voters of Ohio about war crimes."

The country lost its mind after 9/11 and BushCo leveraged it for every dark purpose it could imagine. An all-encompassing autopsy on a now mercifully dead form of politics would be more useful than show trials. And, of course, what would really make the haters suffer is real progress on core issues, not exercises in martyrdom for our "protectors."

[mod mom]

6. I have to disagree. It's a separate issue from the needs of this country. Should

we allow murderers to go free to examine their conscience? This is a very elitist position. We need rule of law and treats all the same. No one is above the law PERIOD!

Obama should focus to solving the great issues that face this country, but justice must be served if we are to regain respect around the world. How can we justify executing Japanese soldiers and tyrants from around the world but allow those in this country to go free?

[HamdenRice]

7. I can't believe he believes that.

I'm opposed to prosecuting that subset of torturers who relied in good faith on opinions from the OLC. That's just the law -- they can't in good conscience be prosecuted.

But the rest should be -- those who tortured before getting the memos, those who exceeded the memos, those who wrote the memos, etc.

Keilor just jumped the shark, as far as I'm concerned.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. Can't agree. I'm so tired of...

...of repeating the same routine with these assholes.
1) Repubs break law
2) Repubs called on it
3) Repubs say "Let's Move on!" or "Get over it!" or (the latests) "Let's not be like a banana republic yadda yadda yadda... "
4) Dems cave.
5) Lather-Rinse-Repeat

Enough!

[Lilith Velkor]

9. He's actually serious?

[Beam Me Up]

10. Lets end the hypocrisy and do away with the rule of law completely.

After all, what kind of message does it send our youth -- not to mention the next generation of politicians -- if the law is applied to some but not all equally? Wouldn't it be better to just have no laws at all. Isn't that what freedom is, the freedom to do or say whatever the fuck you want? If my elected leaders can make up reasons for invading a country, why shouldn't I make up lies about my neighbor, perhaps water board his family to confess and use that as an explanation for why I took over and invaded his home, imprisoned the family, raped his wife, tortured the kids and then claimed his possessions as my own? The world would be a lot better off if we just dropped this sham of the "rule of law" and all became what we instinctively are anyway: predators. Survival of the fittest and to hell with anyone stupid enough to not take care of their own. As it is now, most of the laws on the books are just there to protect the wealthy and increase their wealth anyway, right? So, to hell with "government" of any kind -- lets just let the international criminal enterprises make up their own rules. They just about do that anyway. Lets just level the playing field, that's what I say.



Oh, and in case it isn't obvious:

:sarcasm:

typo

[Badgerman]

11. Keillor, a fringe niche comedian...

Whatever his talents, Keillor is Not a knowledgeable person outside of maybe poetry and the proper preparation of dired and salted fish. Just another celebrity with a bully pulpit on which to display his ignorance. Paris Hilton come to mind?

[RadicalTexan]

12. So if I kill someone today

and don't get arrested until next week, will it be a good defense if I say we should "move on to something more promising" ???

[grasswire]

13. this is the first time I've thought Keillor wrong

He's always been such a patriotic fellow -- such a lover of democracy and America. I'm very disappointed.

[derby378]

14. Hey, Garrison? As long as we're talking about public schools...

...we might want to throw in a lesson plan for History/Civics showing how Bush and Cheney were tried and convicted in an American court for war crimes, using Bush's own statements that nobody is above the law and that war crimes will be prosecuted. Then we could give the students the mailing addresses for both Bush and Cheney at Florence ADX in Colorado.

That would be more instructive to our students than teaching them how to curse in French.

Pinochet got away with it. Pol Pot got away with it. Do we really want Bush and Cheney to join their ranks?

[madfloridian]

15. He has changed his tone since 2006

Garrison Keillor blasts those who voted for the torture amendment.

I have strong feelings about those who died while being tortured. Someone should be held to account so the world will think we care enough to hold them accountable.

The death of Dilawar in Bagram.

I think he is wrong.

[TwilightZone]

17. Not quite the same thing. But, they are related.

In your link, Keillor blasts Congress for the torture amendment. That same torture amendment is part of why the conversation has become so convoluted - it blurred the lines of legality (where Bush was concerned, at least) and will complicate prosecution.

Ignorance of the law or morality is not an excuse, of course. But, the condoning of a presidential determination as to what constitutes torture certainly isn't going to help nailing the torturers for it.

Keillor obviously has strong feelings about the tortured, as well. He just doesn't think - right or wrong - that the right people can be held accountable.

[madfloridian]

20. In reality the same thing.

The reason there will probably be nothing done about those who tortured and even "murdered" many in the process is because of that vote. I don't think we can move along very easily until there is more accountability.

He does appear to have a change in tone.

[derby378]

16. If we can't prosecute war criminals, we don't DESERVE maglev trains and French lessons

We have got to get our own house in order. No immunity, no "truth commission" whitewash. Prosecute, prosecute, prosecute.

[sammythecat]

19. Exactly. n/t

[sammythecat]

18. This fucking "either, or" shit really pisses me off.

I don't have the time, or the energy, to say what I think about this bullshit statement from Garrison Keillor. I'll just say it's disgustingly wrong and leave it at that. For now anyway.