Senate Determines Rumsfeld Guilty Of War Crimes

The Senate Armed Forces Cmte. concluded an investigation this week that Donald Rumsfeld is indeed a war criminal. The report did not say it in such language, but if the evidence shows that you directed soldiers to torture prisoners of war, then you are by default, a war criminal. Of course many people that have studied Rumsfeld's actions while he was Defense Secretary. The difference now is that the Senate has no excuse not to act.

From RawStory:

A Senate Armed Services report issued Thursday asserted that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the Bush administration "conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees."

According to the committee, prisoners were tortured in the Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib, the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other US military installations. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) were responsible for the content of the Senate's findings.

The report determined that placing the blame on "a few bad apples," as Bush administration officials attempted to do in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib scandal, is inappropriate.

Well I am glad that the Senators realize the "bad apple" theory was as rotten as the name suggests. The tree of the Pentagon was the real problem and Rumsfeld was one of the principles in charge of it. And I am almost sure that Cheney and Bush had a heavy hand in it as well. With the facts out there, there should be no delay to getting a trial started that will prosecute Donald Rumsfeld and his cabal to the fullest extent of the law.

Why is it though that I don't think holding my breath on this outcome is a good idea?

Rumsfeld's Scary Snowflakes

Halloween is over and it isn't cold enough for snow yet, but a WaPo article on Donald Rumsfeld's snowflakes are showing exactly how he operated inside the Defense Department. It is a scary display of the man's opinions and how he directed a propaganda campaign against the American people. All sorts on internal communique are now being given light for the public to gasp at.

From The Washington Post:

In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war.

The memos, often referred to as "snowflakes," shed light on Rumsfeld's brusque management style and on his efforts to address key challenges during his tenure as Pentagon chief. Spanning from 2002 to shortly after his resignation following the 2006 congressional elections, a sampling of his trademark missives obtained yesterday reveals a defense secretary disdainful of media criticism and driven to reshape public opinion of the Iraq war.

Rumsfeld, whose sometimes abrasive approach often alienated other Cabinet members and White House staff members, produced 20 to 60 snowflakes a day and regularly poured out his thoughts in writing as the basis for developing policy, aides said. The memos are not classified but are marked "for official use only."

These documents proved that the color-coded terror alert system was nothing more than a sham meant to stoke Americans' fear of another attack. Rumsfeld did whatever he thought it would take to start a war with Iran even after Iraq had fallen to pieces and the armed forces he directed were stretched to the breaking point.

Donald got off easily by resigning, he should have been found guilty of numerous crimes by our own judicial system, not necessitating a lawsuit in either Germany or France. The man is a war criminal and he must pay for his crimes against humanity.

When In Paris...Indict Rumsfeld

Although Rumsfeld was already sued in Germany, his latest indictment in France looks a little more promising. The torturer was in the French capital at the behest of Foreign Policy magazine, but those that have been after him interrupted his plans. It is important to bring this man (among many) to justice for the crimes he committed by authorizing the practice of torture at Abu Ghraib and other sites.

From RawStory:

The head of one of the groups responsible for bringing the charges, the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights, told RAW STORY today by phone that the suit was a long time coming.

"We've been working on cornering Rumsfeld and getting him indicted somewhere going on three years now," said the Center's president, Michael Ratner. "Four days ago, we got confidential information he was going to be in France."

Joined by activists, attorneys for the human rights groups caught up with Rumsfeld on his way to a breakfast meeting. "He was walking down the street with just one person," said Ratner.

"Around 20 campaigners gave Rumsfeld a rowdy welcome...yelling 'murderer,' waving a banner and trying to push into the building," reports AFP.

"Murderer" is one word for the ex-Secretary, but I would prefer "convicted criminal" much more.

What Does The President Know About The Pat Tillman Cover Up?

The lack of compassion George Bush has for Americans in general is truly pathetic. What is worse is that he seems to care less about the troops, and more about hiding the secrets of the military. The Pat Tillman cover up is almost as tragic as the death itself. The Pentagon has disgraced itself through and through, yet the President won't do a thing. All we can expect is hollow rhetoric.

From The White House itself:

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You speak often about taking care of the troops and honoring their sacrifice. But the family of Corporal Pat Tillman believes there was a cover up regarding his death, and some say perhaps he was even murdered, instead of just friendly fire. At a hearing last week on Capitol Hill your former Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, other officials used some version of "I don't recall" 82 times. When it was his term to step up, Pat Tillman gave up a lucrative NFL career, served his country and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Now you have a chance to pledge to the family that your government, your administration will finally get to the bottom of it. Can you make that pledge to the family today, that you'll finally, after seven investigations, find out what really happened?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I can understand why Pat Tillman's family, you know, has got significant emotions, because a man they loved and respected was killed while he was serving his country. I always admired the fact that a person who was relatively comfortable in life would be willing to take off one uniform and put on another to defend America. And the best way to honor that commitment of his is to find out the truth. And I'm confident the Defense Department wants to find out the truth, too, and we'll lay it out for the Tillman family to know.

Q But, Mr. President, there have been seven investigations and the Pentagon has not gotten to the bottom of it. Can you also tell us when you, personally, found out that it was not enemy fire, that it was friendly fire?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't give you the precise moment. But obviously the minute I heard that the facts that people believed were true were not true, that I expect there to be a full investigation and get to the bottom of it.

He expects to be liked by the nation, and that ain't gonna happen any sooner than when hell freezes over. So there is no reason for any of us to expect a full and complete investigation. The lack of sympathy and forthright for the Tillman family is sickening. The fact that the entire Bush Administration is in on it is downright nauseous.