Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

The ACLU has some suggestions for the next president on how to give us back our civil liberties.

Of course, those who get their news only from the mainstream press or TV didn’t know they lost them in the first place.

See: Actions for Restoring America: How to Begin Repairing the Damage to Freedom in America After Bush.

Here is a snippet, the organization’s suggestion for Day 1:

• Cease and prohibit the use of torture and abuse, without exception, and direct the Attorney General immediately after his or her confirmation to appoint an outside special counsel to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute any violations of federal criminal laws prohibiting torture and abuse;
  
• Close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and either charge and try detainees under criminal law in federal criminal courts or before military courts-martial or transfer them to countries where they will not be tortured or detained without charge;
  
• Cease and prohibit the practice of extraordinary rendition, which is the transfer of persons, outside of the judicial process, to other countries, including countries that torture or abuse prisoners.

There’s more to be cleaned up: watch lists, warrantless spying, monitoring of activists, spying on Americans. There’s plenty of damage to undo, and attitudes to change. Certainly, there will be people to replace, examples to set, speeches to be made, and meetings with world leaders to schedule.

Will the next president do any of this on the first day or in the first 100 days? We’ll probably have to insist on it if we expect it to happen.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 10/29/2008 12:27:00 PM