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warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:27 PM Apr 2013

Eric Holder - Death Squad/Torture Lawyer

Having been puzzled by the priorities of Attorney General Holder for some time now, as many on D.U. have expressed the same feelings, I decided to look a little deeper. It seems Mr. Holders past endeavors have been largely swept under the rug/intentionally obscured forgotten since his appointment.

"
"Do not expect these recommendations to be carried forward if Eric Holder decides to forgo his lucrative corporate law practice at Covington & Burling and accept the U.S. Attorney General position for which many believe he is the top contender. Eric Holder would have a troubling conflict of interest in carrying out this work in light of his current work as defense lawyer for Chiquita Brands international in a case in which Colombian plaintiffs seek damages for the murders carried out by the AUC paramilitaries - a designated terrorist organization. Chiquita has already admitted in a criminal case that it paid the AUC around $1.7 million in a 7-year period and that it further provided the AUC with a cache of machine guns as well.

Indeed, Holder himself, using his influence as former deputy attorney general under the Clinton Administration, helped to negotiate Chiquita's sweetheart deal with the Justice Department in the criminal case against Chiquita. Under this deal, no Chiquita official received any jail time. Indeed, the identity of the key officials involved in the assistance to the paramilitaries were kept under seal and confidential. In the end, Chiquita was fined a mere $25 million which it has been allowed to pay over a 5-year period. This is incredible given the havoc wreaked by Chiquita's aid to these Colombian death squads."

It seems Mr. Holder was representing a company that surreptitiously aided in the murder of union organizers in South America. His appointment should have sent a clear signal to U.S. labor unions. Instead it seems everyone was swept up in the "thrill of victory".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/lawyer-for-chiquita-in-co_b_141919.html


More on that -

CIA Director Allen Dulles sat on United Fruit Board of Directors, and John Foster Dulles served as United Fruit’s legal counsel. United Fruit is now Chiquita Brands, with extensive holdings in Latin America and a long history of CIA undermining Latin American governments to benefit its profits via corruption, cocaine & gun running, and associated mass murders. Meanwhile, evangelical Christianity and ‘pentecostalism’ has boomed throughout Latin America, so far as a variant becoming the religious cult belief of Drug Cartels such as ‘Los Zetas’ and ‘La Famiglia.’ After the Dulles brothers had died, Eli Black outbid the George H.W. Bush owned Zapata Corporation for control of United Fruit, and anything you can possibly imagine that could go wrong, did go wrong for Eli, including much of United Fruit’s paper assets magically vanishing, a fat bribe called ‘Bananagate’ pinned on Eli suddenly turned up with an SEC investigation, and the 54 year old Jewish businessman who likely (physically) could not fight his way out of a paper bag, miraculously broke an industrial strength window and ‘jumped’ from the 44th floor of a skyscraper. With Eli conveniently out of the way, Chiquita Brands was taken over by close Bush buddy & religious right Republican big shot Carl Lindner

History of Chiquita Brands at Wikipedia here

4) Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder served as legal counsel for Chiquita Brands and is directly involved in shielding Chiquita Brands corporate executives from ‘murder for hire’ prosecutions, when Chiquita had hired the Columbian AUC terrorist group’s right wing death squads to protect its banana interests in Columbia. Meanwhile, Holder has also been shielding criminal acts of the CIA with the ’state secret’ and ‘national security’ doctrine

http://ronaldthomaswest.com/2013/04/22/this-particular-article-has-been-suffering-visibility-problems/

Anyone interested in finding out more about why things are as they are, why the Bush administration seems to be immune from prosecution, would be well advised to read the info at the ronaldthomaswest link.

"Empirically speaking, a doctor’s diagnosis of a patient is based on a study of symptoms, and such will be the basis for our examination of today’s parasitic infection of the USA by our very own American ‘Deep State’ network.

The primary symptom of any advanced case of the disease ‘Deep State’ is ‘impunity.’ We’ll begin with an examination of this symptom according to the Oxford:

impunity |imˈpyoōnitē|

noun

exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action : the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings | protesters burned flags on the streets with impunity.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin impunitas, from impunis ‘unpunished’ "

Of course, Mr. Holder was only doing his job, right? Russia seems to disagree on that, having barred Bush era "torture lawyers" from visiting the Soviet Union.

"But several of the Americans targeted by Moscow this time were clearly guilty of human rights crimes. John Yoo and David Addington were former legal advisers to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, respectively. The two lawyers were famous for inventing new excuses for torture. Two other Americans on Moscow’s list – Major General Geoffrey D. Miller and Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harbeson – commanded the extralegal detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In particular, Yoo and Addington stand out as smug apologists for torture who twisted law and logic to justify waterboarding, painful stress positions, forced nudity, sleep deprivation and other techniques that have been historically defined as torture. In a society that truly respected human rights, they would have been held accountable – along with other practitioners of the “dark side” – but instead have been allowed to walk free and carry on their professional lives almost as if nothing had happened.

The Russians were polite enough only to include on the list these mid-level torture advocates and enablers (as well as some prosecutors who have led legal cases against Russian nationals). They left off the list many culpable former senior officials, such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, CIA Director George Tenet, Cheney and Bush. Obviously, the Russian government didn’t want an escalation."

http://consortiumnews.com/2013/04/14/russia-bars-bush-era-torture-lawyers/

Another recommended reading at the link above.

Welcome to the DEEP STATE, D.U.ers! I wish there was something that gave me an iota of a clue as to what can or should be done. Perhaps some of you have some ideas.





35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Eric Holder - Death Squad/Torture Lawyer (Original Post) warrprayer Apr 2013 OP
You don't want to know what I think, and I don't want to be black-bagged Demeter Apr 2013 #1
The Author Ronald Thomas West warrprayer Apr 2013 #3
I am 100% in favor of Eric Holder. In fact, a great choice for SCOTUS. graham4anything Apr 2013 #2
interesting warrprayer Apr 2013 #5
+1 /nt think Apr 2013 #7
Darkside Corpor-O-fascism up the wazoo Berlum Apr 2013 #13
Holder helped corporate criminals escape murder charges. think Apr 2013 #8
But he was appointed by Dear Leader... awoke_in_2003 Apr 2013 #14
Corps uber alles. nm rhett o rick Apr 2013 #16
I'd like to see your views relegated to the place they belong. Bonobo Apr 2013 #23
interesting. duly noted and recorded. graham4anything Apr 2013 #24
Helping Chiquita get away with murder. What a piece of shit he's turning out to be think Apr 2013 #4
alarms were going off warrprayer Apr 2013 #6
say something for Gods sake D.U.! warrprayer Apr 2013 #9
K&R Obama's choice for Attorney General speaks louder than words. forestpath Apr 2013 #10
and they are warrprayer Apr 2013 #11
K&R Teamster Jeff Apr 2013 #12
K&R johnnyreb Apr 2013 #15
Enough time left to do what? gateley Apr 2013 #20
Does the AG operate independently of an Administration? Are the choices up to the AG? gateley Apr 2013 #17
this article is from 2008, before Holder was AG spanone Apr 2013 #18
Thanks! Didn't even bother to click (obviously) until gateley Apr 2013 #19
We need to get this info before the primaries dreamnightwind Apr 2013 #21
Does it matter what they say in the primaries? vi5 Apr 2013 #27
+1000 LuvNewcastle Apr 2013 #28
Thanks for the info. blackspade Apr 2013 #22
What a stupid post. Its what lawyers do. Solomon Apr 2013 #25
... warrprayer Apr 2013 #29
Getting more Republican by the minute, too. Octafish Apr 2013 #31
Damn those obstructionist repubs making Obama pick him!!! vi5 Apr 2013 #26
the dark side plays rough... warrprayer Apr 2013 #30
A Day of Reckoning for TORTURE LAWYERS! warrprayer Apr 2013 #32
Disbar the Torture Lawyyers warrprayer Apr 2013 #33
No Torture Lawyers warrprayer Apr 2013 #34
To Bradley Manning warrprayer Apr 2013 #35
 

Demeter

(85,373 posts)
1. You don't want to know what I think, and I don't want to be black-bagged
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:35 PM
Apr 2013

or whatever the current term for it is.

 

think

(11,641 posts)
8. Holder helped corporate criminals escape murder charges.
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:52 PM
Apr 2013

I never cared for Eric Holder. Now after learning he's a tool for corporate America's evil doing, I consider him persona non grata.

Chiquita should be the poster child of what is wrong with multinational corporations. From the article referenced above:

It seems Mr. Holder was representing a company that surreptitiously aided in the murder of union organizers in South America. His appointment should have sent a clear signal to U.S. labor unions. Instead it seems everyone was swept up in the "thrill of victory".


Ya Eric Holder is a swell guy. He's right up there with Dick Cheney...

Bonobo

(29,257 posts)
23. I'd like to see your views relegated to the place they belong.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 04:08 AM
Apr 2013

I'd like to see them shunned, mocked and vilified.

And then thrown into the shitbox.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
6. alarms were going off
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:46 PM
Apr 2013

right before he was appointed apparently. Everyone (almost) forgot and now they wonder what the deal is.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
9. say something for Gods sake D.U.!
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:56 PM
Apr 2013



All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

Edmund Burke


 

forestpath

(3,102 posts)
10. K&R Obama's choice for Attorney General speaks louder than words.
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 01:59 PM
Apr 2013

Corporate crooks own the government.

gateley

(62,683 posts)
17. Does the AG operate independently of an Administration? Are the choices up to the AG?
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 03:49 PM
Apr 2013

Sincere question. Thanks.

(I only remember Bush's AG turning everything illegal into legal at Bush/Cheney's bidding.)

dreamnightwind

(4,775 posts)
21. We need to get this info before the primaries
Sun Apr 28, 2013, 05:41 PM
Apr 2013

if possible. Seems reasonable to ask, who would you select for Attorney General, or give us a list of possible people you'd select. Then we could take a close look at who these people are.

Of course, candidates could refuse to say, or give a list that includes some good people (Obama's technique), then when elected, select the corporate power players instead. So even getting prior disclosure could be gamed.

We could start asking now. Who's running in 2016? Biden? Clinton? Who would they pick for Attorney General? More of the same, I suspect, but specifics would help.

This, to me, is a good example of why I can't support most of the centrist Democratic Party politicians. Behind the facade is the same fascism, death-squads, proxy wars, control of the people to enable massive profits for the already obscenely wealthy. Not acceptable.

Latin America is making great strides at taking back power from these forces. It's a pity we aren't doing the same.

Thanks for the OP.

 

vi5

(13,305 posts)
27. Does it matter what they say in the primaries?
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 07:50 AM
Apr 2013

Obama said a lot of things in the primaries that turned out to be easily cast aside once in office.

LuvNewcastle

(16,834 posts)
28. +1000
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 08:14 AM
Apr 2013

Looks like it doesn't mean a damn thing. What do you do when they tell you what you want to hear and then do the opposite?

blackspade

(10,056 posts)
22. Thanks for the info.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 03:23 AM
Apr 2013

I've realized that our government has become infested with corporate employed operatives and political (bought) patsies.
There are only a few that have not managed to roll over for the 1%.

Solomon

(12,310 posts)
25. What a stupid post. Its what lawyers do.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 06:01 AM
Apr 2013

Every lawyer has represented someone you don't approve of

Christ on a cracker this place is getting stupider every day.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
29. ...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:30 PM
Apr 2013

"In a society that truly respected human rights, they would have been held accountable – along with other practitioners of the “dark side” – but instead have been allowed to walk free and carry on their professional lives almost as if nothing had happened."

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
31. Getting more Republican by the minute, too.
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:35 PM
Apr 2013

There are plenty of good lawyers around who want to put away bad guys, rather than get put on the payroll.



Eric Holder Enables Dishonesty, Fraud and Likely Criminal Activity on Wall Street

MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
Friday, 15 March 2013 17:36

Why has BuzzFlash at Truthout been writing a steady stream of commentaries documenting how the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been enabling fraudulent and likely criminal activity on Wall Street?

Well, you need look no further than the abundance of stories on how the multi-billion dollar JP Morgan Chase "whale" loss has just been exposed as the product of a systemic corporate culture at JP Morgan, all the way up to the White House "hero" of Wall Street, Jamie Dimon.

When the reckless, dishonest so-called JP Morgan Chase "whale" loss was first exposed, the business writers and politicians accepted Jamie Dimon's flippant dismissal of the financial fraud as a bump in the road, the irresponsible action of one trader. Dimon has the luminescent protective coating of being Obama's alleged model of Wall Street propriety, so the media did not doubt Dimon's reassurances for a moment.

But on March 14, the New York Times portrayed another side of the story, courtesy of a blistering United States Senate report, on the "whale" trading irregularities and cover-up. The report revealed evidence of the same kind of behavior that led to the collapse of the US economy. The NYT article is entitled, "JPMorgan Faulted on Controls and Disclosure in Trading Loss,"

JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s biggest bank, ignored internal controls and manipulated documents as it racked up trading losses last year, while its influential chief executive, Jamie Dimon, briefly withheld some information from regulators, a new Senate report says.

CONTINUED...

http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17863-eric-holder-enables-dishonesty-fraud-and-likely-criminal-activity-on-wall-street



Now that's stupid.
 

vi5

(13,305 posts)
26. Damn those obstructionist repubs making Obama pick him!!!
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 07:50 AM
Apr 2013

I mean clearly he himself would have preferred someone who didn't love torture and death squads and all sorts of other non-liberal things. But this (as all things bad) simply MUST be the fault of the obstructionist congress and those damn republicans who control both chambers!!!!!!!

This is why we all must go out and vote Democrat across the board for everything at all times and continue to give money so that we can get a super majority of 99 Senators and 4 million reps in the house. That is the only way President Obama will have enough ability to get anything progressive or liberal done!!

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
30. the dark side plays rough...
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:34 PM
Apr 2013

.... as evidenced by the articles in the links. We controlled both houses and the Presidency. Nancy Pelosi made it clear there would be no accountability for the Bush regime. Appointing Holder as A.G. doubled down on that. I mean, the guy got Chiquita brass off the hook for funding a group our own State dept. designated as a terrorist group, with a slap on the wrist. These people were paying to have the poor murdered, for daring to demand fair treatment and wages. Says loads for what we should expect.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
32. A Day of Reckoning for TORTURE LAWYERS!
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:43 PM
Apr 2013


http://www.lexhelp.com/blog/2013/02/23/a-day-of-reckoning-for-bushs-torture-lawyers/

"A Day of Reckoning for Bush’s ‘torture’ lawyers
Posted on 02/23/2013 by admin A Day of Reckoning for Bush’s ‘torture’ lawyers

Aix en Provence, France ? Under even the most dire conditions, there is a gold standard when it comes to applying the rule of law. It was set 65 years ago by a former attorney general of the United States. At issue today is whether the current attorney general will uphold that standard.

Eric Holder must decide whether to pursue Bush administration lawyers and one sitting federal judge who set the legal stage for officially sanctioned torture and other degrading practices that violated fundamental principles of international law. As Mr. Holder wrestles with this decision, he must consider the gold standard set by his predecessor Robert Jackson at Nuremberg."

"That there will be a day of historical reckoning is beyond doubt. In France the reckoning took 50 years. In 1995 President Jacques Chirac formally and belatedly acknowledged “the dark hours that sullied our
history and injured our traditions” admitting that the French Vichy regime government was complicit in World War II atrocities. The issue is how quickly it will come. The attorney general must find the
courage to face it now.

Ronald Sokol is a member of the bar in the United States and in France. He practices in Aix-en-Provence. He is the author of “Justice After Darwin” and other books and articles.''





warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
33. Disbar the Torture Lawyyers
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:45 PM
Apr 2013

http://rense.com/general86/ATTNY.HTM

Attorneys Want Bush Torture
Lawyers Disbarred
200 Groups File For Disbarment And Displinery
Action Against Twelve Bush Torture Lawyers
By Ilene Proctor
6-4-9

On Monday, May 18, 2009, a broad coalition of organizations dedicated to accountable government, and representing over one million members, filed disciplinary complaints with state bar licensing boards against twelve attorneys who advocated the torture of detainees during the Bush Administration. These detailed complaints with over 500 pages of supporting exhibits have been filed against John Yoo, Jay Bybee, Stephen Bradbury, Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Michael Chertoff, Alice Fisher, William Haynes II, Douglas Feith, Michael Mukasey, Timothy Flanigan, and David Addington. The complaints, filed with the state bars in the District of Columbia, New York, California, Texasand Pennsylvania, seek disciplinary action and disbarment. Copies of the complaints and exhibits are available at www.disbartorturelawyers.com.

The individually tailored complaints allege that the named attorneys violated the rules of professional responsibility by advocating torture, which is illegal under both United States and international law. Specifically, the Geneva Convention, UN Convention Against Torture, the Eighth Amendment, the Army Field Manual and the United StatesCriminal Code against torture and war crimes all prohibit torture of detainees. The memos written and supported by these attorneys advocating torture have now been repudiated by the Department of Justice, the White House, the Department of Defense and other experts in the field. The recently released Senate and Red Cross reports on detainee treatment provide uncontrovertible evidence that the torture techniques advocated by the attorneys were used on human beings over an extended period of time.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
34. No Torture Lawyers
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:51 PM
Apr 2013

http://archive.org/details/DisbarTheTortureLawyersSayRightsGroupsGoodGovernmentOrganizationsAnd

Attorney's Kevin Zeese of Voters for Peace and Marjorie Cohn of the National Lawyers Guild issue calls to US Bar Associations asking them to disbar 12 attorneys over their violations of codes of ethical conduct in their roles facilitating or fostering torture during the Bush administration.

Their complaint list includes former Bush administration attorney's general, John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales, and Michael Mukasey as well as the Assistant Attorney General in the legal counsel department, Jay Bybee. They also want Homeland Security Director, Michael Chertoff disbarred as well as present and former DOJ and DOD officials: John Yoo, Douglas Feith, and Stephen Bradbury, David Addington, Alice Fisher, William Haynes II, and Timothy Flanigan.

Also, Geneve Mantri, Amnesty International's spokesperson on Terror, Counter Terror and Human Rights, on the transfer of Guantanamo prisoner Ahmed Ghialani to New York for trial.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
35. To Bradley Manning
Tue Apr 30, 2013, 05:56 PM
Apr 2013

"Those without honor
Do not recognize truth
They pay homage to whatever benefits them singulary,
Regardless of the suffeing it may cause others
The honorable continuously seek information
They recognize truth when it is present
Regardless of the cost or consequences associated with it
They fight, die and suffer to protect truth.
Without honor, truth cannot exist.
In the absence of truth
All suffer.
HONOR. VALOR TRUTH "




President Obama needs to release this guy, bring him to the White House,, and hand him his Nobel Peace prize.

FOR REAL.


“The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all morality.”

- John F. Kennedy

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