Dick Cheney Should, And Will, Be Prosecuted As War Criminal: Retired International Court Judge

[KamaAina]

http://samuel-warde.com/2016/04/dick-cheney-will-prosecuted/

Thomas Buergenthal, who served as a judge at the International Court of Justice at the Hague for ten years until his retirement in 2010, is considered by many the world’s most distinguished living specialist in international human rights law.

Newsweek reports that, a natural diplomat, Buergenthal “occasionally finds that his instinct for tact deserts him.” During an interview last July with Robert Chalmers, he described George W. Bush as “an ignorant person who wanted to show his mother he could do things his father couldn’t.”

Turning to former Vice-President Dick Cheney and the possibility of his prosecution as a war criminal at the International Criminal Court, Burgenthal stated that “I think – yes – that it will happen.”

(S)ome of us have long thought that Cheney, and a number of CIA agents who did what they did in those so-called black holes (overseas torture centres) should appear before the ICC. We (in the USA) could have tried them ourselves. I voted for Obama but I think he made a great mistake when he decided not to instigate legal proceedings against some of these people. I think – yes – that it will happen.

No, we couldn't have! It was always off the table!

[Old Union Guy]

1. Will Kissinger?

Will Hillary?

[world wide wally]

6. Hillary?

Just a bit of a stretch that would get a lot of support from Frrepers anyway

[cprise]

21. She lurrrves those Cheney-era alumnis

Kagan and Noodleman/Nuland in the State Dept. come immediately to mind.

[LanternWaste]

50. I often find the stretching the rational mind to its tearing point rather bemusing

I often find the stretching the rational mind to its tearing point rather bemusing... e.g., finding the strength of petulance to reference a Democratic candidate in response to an OP about a GOP VP.

It's indeed, "lurrrvely," and the grade-school rationalizations soon to follow will be delightful.

[sus453]

58. I know, but . . .

If the shoe fits, she needs to wear it.

[cprise]

60. Yeah that 'law-abiding' SoS who refused to have any Inspector General

at State. The one who told her friends she avoids email because of investigations.

She won't prosecute financial and war criminals because she is a cornerstone of their impunity.

[Rex]

8. Of all folks, Kissinger probably still has the most countries he would be held in for questioning.

Last edited Tue Apr 5, 2016, 09:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Maybe Dick and Dubya are catching up to him. I don't see why Rummy or Rice should be let off the hook either. The GOP couldn't wait to get Carter out of office, so the GOP could go back to supporting RWing death squads.

[AlbertCat]

48. How about....

Condie
Rummy
Wolfy


any other monsters with an "ie" or "y" at the end of their nick names you can think of?

[WhiteTara]

2. Too bad he's retired.nt

[Chasstev365]

3. What about W?

Being an ignorant and arrogant is no defense!

[lastlib]

24. If "Fat, drunk and stupid is no excuse", then neither...

... is "skinny, drunk, and stupid, with daddy issues." Frog-march the basturd!

[Scuba]

4. Sounds like my kinda guy.

[IDemo]

5. Read "The Deep State" and get back to me on that

Zero chance of this ever happening.

[malaise]

7. FOr a long time that has been my real fear

and that they are all above it, but you never know these days. Think about the financial leak..then think back to Snowden. Things are changing because of technology and real fear that people will tear it apart unless some controls are reintroduced.

[leftynyc]

36. Who is going to turn

over a former VP to be tried by an international court (which I'm pretty sure we never signed onto for this exact reason)? If he doesn't leave the US (and I'm thinking with the condition of his health, it's easy for doctors to say he shouldn't travel by air) they can't get him.

[Ghost Dog]

52. USA said doesn't need ICC:

Could be trusted to bring to justice its own perpetrators of and collaborators in crimes against humanity.

[leftynyc]

54. This country is not going to try

and convict a former VP on crimes against humanity. It's simply never going to happen. They'd shoot him dead before letting that spectacle happen.

[Ghost Dog]

55. I know...

... And I'd better not comment on what I think of that alternative option, except to ask: could he be shot, you know, very slowly?

[leftynyc]

57. I don't think that's how it works

but wishing violence on anyone is not something I'm comfortable with. It is safe to say there are those whose deaths will not bother me one bit.

[Dustlawyer]

17. I rec'd for wishful thinking.

[irisblue]

9. from his mouth.....

to Gods ears and the most effective humans to get Cheney to the Hague sooner then later.

[SCVDem]

28. I thought exactly the same..

Only then I remembered, I'm an atheist!

Damn!

(Can we find an agent Danno to arrest Cheney?)

[RoccoR5955]

10. Somehow, I don't think so

They wrote a law, a bit after 9/11 that would "to protect United States military personnel and other elected and appointed officials of the United States government against criminal prosecution by an international criminal court to which the United States is not party."
It would allow the President to use "all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court."

Entitled The American Service-Members' Protection Act, proposed by Jesse Helm, this law would protect any member of the Bush Crime Syndicate, the Nixon Crime Syndicate, the Reagan Crime Syndicate or any other criminal from being prosecuted by the Hague.
As such it has been nicknamed "The Hague Invasion Act."

This would have to be repealed, or we could send military forces into the Netherlands to get them out of jail.
Would the US fight the Dutch? The Dutch would probably give them up in a minute. They have such a small military, it's unreal (by US standards).

Here's a link to the Wikipedia Page on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Service-Members'_Protection_Act

I was first shocked to find this out, but after a while, it made sense to me, considering who introduced it.

[former9thward]

33. According to your link 44 Democrats in the Senate voted for it.

And two opposed it. 26 Republicans voted for it and 20 opposed it. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/107-2002/s145

[RoccoR5955]

37. Yep.

Your point?

[FLPanhandle]

39. I agree.

This is just an emotional outlet for people, but, in reality, nothing can nor will happen.

If the International Court even tried to convict a former US Vice President the political uproar here would be insane.

[Ghost Dog]

53. In such circumstances, surely,

NATO would be required by Treaty to defend the Netherlands against the aggresor...

[tk2kewl]

11. Dick

[TipTok]

12. Not bloody likely...

[Mark 750]

13. Gerald Ford White House Altered Rockefeller Commission Report in 1975...Led By Cheney - NEW

His crimes go way back. See this link from yesterday... http://www.democraticunderground.com/11788313

or this: http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB543-Ford-White-House-Altered-Rockefeller-Commission-Report/

[KamaAina]

14. What was the Rockefeller Commission?

And welcome to DU!

[Mark 750]

22. About CIA workings inside the USA

https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/guides/findingaid/U.S.%20President's%20Commission%20on%20CIA%20Activities%20within%20the%20United%20States%20-%20Files.htm

Thanks for welcome!

[kairos12]

15. Cheney will never be tried, and his heart will never give out. We're stuck.

[pressbox69]

16. Promises, promises.

[shadowmayor]

18. My hatred for Cheney is pure

Crystalline. Like clear ice. And yet, in this country, where the average man is taught to genuflect and to always give the benefit of doubt to those in power, I sadly know - that none of these assholes will ever be held accountable. The tsks tsks from the fawning corporate media are the hardest to bear. The deaths, the burnings the pulverising of the Iraqi people is almost beyond imagining. We have been killing Iraqis for 25 years - for what? What in the hell did the people of Iraq ever do to us?

[Tragl1]

19. Scapegoats to our unfettered war machine capitalism...

I couldn't agree more with what you said.

[Mira]

27. ...

[elmac]

20. When he goes to prison will he need to take some lube

for his tin heart?

[Beartracks]

47. This made me laugh.

===============

[Duval]

59. LOL! We noticed those dudes, too!

That was hilarious! Let's hope!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. Doesn't Cheney have to travel abroad, and of course he won't ? nt

[Mira]

26. Being able to give this rec 50 was a nice touch for me

I have not seen a headline to make me this happy in many years.
Those of you who know me, certainly Bobthedrummer, know this has been my absolute achilles heel about so many things that trouble me when I wake in the night. If there had been no "looking forward" stance by the Obama administration, announced right after I was on the mall for inauguration number 1, Trump could not say "I would use waterboarding as foreplay".
Because Bush/Cheney/ and the rest would have been under investigation for starters and after that, in all probability, in jail for life.
And therefore, America would have preserved its power and wonderfulness as the leader of the free world.

I love Obama. He has done so much, against such incredible horrible odds. But I cannot and will not forgive that stance of not pursuing the war criminals, and as I said it causes me great sadness.

So, having gone a bit crazy responding to this post, I will go read what others are saying.
I'm celebrating the Bernie Wisconsin win, a good personal day for a number of reasons, but above all, I'm celebrating this post.

[bullwinkle428]

29. "NOT IF I DIE FIRST, YOU VENGEFUL BASTARDS!!"

[SCVDem]

30. I was a new homeowner

Then we got Enron'd. My affordable house just got more expensive.

Cheney's response was that we use too much power in So. California. (Actually we were leaders in conservation)

I was in Wisconsin during that time for a visit and listened to bar folk repeating Cheney's lie and disparaging California.

This was after his energy meeting where we don't know who was there or what was discussed.

We got hosed at any rate!

[Solly Mack]

31. I'll believe it when it happens.

But any trial that doesn't include Bush and the majority of his administration is bullshit.

[Ghost in the Machine]

32. Nice sentiment, but we are NOT a member of the ICC. GWB saw to that.....

The United States is not a participant in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is a permanent international criminal court, founded in 2002 by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) to "bring to justice the perpetrators of the worst crimes known to humankind – war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide", especially when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.[1]

As of January 2015, 123 states are members of the court.[2] Other countries that have not signed or ratified the Rome Statute include India, Indonesia, and China.[2] On May 6, 2002, the United States, in a position shared with Israel and Sudan, having previously signed the Rome Statute, formally withdrew its intent of ratification.[2]

Positions in the United States concerning the ICC vary widely. The Clinton Administration signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but did not submit it for Senate ratification. The Bush Administration, the US administration at the time of the ICC's founding, stated that it would not join the ICC. The Obama Administration has subsequently re-established a working relationship with the court.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_International_Criminal_Court

Peace,

Ghost

[burrowowl]

34. K and R

[Sunlei]

35. Cheney will die of old age before they even start anything.

[HughBeaumont]

38. That will happen sometime around when the Earth crashes into the Sun.

Cheney and Bewsh were given their cash-and-carry wars, fleeced the American people and all they got was "away with it".

IOKIYAR.

[SammyWinstonJack]

40. Something about looking forward, not back....blah blah blah. HOPE AND CHANGE crap.

[Javaman]

41. I will now commence with the holding of the breath. nt

[KamaAina]

42. Try not to turn purple.

[Javaman]

43. that's a bet you can win.

the chaney thing, not so much.

[jonks2746]

44. The entire Bush junta should be locked up

Sadly, I doubt that'll ever happen.

[inanna]

45. I would have thought this post

Would have HUNDREDS of recommendations.


Kicking. Already rec'd.

[NeoGreen]

46. I logged in from work...

...to REC this!

[progressoid]

49. Nope. I ain't holding my breath.

[maindawg]

51. How many innocent people

Have been killed by our drones? Is that legal? Seems Obama chose not to pursue charges maybe he knew he was also going to get into the game. I hate the Republicans, I hate the Bushes, Dick Cheney and the rest are all despicable people. I don't care that they are free I don't worry about things I cannot control. I care that history will be accurate in its representation of these murderous assholes.
If we can somehow eventually rid ourselves of these billionaire parasites (which I doubt we will) then we can acurratley record our history. But we are on a path that is going to lead to our ultimate destruction anyway, so what does it matter.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

56. Should? Yes.

Will? No.