U.S. government is invoking the powerful state secrets privilege

[truthpusher]

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=89177

Government claims illegal deportation

By Emelie Rutherford / News Staff Writer
Sunday, January 30, 2005

The U.S. government is invoking the powerful state secrets privilege to try to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a former Framingham resident who said U.S. officials sent him to Syrian torturers for no reason in October 2002.

Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who lived on Framingham's Coburn Street from 1999 to 2001, said U.S. officials nabbed him in a New York airport as a presumed al Qaeda terrorist and sent him to Syria where he was tortured for 10 months.

(snip)

Responding to why U.S. officials sent Arar out of the country after concluding he was part of al Qaeda would require disclosing sensitive classified information, Deputy Attorney General James Comey said in a connected declaration. Potentially dangerous secrets also would be unveiled if the government responded to why officials did not send Arar home to Canada and instead sent him to his native land of Syria, according to Comey's declaration.

Yet U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-7th, wrote via e-mail he is "concerned that the U.S. may be trying to hide behind classification in order to avoid having to admit it sent a man who may be innocent of any wrongdoing into the torture chambers of Syria."

more:

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=89177

[phusion]

1. Michael Ratner

I think Michael Ratner is handling Arar's case. He is with the Center for Constitutional Rights:

htttp://www.ccr-ny.org

[lebkuchen]

6. CCR is the organization who has filed suit in Germany against Rummy

That's an organization worth getting to know, and contributing to.

Those who haven't yet sent a letter to the Germany prosecutor inre: Rummy suit can do so now, here:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=325

[derby378]

2. If you voted for Bush...

...you voted for four more years. Of this.

[spanone]

20. The repercussions of this administration will go on long after four years.

By the time they get done with the Supreme Court, we may envy the Iraqi vote of today.

[Renew Deal]

3. Why would the Syrian's torture anyone on our behalf?

I don't get why they would do that. Especially a Syrian citizen.

[sandnsea]

4. Kurdish Syria

That would be my guess. I just don't doubt anything with these people anymore.

http://www.meib.org/articles/0404_s1.htm

[Tinoire]

5. You know.. Sadly, everyone everywhere has 2 basic needs

Water and food.

By going against Iraq first, we seized the Middle East's premiere water supply. And in pitting various Middle Eastern regimes one against the other for the last few decades, in exhange for arms to protect themselves from the new "enemies" we created, we transformed them from agriculturally self-sufficient countries to countries dependent on our good whims to feed their people. The Iran/Iraq war we manufactured was instrumental in this. One of the first corporations to get contracts in Iraq was Monsanto. Syria is very dependent on our good whims no matter how much they don't like it.

[struggle4progress]

10. "Well, if you just work this guy over, may we can avoid invading you."

[NNN0LHI]

11. Its been a long standing relationship between the USA and many...

...countries run by thuggish dictators like Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Its not a relationship to be very proud of.

Don

[Dover]

7. Outsourcing torture?

Besides the horror of such a mistake, why is ANYONE being tortured?

[Supersedeas]

18. RENDITION - Albert Gonzo can give you the tech name for it

But then everything BUT the definition is secret...terribly secret.

[NNN0LHI]

8. They tortured someone else until they gave this innocent guys name

The other guy was probably innocent too. That is why Bush don't wasn't to talk about it.

Don

[aikido15]

9. Perrrrfect, more cover ups and...

outsourcing responsibility for any wrong doing.

[peterrush]

12. It's about repealing the Magna Carta

The absolute bedrock principle of our Republic at its founding was limiting the power of the monarch by Constitutional means. The Magna Carta of 1215 was the very first piece of that limiting, because it prohibited the monarch from arbitrarily arresting the nobles without having a trial and due process. Habeas corpus, "produce the body", is absolutely central. Bush has illegally and unconstitionally abrogated this with the preventive detention of thousands, and every one of the new Gulag prisons in over 30 countries violates habeas corpus. And Gonzalez argues that the President is above the law, and above the Constitution, that HE can decide what is Constitutional--which view is itself Unconstitutional. Secrecy about what they are doing covertly, and secrecy of information, "official secrets" are all part and parcel of this forced march back to a feudal-style tyranny of the sort our founding fathers did everything in their power to banish from our shores.

[Nostradammit]

13. Well said, peterrush

Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[annabanana]

14. And here I was furious about ignoring the Geneva Convention...

Now I realize that it goes way beyond that.....He wants to send us back to pre-Renaissance times.

[Disturbed]

15. the President is above the law, and above the Constitution.

Maybe King George thinks that he is because the creep Gonazles keeps telling him that. As nuts as Scalia is, even he doesn't agree that the Pres. is above the Constitution.

[DELUSIONAL]

16. So what we are having is a Constitutional crisis

and only a few of us recognize that fact?

This is being done in slow motion -- a tiny step at a time -- sort of like the camel getting into the tent.

First bushie and his gang steal the election in 2000 and the nose was in the tent.

Oh, my International friends (Brits, Canadians, and Carib) have a theory as to why the International press is not reporting on the 2004 election fraud as a continuation of the pattern of 2000 election fraud by the bushie gang. So much currency is tied to the US dollar -- as a stable democracy. The very fact that the US is NO longer a democracy would cause a tail spin in the economic markets. This was the opinion of some very conservative well educated Westerners. It is speculated that the Eastern Caribbean dollar may break from its long tradition of being tied to the US dollar -- and this would start the trend world wide.

This is what the diplomatic (British) circles are predicting -- A governor in an overseas dependent territory is a drunk with a lose, tongue spilled the beans. I've gotten this story directly (and independently) from three sources who where there when this drunk Governor spilled the beans.

My interpretation of this is that the bushie crowd will do what ever it takes to keep the illusion of a democracy (thus pulling this STATE SECRET bull crap) in order to keep the real secret -- that the thugs in power no longer respect the bedrock of US democracy -- the US Constitution.

I believe that we will see more "State Secrets" claims to cover abuses of the Constitution -- to hide the fact that the Constitution is no longer the law of the land -- only bushie's word is the law of the land.

[Massachusetts]

17. It may be a difficult struggle,

but WE will get OUR country back!

[gulfcoastliberal]

19. He was tortured in the name of peace and freedom

-GW

[librechik]

21. outing Plame is another matter

anything to protect and avenge der fuhrer

[jazzjunkysue]

22. Wait? Isn't Syria the evil axis? We hired them? We contribute to evil?

Not MY america!

[Rex]

23. Didn't he get the memo?

Our Justice Dept is soon to become friends with torture! Silly rabbit.