U.S. court backs fine for Iraq humanitarian visits (Bert Sacks)

[Barrett808]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Seattle man who traveled to Iraq nine times to deliver medicines during the 1990-2003 international embargo was properly fined more then $13,000, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

Bertram Sacks visited Iraq and broke the embargo nine times to deliver humanitarian aid between 1996 and the start of the U.S.-led war there. He sued in federal court after he was assessed a $10,000 fine, a sum that later rose to $13,767.08 with interest and late fees.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed the travel ban regulations and the fine.

"His challenge to the restriction on medical donations does not fulfill the constitutional requirements of standing and ripeness," Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw wrote for the panel. "The penalty against Sacks is valid."

The United States imposed sanctions in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait, a move that banned Americans from direct or indirect commercial trade with Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule. The United Nations also imposed sanctions.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061010/ts_nm/usa_iraq_sanctions_dc

[katinmn]

1. But a corporation can sell airplane parts to Iran

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2556312

What a sick f***** up country!

[ananda]

2. or nukes to NK!

I read that the USA sold the nuke making stuff to NK.

This is so dark and surreal. Now NK is threatening
war if impending sanctions are enforced. Geez.

[katinmn]

3. This is just sickening.

:puke:

[saigon68]

4. Fight the Rich not their Wars

[gratuitous]

5. And Judge Wardlaw will say, "Lord, when did we see you?"

"Lord, when did we see you sick, or hungry, or naked?" And the Lord will say, "Inasmuch as you did not do it for the least of these, you did not do it for me."

Oh well, there's no promise in the Bible anywhere that the civil authorities are going to be on board with Christian ethics, so a $13,000 fine for ministering to the sick isn't surprising.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Yep, a rule is a rule. Circumstances don't count.

On edit: Hey, wait a minute . . . Reagan broke the arms embargo by selling weapons to Iran in the 80s. Guess guns and bombs and planes are OK, but medicine isn't.

[Joe Chi Minh]

7. "Yep, a rule is a rule. Circumstances don't count." And that's

exactly how they will be judged at the Last Judgment. It won't be a Penultimate Judgment, open to appeal.

"The measure you....".