Carter says U.S. tortures prisoners

[BooScout]

Source: CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Carter said Wednesday.

"I don't think it. I know it," Carter told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

"Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights," Carter said. "We've said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we've said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime to which they are accused."

Carter also said President Bush creates his own definition of human rights.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/10/carter.torture/index.html

[GeminiProgressive]

1. I admire Carter

but if he thinks this is the first time we have violated human rights he is very naive!

[BeFree]

4. Well

It is the first time a president has come out and said we need to torture.

There is a big diference between what everyone else has done and what bushco is now doing, eh?

[subsuelo]

14. but that isn't what he said

He didn't say it's the first time a president has come out and supported torture. He said it's the first time our country has abandoned basic human rights.

Not to beat up on JC that much because I appreciate the stance he's taking, but still... the statement is extremely questionable. The U.S. has a long history of human rights abuses

[Quantess]

18. Carter's statement appears to be a reaction to Bush's

assertion "We do not torture".

I don't think "he thinks this is the first time we have violated human rights", but he does seem to be saying this is the worst human rights abuse done by the U.S. in his lifetime.

[BooScout]

2. What i want to know......

Is why current members of Congress don't come out swinging on this? It's been common knowledge for some time that we are torturing people. Democrats are now in the majority in Congress. Why is no one else speaking up and speaking up loudly?

[rateyes]

3. Fear+Invertabrates

It takes courage to do what you ask.

[keopeli]

6. Because many of them think it's OK. Truly. They're so fraid of being blamed for an attack.

To be fair, I'd be afraid, too, that Cheney would organize a major attack on a US building and blame it on me if I got him mad. But, these people are afraid of Bin Laden! The wishy-washy Dems need to be converted by a larger, stronger core of Dems who have BALLS.

[Jack from Charlotte]

16. What would cause people to object is if.....

some white-bread, native born American person with an anglo name was grabbed and tortured. Only then would the sheeple think ...."hey, that could have been me." Even if a 3rd generation American citizen of middle eastern descent is grabbed, whisked out of the country without a trial and tortured.... your average Billy-bob won't care.

I'd like the new president to authorize the snatching and torture of a repug, ex-senator that voted to allow torture....let's say.... George Allen..... then bring him back to the US with about 3 fingers chopped off, maybe an ear missing and an eye gouged out..... when he bitches, just point out... he voted to authorize this torture so what's his complaint?

[Judi Lynn]

21. They are holding the country hostage and daring Democrats to do anything about it!

I have never seen such perverse politicians in my life. These guys are beyond worrying about the morality of any issue and determined to keep control at all costs.

[leftchick]

8. they are complicit

and enablers in war crimes when they do not denounce it and try to force change. As my sig line says.....
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[lateo]

5. So why can't we impeach these guys again?

I'm failing to really understand that.

[TomClash]

7. bush's definition of human rights

inhumane and no rights.

[Lerkfish]

9. thus speaks my favorite president

[shanti]

10. tell it, jimmy!

:woohoo:

[hootinholler]

11. Dear Mr President Jimmy,

Please can you go have a nice quite chat with Ms Pelosi and Mr. Reid? Can you please explain to them how this should work? Explain what they must do to restore our rights? To restore our national image to the world?

-Hoot

[Zensea]

12. I think that's what he's doing here

except he's doing it very publicly.

Did you notice the stuff at the end of the article?

Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois also drew Carter's criticism for refusing recently to pledge to withdraw all troops from Iraq by the end of their first terms if they win the presidency in 2008.

"I disagree with their basic premise that we'll still be there; I think the American people want out," Carter said.

He's not directly slapping Pelosi and Reid, but he's coming fairly close.

[stanwyck]

13. Apparently, it's not torture, but "alternative methods"

Yep. That's the new Bushian spin on torture "alternative methods".

This is an administration of "alternative methods".

[deacon]

15. k + r

[Divine Discontent]

17. JIMMY, JIMMY, JIMMY!

Don't you realize, Jimmy, that Nancy Pelosi is a LEADER and therefore she has to do leader things, and that involves leaving impeachment of these anti-Americans in the White House, OFF THE TABLE - so mind your own Carter - they're the LEADERS, you're not.

[Vidar]

19. Sing it, Jimmy! Jimmy is too honest & noble to have ever been a first

rate politician, but from a moral standpoint, he is the finest man that ever occupied the Oval Office.

[jcla]

20. Torture and the Congress

How can we expect the congress to impeach Bush and Cheney? They can't even pass a bill to give hospital care for children of the poor and working poor!
So those two can outsource torture and declare that the "U. S. doesn't torture"... those that owe us do our torture work for us.

I would love to see shrub and hang 'em high as well as Osama Been Ignored do the perp walk in the Hague.