Lieberman Hopes to Sidestep Guantanamo Ruling

[sabra]

Source: Courant

After the Supreme Court decided yesterday -- 5 to 4 -- that the detainees held as suspected terrorists in the facilities at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba deserved certain constitutional rights, Sen. Joe Lieberman started trying to think of a way around it.

This morning, he said that he's not interested in pushing a constitutional amendment, which is the only way to fully reverse a ruling of the court but that is one of the most difficult and time-consuming methods of lawmaking. Instead, he said, he's looking for some legislation that might get around the issue.

He contends these "non-state terrorists" should be awarded rights under the Geneva Conventions, even if they are something less than traditional prisoners of war. But, he said, "Now the court tells us that the military has to allow these people to appeal their detention or any aspect of it to a federal court." That's like letting the German or Japanese prisoners during World War II demand legal reviews of their captivity, Lieberman argued. "It's crazy."

"Obviously, you have to respect to decision of the court with regard to constitutional matters," he said, but he's hoping an idea emerges to counter the Supreme Court's decision.

Read more: http://blogs.courant.com/on_background/2008/06/lieberman-hopes-to-get-around.html

[Name removed]

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[LeftishBrit]

18. He isn't a dual citizen.

He wouldn't have been allowed to run for VP if he were.

Both his parents were born in the USA.

There are plenty of other reasons to oppose him, but not that one!

[Indenturedebtor]

20. Apparently you haven't read the Protocols today Leftish n/t

[musette_sf]

24. i thought orthodox Jews were entitled to dual citizenship? n/t

[sabra]

28. nope. he has to be born in Israel, a parent born there, or move there...

[musette_sf]

40. okay, i admit, it was a wrong assumption

i'd like to comment further on this topic, but it seems like some thought they "saw" insults and/or bigotry where there were none written. and furthermore, none were intended in any way whatsoever.

[heliarc]

42. And they get to vote sooner than anyone else who moves there if they do...

And they say it isn't a theocracy. :eyes:

[LeftishBrit]

31. No. Jews or people with Jewish ancestry have the 'right of return' to seek citizenship in Israel...

but they usually don't keep their former citizenship.

Most Israelis don't have citizenship of any other countries; and most Jews outside Israel don't have dual Israeli citizenship - those who do, almost always are originally from Israel or have Israeli parents.

It has nothing to do with being Orthodox.

And I can't imagine why Israel would want him as a citizen anyway, given his association with Hagee.

[Indenturedebtor]

19. Lieberman is not a Dual Citizen

Neither am I. I'm Jewish, and happen to be on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Lieberman. I hate him more than you ever possibly could. Yes Jews have neocons too.

White people have Nazis, does that make every white person a Nazi?

[4_Legs_Good]

25. Nice!

And thanks for that!

David

[musette_sf]

26. i thought orthodox Jews were entitled to dual citizenship?

i didn't mean it to be snarky about Jewish people in any way, so i am sorry that it sounded that way to you. and it is true that Skeletor Chertoff has dual citizenship.

[Indenturedebtor]

30. Entitled, as are reform Jews with a little more work.

For one thing they have to serve in the military, and Joe is well... look at him. And for another I don't think that neo-con likud bullshit is meant for the best interests of Israel, any more than it is for America.

[Virginia Dare]

2. America hopes to sidestep Joe Lieberman...

I wish I could forget the man ever lived.

[apnu]

3. Joe, you're an ass. (nt)

[mtnester]

4. January 2009...

Joe Lieberman is thrown out of the Democratic party - details at 6.

[bluestateguy]

5. I wish he had shown such outrage after the Bush v. Gore ruling

And of course he dredges up the tired old World War II analogies: a common neo-con tactic of argument. They forever live in a 1941 world.

[Hydra]

6. I knew this was coming

That's like letting the German or Japanese prisoners during World War II demand legal reviews of their captivity, Lieberman argued. "It's crazy."

What's the matter Joe? Didn't bother to formulate charges against these random people first?

[liberal N proud]

7. Was he ever really a Democrat?

He is starting to make Zell Miller look like a centrist.

[rurallib]

8. wonder how the founding fathers, who risked their lives and fortunes

to birth this nation, would feel about an elected official plotting to 'sidestep' the constitution?
We have met the enemy and he is Joementum.

[JDPriestly]

9. Lieberman needs to read the opinion before he spouts off aboutit.

The Court responded to his objection.

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/06-1195.pdf

[HughBeaumont]

10. I'm sorry, but that bastard is one of the reasons we got Bewsh.

Gore's incredibly poor choice of Holy Joe LIEberman in an attempt to please the right ended up alienating enough voters that believed the whole "There's no difference between Bush and Gore" bullshit. Lieberman still remains less than a friend to the arts with his censorship claptrap, his holy-roller appearances on the 700 Club did us no favors, and his support of this war in the Middle East continues unabated and unapologetic. Time to stop caucasing with the Dems, Joe. Your time is up. Cross the divide and be done with it.

[klyon]

35. true

[sinkingfeeling]

11. But, Joe, your beloved Prez has said over and over that these people are NOT POWs. Those German and

Japanese prisoners you mentioned were.

[defendandprotect]

12. When are we putting this guy out with the garbage --- ????

[Beetwasher]

13. German And Japanese POW's Were Under Geneva

You fucking idiot. If Guantanamo detainees were POW's thn they too would be under Geneva. But you and Bushco. (you fucking criminal scumbags) say Geneva doesn't apply to them. You forced this ruling you idiots.

[FloridaJudy]

14. Is it possible to excommunicate a Democrat?

Or disbar him, or defrock him, shun him or otherwise feed him the granite cookie? This is one seriously rotten apple. He's crossed over to the Dark Side in all but name. Let's make it official.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

15. There's a very simple way around it, of course:

Simply declare all captives prisoners of war. Allow them correspondence with their families through the Red Cross, and allow regular access by Red Cross representatives. Give them all the protections afforded to prisoners of war under all of the Geneva Conventions. Stop the interrogations, stop the solitary confinement, stop the torture.

Problem solved.

[slinkerwink]

16. Uh, Japanese prisoners WE detained should've had access to legal review

[Canuckistanian]

17. Geneva rights are not "awarded", they're inherent

Either you detain someone under a designation of "prisoner of war" or you treat them as a criminal.

And that determination is supposed to be via an international tribunal, NOT the whims of an illegitmate lying frat boy.

[LeftishBrit]

21. Disgusting

The British government is trying to put forward all sorts of anti-civil-liberties legislation as well. But Guantanamo is particularly nasty.

I am glad that the Supreme Court made this ruling.

[4_Legs_Good]

22. It's the Supreme Court, Joe, you don't get around it.

You should know that by now.

[whistle]

23. Ship those Gitmo prisoners to Israeli detention centers right Joe

:wow:

[Indenturedebtor]

37. Actually they don't torture in the Israeli detention centers

So I don't think that Lieberman would want to do that.

[bean fidhleir]

27. "Like letting the Nazis demand legal review"

Which, as Chomsky has pointed out, might well have scuppered the hangings. A "war crime" was defined post-facto as "anything atrocious that the allies didn't also do", not a standard that would ever have held up to fair scrutiny.

[beac]

29. How many more years are we stuck with Lame-berman???

I just can't WAIT 'til the coming veto-proof Dem majority in the Senate makes him TOTALLY IRRELEVANT!

[librechik]

32. if the warfuckers are going to pretend it's a Real War

they need to pretend those are Real POWs.

Lieberman is a depraved monster.

[chelsea0011]

33. "think of a way around it"?!!!!!!!! Isn't that what they have all been doing the

past 7 years? Thinking how to avoid the law?

[Peace Patriot]

34. Yup, I'd like to see this Constitutional amendment he wants to propose.

Here's my version. Constitutional Amendment #28: No Arabs or Persians, or anyone who looks like them, shall possess the rights to know the charges against them, to be confronted with their accusers, to be represented by an attorney, to a fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers, and to be free form torture, coercion and cruel and unusual punishment. Arabs, Persians, or anyone who looks like them, may be detained indefinitely, with all of their human and civil rights suspended, or may be returned to their country of origin, or may be taken to any place on earth, and disposed of in any fashion, at the discretion of the President of the United States. This amendment overrides all previous amendments, all other laws and treaties now in existence, including this quaint document, and all future laws and treaties that the United States Congress, in its imperfect wisdom, might get uppity enough to pass.

-----------------------------

I wanted to write it to include Lieberman. I think I did. "Anyone who looks like them." And, hey, if it's unclear that someone is an Arab or Persian--or enough of one to trigger Amendment #28--then, hey, the President and his/her designated goons can use their discretion in deciding who to round up and throw into the torture dungeons.

-----

How can this person, Lieberman, be a United States Senator? And how, in heaven, can he claim to be a supporter of Israel--a country that was founded because of laws like the above, in Nazi Germany and other really bad places? I don't understand. Does he not grok what he is saying?

[Peace Patriot]

36. What I would really like to see as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution:

AMENDMENT 28: The right to vote and its corollary right to clean, publicly funded, transparent elections

1. All citizens of the United States who are 18 years of age shall have the right to vote in all public elections, and that right shall be protected by the principles of "one person/one vote" and "every vote must be counted in public view," and shall not be abridged by any of the following:

a) non-transparent vote counting technology
b) technology or any other method of wrongfully removing registered voters from the voting rolls
c) private business control of all or any component of voting systems
d) race, religion, ethnic origin, sex, physical handicap or political affiliations or opinions
e) conviction of any crime, after a convicted person's sentence has been served.

2. All private money is hereby banned in all federal, state and local elections:

a) All election costs, including the costs of candidate political campaigning for public office, shall be funded by a 1% set-aside of the federal budget.
b) All licenses to use the public airwaves, and all existing licensing agreements, shall be amended to set aside all air time, on all TV and radio airwaves, for public debate and for candidate access to the voters, for a six week period prior to every federal election, and for negotiated periods prior to state and local elections.
c) Elected federal and state Commissions, consisting of no fewer than 21 persons each, shall administer election funds and air time to all qualified candidates for public office, on the basis of annual, open, public hearings on the fairness formulas for distributing these resources.

-------------------------

Remove the "TRADE SECRET" code in the voting systems, and remove private money from the picture, and we will have a democracy again--with wide spectrum discussion of political ideas, maximum citizen participation, and new political talent arising from currently excluded groups, such as workers and the poor.

[heliarc]

43. Hear Hear! (n/t)

[Krashkopf]

38. Hey Connecticutt . . . Thanks a FUCKIN' Lot! . . .

How you feeling about that vote for Joe Liebermann, now?

Signed,
Democrats In the Other 49 states

[Sam Ervin jret]

39. Remember when John McCain was a moderate and Joe Lieberman wasn't his lap dog?

Me neither. seems like a long time ago.

[silverojo]

41. I guess I'll have to post this for the millionth time:

FUCK YOU, LIE-BERMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Or maybe I should just put it in my sig line, so I don't have to keep repeating myself.)

[saigon68]

44. good Idea

[Gman]

45. Gee... maybe it's like letting those incarcerated during the Holocaust

appeal their confinement? Whadayathink, Joe?