FEINGOLD: Torture-"You can’t just sweep it under the rug"

[kpete]

“AMY GOODMAN: And what do you think of President Obama saying we have to look forward, not back.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD: I understand that, in general, that’s the right thing. Throughout the campaign, I said our first priority is to get our economy back in place, and our other priority is to make sure we change our international reputation and policy. But I said, “But we cannot ignore the third priority, which is accountability for things that have happened in the past.”

And I am troubled when the President says, “I just want to look forward.” That’s not the way we do things in our society. We have to, just like they did in South Africa, just like we did when we realized the mistakes we made with Korematsu and the internment of Japanese Americans—you can’t just sweep it under the rug.

And I know the President cares about this, and I understand the political dynamics. But there is a way here, through a truth commission, other steps, to make sure that people know that we understand a terrible mistake was made and that Americans will not do it again. So I would like to see the President find a way to speak more in terms of what kind of accountability we can have for past misdeeds.”

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/5/senator_russ_feingold_on_obamas_escalation

[Solly Mack]

1. Crimes were committed

Heinous and horrid crimes. Crimes that go so far beyond "mistakes" that calling the deliberate and brutal violation of law a "mistake" serves no other purpose than to downplay the cruelty and viciousness of the crimes.

Anything less than prosecutions will forever leave the guilty (& their supporters) free to claim they did nothing illegal and that it was all just a difference of opinion used politically. Anything less than prosecutions will allow so many in America to pretend that torture really didn't happen.


How many times does torture have to be banned before it's stopped? Constantly banning torture accomplishes nothing. If it did, America wouldn't be having this bullshit debate now.

Enforce the law. Try it - Prosecute.

[Psychic Consortium]

12. How the American people respond to the torture issue will be a measure of their character.

Do they have the courage and will to face the ugly
realties of what America did, and then do the right
thing?

Karma in the making.

[Supersedeas]

15. I agree the Pol act like the political delicacies necessitate caution & secret investigations (DiFi)

when it is quite simple: Enforce the law.

Are we delicate and cautious about bank robberies and political extortion cases?
Did we need fancy Congressional investigations to put Cunningham behind bars?
No, the DoJ did their job and a former politican went to jail.

The rest of the government just kept moving, kept moving forward.
The DoJ is designed to prosecute 'past' crimes...this is not a new concept here.

[bobthedrummer]

2. K&R

[spanone]

3. the republics will someday regain the presidency and precedent to torture will be set

the precedent will also be there for any rogue government to torture....citing the u.s.

[Orsino]

4. I beg to differ. They can and will sweep it under the rug...

...barring some greater mobilization on our parts.

[KittyWampus]

5. You can sweep it under the rug, but the stench is unbearable.

[Orsino]

6. After a while...

...we seem to get used to such smells.

[BeFree]

7. Indeed

They are trying to sweep it under the rug. I wonder if that's why all the gun lovers are getting themselves geared up? They know the government will stop at nothing. Same as we do, but in their darkest fear of the dark man they fear retribution is coming?

Hell, they may be right. White Americans are a world minority, right? And what we have done to the world and its ecology is gonna come due one day.

Now don't anybody take all this the wrong way and knee-jerk yourself into thinking I am a bigot. I am just looking at things from a new and different perspective.

[pleah]

8. K&R

[Bluenorthwest]

9. The President knows of horrid crimes and refuses to act

Yet he gets all moral and religious about equal rights for all people. I've about had it with the high horse moral stance out of a set of people who will shrug at a 'policy' that said it is alright to smash a child's testicles to make his parents talk. That is the message of the Defenders of Marriage, torture is fine if that is your taste, but teh gay is always to be opposed.

[midnight]

10. It is kind of crazy that Sen. Feingold has to remind us that this

cannot be allowed to happen.

[bvar22]

11. Feingold is one of the very few reasons I'm still a Democrat.

I AM disappointed in that he seems willing to settle for a "Truth Commission".

Serious crimes have been committed.
There is NO gray area here.
There is NO compromise.
There is either Rule of Law.....or there is NO Rule of Law.

[omega minimo]

13. He represents the integrity of the system that transcends party and GOOD ON HIM!

:applause: all by his damn self.

[bobthedrummer]

14. kick

[Wednesdays]

16. K&R

:kick:

[lovuian]

17. Feingold knows that credibility and trust will be lost

if there are not punishments

the WORLD is watching

[flyarm]

18. WATCH OUT FEINGOLD, OBAMA'S TROOPS HERE WILL TRY TO SHUT YOU UP!!

just like they are trying to shut up Turley now!!

[Senator]

19. Senator Impeachophobe Is Still Just Babbling

Is "look forward" a reason to be "troubled" or is it the "right thing"? What does it matter if "the President cares about this" when he's unwilling to DO anything about this?

Torture and war crimes are all just a "terrible mistake" and "past misdeeds."

He's part of the problem, not the solution.

--

[JonLP24]

20. As much as I disagree with her, I wholeheartedly agree with her on this point

[TahitiNut]

21. It's easier to "just sweep it under the rug" when so much is "off the table."

:shrug:

All the animals are equal but some are more equal than others.

[Vidar]

22. Bravo, Russ!

[bobthedrummer]

23. .