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Rally Video: Swanson, Lane, McGovern, Sweet, Ferner, Harman, Wright, Buttar, Sheehan

Submitted by davidswanson on March 20, 2010 - 3:30pm

David Swanson, Mark Lane, Ray McGovern, Debra Sweet, Mike Ferner, Susan Harman, Ann Wright, Shahid Buttar, and Cindy Sheehan speak at protest of war and of John Yoo at the University of Virginia on March 19, 2010. Four videos:

 

John Yoo: A President Can Nuke U.S.

Submitted by davidswanson on March 19, 2010 - 7:16pm

By David Swanson

I had the opportunity to ask war lawyer John Yoo a couple of questions on Friday.  The situation was not ideal, with someone else holding the microphone and deferring to the witness, and other people heckling, and other people shouting at the hecklers.  Nonetheless . . .

I gave Yoo every opportunity I could to place a limit on presidential power.  Can a president shoot missiles in the United States?  Can a president drop nukes in the United States?  Yoo refused to concede any limits.

Yoo used the example of shooting down one of the airplanes on 9-11 to assert that a president could indeed use drones to shoot missiles at suspected enemies within the United States, assuming of course that the president proclaims it to be "wartime." 

So, can a president drop nukes in the United States?  Yoo refused to deny a president even that power.  He chose to respond by focusing on the example of Hiroshima, arguing for Truman's rightful power to do what he did, but my question had involved dropping nukes in the United States, and Yoo's answer made clear that he acknowledged no limitation on that power.  Watch the video below. 

John Yoo Celebrates Sunshine Week

Submitted by davidswanson on March 18, 2010 - 2:27am

By David Swanson

Sunshine Week, according to its website, is "a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know."

The University of Virginia here in Charlottesville is doing its part by hosting book tour stops for the chief author of the worst secret laws ever established. John Yoo will be speaking at the Miller Center and at an event hosted by the Federalist Society. Yoo will be speaking in support of unlimited presidential power, including the power to create secret laws.

Dear Eric Holder: Try Accused Criminals in Courts of Law

Submitted by davidswanson on March 11, 2010 - 1:31pm

http://lawsnotmen.org/node/23

The Robert Jackson Steering Committee, a group of lawyers and journalists founded to uphold the principles of the Nuremberg Trials, is urging the Department of Justice to proceed with trying Khalil Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and other suspected 9/11 terrorists in federal criminal court, and not in military commissions.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, the Committee enumerates several substantial problems with military commissions:

Yoo and Jefferson

Submitted by davidswanson on March 5, 2010 - 2:10am

By David Swanson

As John Yoo's visit to Mr. Jefferson's university here in Charlottesville approaches, one is tempted to ask the same question people around here ask about everything: WWJD? What would Jefferson do?

Of course, it's almost taboo among the most serious peace and justice advocates to cite positive precedents from Jefferson, because he was a slave owner. But Jefferson's views on the structure of a government don't actually become less admirable (or more) when we remember the horrors he inflicted on the people at Monticello.

Put Yoo in Prison

Submitted by davidswanson on March 2, 2010 - 11:04pm

Lawyers and Journalists' Group Sees No End in Sight to the Controversy over Bush "Torture Lawyers"

Submitted by davidswanson on February 23, 2010 - 2:32pm

http://lawsnotmen.org

    The Justice Robert Jackson Steering Committee, a group of lawyers, journalists and advocates formed in the fall of 2008 to pursue the prosecution of top Bush administration officials for alleged war crimes while in office, is both greatly concerned and guardedly hopeful by the recent release of 2 different assessments from inside the Department of Justice on whether John Yoo and Jay Bybee, the lawyers who crafted "torture memos" inside the Bush administration's Office of Legal Counsel, engaged in professional misconduct.

Yoo, Bybee, and Disinformation

Submitted by davidswanson on February 20, 2010 - 11:06pm

By David Swanson

Everything you're reading about torture lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee getting off the hook is wrong. They are not torture lawyers, they are not off the hook, there never was any hook, they may not be lawyers for long, impeachment and indictment are on the agenda, and you have a role to play.

Best of the Blogs

Submitted by davidswanson on February 18, 2010 - 10:35am

The U.S. Has Been Torturing. Case Closed -- Literally by which the author means, as we all know, that the United States has tortured people, and no criminal case has been OPENED.

Chris Bowers keeps pushing the whip list to end the filibuster rule.  You don't have to join him in calling people like Bayh "centrists" and people like Dodd "progressives" in order to join in whipping all of these corporatists and fascists to end the filibuster rule.

US Chamber of Commerce crowd is trying to determine who gets to be on the National Labor Relations Board.

Poll: Most Americans want incumbents thrown out on their assassination squad approving behinds.  Wouldn't it be nice if the money and media and parties and election machines would let us unelect somebody? Like maybe Jane Harman?