It’s nice and all to point out that some (that was some) of what Amnesty (look ma, only one T) has reported was based on people that have been detained. But is anybody saying that US has done any of the things that Amnesty is calling for? Have we ended secret detentions? Have we granted the IRC full access? Have we ensured recourse to the law for detainees? Have we established an INDEPENDENT commission to investigate allegations? Until such things are done we are left with a he said she said cross fire of rhetoric. While it is true that some (that was some again) detainees have been trained to lie - it is also true that our politicians are very skillful in the art of telling less than the truth themselves. I have to wonder why the US will not do some of the things Amnesty is calling for. Would allowing the IRC access show the world how low we have sunk? Would an independent commission destroy the political futures of some people that are involved with abuses? I’m not going to pretend to know the answer, but yes would seem to be the most likely answer. If politicians were more interested in human rights than covering there asses; these things would be happening.
I’m also very amused by the voting as compared to what people are saying. It would appear that our fine young Republicans do believe that Amnesty International is an absurd group of American haters.
*Yawn* Look birdbrain, the only reason Amnesty is complaining is because they really dislike the United States. What France is doing is much, much worse but Amnesty just ignores them.
"Two hallmarks of the U.S. judicial system -- the right to have one's lawyer present during questioning and the right to a speedy trial -- do not apply in France. A French citizen or legal resident suspected of links to terrorism can be interrogated for up to four days without an attorney and be imprisoned for four years before going to trial."
Now of course, at Gitmo you don't get a lawyer either. But in France, this applies to their own citizens as well!!
"French courts also admit evidence that other European countries would find too controversial. …
The public supports the system's broad investigative powers, said Olivier Roy, a French scholar and author researching the radical Muslim movement in Europe.
"It's an issue among human-rights activists, defense lawyers and some intellectuals, but it's not an issue in public opinion. We are used to having strong police and a not-very-independent legal system. It's part of the tradition of a strong state," Roy said.
All terrorism cases are overseen by a small number of Paris-based investigative judges who handle no other kind of case. Their role is solely building cases, which then are handed over to independent judges for trial. Investigative judges can order surveillance and arrests, and they often are assisted by French intelligence, which has a special section for the judiciary. "
So Amnesty International, you're a largely irrelevant communist organization and can shove it.
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