Happy Monday and welcome to the Dog’s letter writing campaign for torture accountability. This series is a small attempt to assure the issue of accountability under the law for the apparent Bush administration torture program is not forgotten by those responsible for the investigation and prosecution of such acts. The way this series works is as follows; every Monday the Dog writes a letter to one of the decision makers involved and send copies to the rest. You get involved by either cutting and pasting the letter over your own signature or buy using it as inspiration for your own letter. The Dog even provides the e-mail links and where we are writing members of Congress who use filter the way to get past the filters.
"Originally posted at Squarestate.net"
This week we will be writing the Attorney General (the fact is he is the sole person who can start and follow through with investigations) with copies to the President, Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Reid, Judiciary Chairs Leahy and Conyers and Rep. Jerry Nadler of the House Judiciary Committee.
This week’s letter:
Dear Attorney General Holder;
I write you today, as I do most Monday’s to urge you to take the robust action that is needed in regard to the apparent crimes of torture and conspiracy to commit torture which high ranking members of the Bush Administration have admitted to participating in.
It is an on-going shame that the Department of Justice has failed to follow a clear set of crimes, the planning and commission of which have been admitted to in sworn testimony. Further it undermines the actions that the President and the DoJ are taking in regard to Khalid Sheik Mohammed.
I am quite happy with the insistence on a trial for Mr. Mohammed in Federal Court. This is in the best traditions of American law. More over it is the right thing to do both legally and morally.
However, it is impossible for me to see how we can insist on a trial for Mr. Mohammed when we will not even fully investigate the circumstances of his torture. I am aware that you have appointed AUSA John Durham to investigate anyone that exceeded the specious boundaries of the Yoo and Bybee memos. However, you have failed, to date, to investigate those who ordered the torture itself. This failure makes the trail of Mr. Mohammed and anyone else who credibly claims to have been tortured at the orders of the Bush Administration a mockery of justice.
You have said yourself that Mr. Mohammed will face the full penalty of the law, up to and including execution, if he is found guilty of participation in the 9/11 plot as well as other acts of terrorism. This is as it should be, but isn’t it more than a little hypocritical to talk of executing a man for war crimes he planned and ordered when we will not even start a full investigation of war crimes planned and ordered by officials of the United States Government?
The idea of justice is, at the core, one of impartiality. If there are special rules for the powerful, if laws can be broken and the acts admitted to publicly without cost for the powerful, there is no justice. No bank robber or drug dealer or murderer can admit to their crimes and expect to be shielded from investigation or prosecution. Why is it that the members of the Bush Administration are allowed to do so?
The need to show the world that we have a fair system of justice and will apply it fairly is the root of bringing Mr. Mohammed to trial in Federal Court, in the United States. However it will mean little if we do not also, at the very least, make the attempt to do so to those who tortured him and who ordered him tortured.
Attorney General Holder, this is your choice. You have the power to appoint a Special Prosecutor to fully investigate the allegations of torture. You can assure that when we try Mr. Mohammed and either hold him for the rest of his life or execute him; the United States can say that our system of justice is fair and uniformly applied, or you can do nothing and have doubt as to the fairness of our system follow this trial forever. The choice is and has been yours.
Make the right choice Mr. Holder. History and the world are watching.
Regards,
cc: President Obama
Speaker Pelosi
Majority Leader Reid
Senate Judiciary Chair Leahy
House Judiciary Chair Conyers
Rep. Jerry Nadler
Here are the links you will need to send your letters:
AG Holder, can be reached at AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. Be sure to put Attention then his name in the subject line.
The White House, Attention President Obama
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Majority Leader Harry Reid
Rep John Conyers - Judiciary Committee Chair
Chairman Leahy
Representative Jerry Nadler
(to get past Rep. Nadler's filter use Zip Code 11224-4561 and the address of 445 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY)
Now it is all up to you. The Dog has made it as easy as he can, but in the end it will be your choice and about five minutes of your time that will make the difference. Will you act? History and the world await your choice as well.
The floor is yours.