December 1, 2006: Recent links of interest

Why Did They Flinch?

Friday, 1 December 2006 4:10 P GMT-05

I suspect history will judge this as one of the great (non-)events of the American experience, and one of the great (non-)turning points of the last two centuries, equally significant, though far less prominent, than many actual events and actual turning points. What happened and why, is, therefore, a question of no small importance to ponder. Why did the Cheney/Rove juggernaut travel half-way down the road to American fascism, only to pull up short? Why, in short, did they flinch?

Tags: george w bush history fascism dictatorship us

US car theft rings probed for ties to Iraq bombings

Friday, 1 December 2006 3:15 A GMT-05

Terrorism specialists think Iraqi insurgents prefer American stolen cars because they tend to be larger, blend in more easily with the convoys of US government and private contractors, and are harder to identify as stolen.

Tags: iraq war us crime

Terror Watch: Showdown Over Padilla

Friday, 1 December 2006 1:28 A GMT-05

But defense lawyers are convinced that given the seriousness and the specificity of Padilla’s claims of mistreatment—many of which involve the use of aggressive interrogation techniques virtually identical to those the Pentagon has confirmed using at Guantánamo—the judge in his case, Marcia Cooke, may have little choice but to order a pretrial hearing on his allegations. Padilla’s lawyers say they will soon file “additional material” to back up their torture claims. And if Cook grants them a hearing, it could open the door for the first time to questioning in a U.S. courtroom about controversial interrogation methods that were used against one of the most sensitive detainees in U.S. government custody. Padilla's fate is all the more important because his incarceration by the U.S. military was directly ordered from the White House by President Bush.

Tags: jose padilla abuse law war on terror

Rendition Survivor Appeals Case Against CIA Officials

Wednesday, 29 November 2006 6:00 P GMT-05

El-Masri, in the United States for the first time, said all he wants is an acknowledgement that the US is responsible for his kidnapping, an explanation and an apology. The lawsuit also seeks $75,000 in damages, though El-Masri’s attorneys emphasized that the case is not about a monetary award. The US government has refused to confirm or deny the allegations, saying that by doing so, clandestine CIA activities would be divulged. Last May, US District Judge T.S. Ellis granted the government’s request to use the "state secrets" privilege to dismiss the lawsuit. Ellis concurred with the defendants’ argument that proceeding with the lawsuit "would reveal considerable detail about the CIA’s highly classified overseas programs and operations.”

Tags: cia war on terror law germany us abuse torture khaled elmasri

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