Monthly Archives: January 2007

international, politics, politricks

The Law catches up to Private Militaries, Contractors

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…But with this change, contractors’ ‘get out of jail free’ card may have been torn to shreds. Previously, contractors would only fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, better known as the court martial system, if Congress declared war. This is something that has not happened in over 65 years and out of sorts with the most likely operations in the 21st century. The result is that whenever our military officers came across episodes of suspected contractor crimes in missions like Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, or Afghanistan, they had no tools to resolve them. As long as Congress had not formally declared war, civilians — even those working for the US armed forces, carrying out military missions in a conflict zone — fell outside their jurisdiction.

via RawStory/DefenseTech

fo' real?, international, national, politricks

Saddam Executed for ‘lesser’ crimes to avoid implicating the US?

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What could possibly have been the benefit of hanging Saddam before the lengthy history of his heinous crimes (i.e. the wholesale gassing of Kurds) could have been officially and legally documented? His execution for the murder of 148 Shiites was bound to stoke the flames of sectarian violence in the country, as the hanging appeared to be nothing more than legalized revenge at the hands of the Shiites now in power for past crimes against their brothers. Why then would the “autonomous” government of Iraq rush Saddam off to his death? Was this perhaps due to the fact that the US (and others) could have been implicated during courtroom proceedings for the other, more serious, crimes he was charged with?

Well evidently others have had the same thoughts. Famed columnist for the British paper the Independent, Robert Fisk, not surprisingly, pondered similar questions:
But would the Americans and British dare touch a trial in which we would have not only to describe how Saddam got his filthy gas but why the CIA – in the immediate aftermath of the Iraqi war crimes against Halabja – told US diplomats in the Middle East to claim that the gas used on the Kurds was dropped by the Iranians rather than the Iraqis (Saddam still being at the time our favourite ally rather than our favourite war criminal). Just as we in the West were silent when Saddam massacred 180,000 Kurds during the great ethnic cleansing of 1987 and 1988.

Story via The Independent

national, politics

Same-Sex Marriage Setback in Massachusetts

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BOSTON, Jan. 2 — Massachusetts, the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, took a first step toward possibly banning it Tuesday when legislators voted to advance a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

The amendment now requires the approval of at least 50 legislators in another vote in the 2007-8 session. Then it would be placed on the November 2008 ballot as a referendum question…

The state’s new governor, Deval Patrick, said “I believe that adults should be free to choose whom they wish to love and to marry,” adding that he objected to using the constitutional amendment process “to give a minority fewer freedoms than the majority.” After the vote, Mr. Patrick said in a statement, “We have work to do over the next year to turn this around.”

Article via NYTimes
want to help? Mass Equality

national

Panel Seeks End to Death Penalty for New Jersey

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TRENTON, Jan. 2 — A legislative commission recommended on Tuesday that New Jersey become the first state to abolish the death penalty since states began reinstating their capital punishment laws 35 years ago. Its report found “no compelling evidence” that capital punishment serves a legitimate purpose, and increasing evidence that it “is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency.”

Article via NYTimes

Read the Death Penalty Study Commission Report

international

Madrid airport bombing derails Spain/ETA peace plan

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There have been sporadic outbreaks of street violence in the Basque region since the latest ceasefire, announced in March 2006, which have increased the political pressure on the government.

But this bomb attack at Madrid’s International Airport is a very clear violation of the ground rules set by Spain’s parliament.

Which is why the Spanish government has been emphatic about the state of play with this peace process. The Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, says Eta has broken, liquidated and finished off the peace process.

Article via BBC News