2007-07-01

A Modest Proposal

Awhile back, I read a post on TomDispatch about a fictional court case: United States v. George Bush, et al. It was inspiring then and I still here the siren call of justice a-coming for G. W. - but I no longer feel that we should go the impeachment route - as former Reagan lawyer Bruce Fein calls for again just this week. Sure, Bruce believes that the VP is the cancer that must be removed - and he is absolutely right on that - but what I have slowly come to realize is that the US justice systems are not equipped to deal with crimes this grand. The only course of action that makes sense is for the next President of the United States to sign the treaty for the International Criminal Court and then seek a resolution of the United Nations Security Council indicting GWB et al for crimes against humanity.

The past six years have seen an unheard of degree of criminal activity on the part of this administration: Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are just the most extreme examples. It almost seems quaint now, but how many people even recall how Aristide was escorted out of Haiti by this administration? Yes, it is unquestionable that this government has treated the Constitution as though it were a list of soft guidelines instead of bedrock law, but it is also without question that an impeachment would not succeed - and how damaging would that be to national and international law? For these men to be seen as tried and not convicted would be tantamount to a finding of not guilty - a result that sneers in the face of justice.

The ICC provides the best vehicle for these criminals to face the bar of justice - and it places us back on the world stage as a nation that unflinchingly lives up to principles again. Signing that treaty and referring the case to the ICC should be done in the first 100 days of the next administration, to allow the healing process to begin as soon as possible. Witnesses in the case should include - but not be limited too:

  • anyone who was ever snatched by the CIA and taken to a secret prison for torture;
  • anyone who was taken to Guantanamo Bay or any of the staging zones;
  • Scooter Libby - and his testimony should be compelled.
The nation is watching what we do next; the world is watching. We must act fast to restore our standing and give us back the simple dignity that used to come with being an American.

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