U.S. court blocks payouts to ex-POWs

[xultar]

Full Story...http://www.freep.com/news/nw/pris27_20031027.htm

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is quietly piling up victories in a legal battle to block payments to 17 U.S. combat veterans who were captured and tortured in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and won a suit against Iraq for nearly $1 billion.

The former POWs -- whipped, beaten, burned, electrically shocked and starved by their Iraqi captors in 1991 -- say they are baffled by the administration's refusal to let them collect any of Iraq's assets now under U.S. control, and by the Justice Department's efforts to overturn a federal court decision upholding their claims to compensation.

"I don't understand why they want to see this case go away," said Lt. Col. Dave Storr of Spokane, Wash., who currently is an airline pilot and serves in the Air National Guard.

Snip...

In court filings, the government asserts sweeping presidential power to block the claims because of the "weighty foreign policy interests at stake."

It does not dispute details of the POWs' suffering.

Snip...

"It sends a very bad message that a commander in chief would place veterans and prisoners of war second behind a foreign nation," he said. "Deep down, I think" Bush "knows very little about it."

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. bush, being a man who never saw military service

doesent understand anything

[Bluzmann57]

2. Lt. Colonel Storr has to pay for his gas

so why should he get anything out of the Iraqi oil boom? Just because he suffered greatly while serving his country(unlike awol bush), just because he is still a reservist, just because he most likely believes that this is the greatest country in the world? Oh no, he isn't a rich man, nor are the others. Fer crissakes bush, these Men, and I will capitalize Men, have sacrificed greatly, shouldn't they get in on some of the Iraqi oil? Just goes to show you, that once again, people can go fight, get captured and suffer, but they ain't getting shit from the most hypocritical administration in the history of this great land. Support the soldiers indeed. I do, too bad the administration doesn't.

[punpirate]

3. Methinks the Justice Department is afraid of...

... a precedent being set. The judgment is technically a foreign debt. If that debt is paid, other international debts would also have to be paid. France, Germany, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Russia--all of which are owed money by Iraq--could then get in line.

Rotten way to prevent that precedent, though.

[underpants]

5. Part of the move to forgive 65% of Iraqi debt

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-debt,0,5330663.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

The group said in July that Iraq owes $4.11 billion to Japan, $3.45 billion to Russia, $2.99 billion to France, $2.4 billion to Germany and $2.19 billion to the United States. Iraq owes $1.73 billion to Italy and $931 million to Britain, the Paris Club said.

[denverbill]

4. Yeah, you see, that's the trouble with suing foreign govts.

The govt of Iraq is gone, but the country remains. The people of Iraq shouldn't be left holding the bag for their corrupt dictator.

Same damned thing with Cuba, Iran, and all the other countries getting sued. That whole law was a fop to the anti-Castro mafia in Miami anyway, so they could attempt to seize Castro's foreign assets to pay for their lost casinos.

Still, it makes Bush look like an asshole.

Can't wait til Bush nixes the lawsuit of the 9-11 families against the Saudi royal family.

[kayell]

6. "I don't understand "

Money for you would = less money for Halliburton.

[MrPrax]

7. Same Month they decided to refuse ww2 pows

Supreme Court Refuses to Make Japan Compensate American POWs for Slave Labor

NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court turned aside appeals from former American prisoners of war and others who claim they were forced to work for private Japanese companies as slave laborers during World War II.

The court's action, taken without comment Monday, ends lawsuits in California against Japanese companies or their successors that allegedly forced prisoners to work in mines, dig roads and perform other duties more than 50 years ago.

Japanese conglomerates now known as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Nippon Steel and others survived the war in part by using slave labor, and then thrived in the postwar industrial boom, lawyers for former prisoners said.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/10/6/122411.shtml

Also so a good opinion from WP on the 'do as I say, not as I do' attitude by the Bush admin. for contrast...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44544-2003Oct18.html

[Voltaire99]

11. Message to soldiers: pawns are pawns

"Yes, it's all very sad - we regret that you suffered and we're so grateful to the Greatest Generation - but run along now. Your master is busy."

[sam sarrha]

8. These are all reasons to stop the republicans from stuffing the courts

with judges who will support bushs policies decades after he is gone.....

[lovedems]

9. Not only are our troops being attacked in Iraq

they are being attacked here at home with lack of healthcare, lack of equipment and now this! King George is really supporting the troops isn't he! I think it is safe to say he can kiss the military vote good-bye in 04. It totally sucks that our troops have to suffer to get this idiot out of office.

[berry]

10. A kick for people who missed this today.

I found the article elsewhere and searched before posting--so I found this, with excellent commentary and other links from the posters!

:kick:

[7th_Sephiroth]

12. kick again

this needs to be read by all