Measure banning private sector interrogators fails in Senate

[Robbien]

Overriding Democrats' contention that private contractors should not be engaged in interrogating military detainees, the Senate voted 54-43 Wednesday against a bid by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., to ban the use of non-military interrogators.

Dodd's amendment to the fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill sprang from reports that some contract interrogators had been involved in abuses of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Under Dodd's proposal, civilian contractors would no longer be used as interrogators and civilian interrogators at the Guantanamo facility in Cuba would have to leave after a year.

"We should not have people doing this intelligence activity who are outsourced. There is no accountability, no chain of command, and they have virtual immunity to the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice," Dodd said.

. . .

Three Democrats -- Sens. Zell Miller of Georgia, Bill Nelson of Florida and John (Jay) Rockefeller of West Virginia -- joined Republicans to table Dodd's proposal.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0604/061604cdpm4.htm

[tom_paine]

1. God Damn them all to HELL

May their children or their childrens children, should the Imperial Family prevail and the Old American Republic never rise again, may those descendants one day be interrogated by the Imperial Hessians as Enemies of the Empire.

Fuck them all.

[Fovea]

3. And from the Heathen side of the aisle

May they be reborn as diseased fleas, again and again and again, til the heat death of the universe.

[shoelace414]

2. No way

Zell Miller voted with the Republicans? :wow:

[TommyO]

4. OMFG!

What were those 54 idiots thinking?

This was a reasonable amendment meant to make sure there's some accountability. Oh, that's what's fucking wrong, Repugs (and a few demo-repugs) don't want anybody in the military to be accountable, that's how they work around little things like the Geneva Convention!

[mom cat]

5. It's part of the conservative agenda to develop big mercenary

armies for corporations. The more that these armies are unaccountable, the more that the corporations can advance their push for global domination in which the role of nations will shrink to the size that can easily be drowned in a bathtub. Already, trade agreements have made national law irrelevant. Soon the corporate based mercenaries will make all human rights declarations irrelevant. What happened at Abu Grieb was not an aberration, but a foretaste. The Senate vote proves that the powers that be have no aversion to pursuing a policy that advances their plan to make mercenaries unaccountable.and increase the viciousness of corporate terror and domination.

[rooboy]

7. Stupid white men...

who want private armies, only to discover in ten years' time that the armies have been bought by Saudi, Chinese and Russian businessmen. Then people like Mr Rockefeller will pay the price for their stupidity.

[mom cat]

10. Thanks for your insight. I feel better now.

[Karenina]

14. What you said!

And welcome to DU! :toast:

[sonias]

6. Freaking unbelievable!

Repukes obviously support torture since they don't want to hold anyone accountable for it. And if private contractors do it, no way the government can hold them accountable. They get away with it all. Zell from hell, I can understand but Nelson and Rockefeller WTF? Do these guys have investments in these private contractors or what.

Outsourcing torture is now the American way.

bastards!

Sonia

[despairing optimist]

8. Don't get mad. Get the Senate Democrats MORE than even!

Contribute, as I did, to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at http://www.dscc.org/ and put the Senate back in Democratic hands.

It's a no-brainer. Whether Kerry wins or loses, it will do much to bring down the imperial presidency and restore balance to the federal government. Also, there'd be much better congressional oversight and, if B* gets a second term, probably a lot of indictments and maybe an impeachment that will go all the way.

All it takes is two Dem victories. If you've had enough, support this worthy cause with whatever you can spare. Note: the website accepts credit card donations with a $10 minumum, but you can send a check or money order to the DSCC's snail mail address.

[SmokingJacket]

9. Evil, evil, f*cks!

Interrogation should never be a corporate responsibility!! What an awful idea! No accountability whatsoever -- and more than half the senate agrees?

Whose pockets are being lined???

[number6]

11. Smell Ziller strikes again ,...

post 5 and 7 hit the mark !

[Desperadoe]

12. Screw Miller!

I don;t even consider him a Democrat but what's up with Rockefeller and Nelson?

Jay-Jay is showing his Repuke roots.

[bpilgrim]

13. Future SHOCK - new TerraBot being tested south of the border - QuickTime

Realitively Cheap yet advanced and Deadly robots to form new peace keeping contingent to make up for the severe shortage coinciding with a rapid escalation in demand.

prototype demo reel...
http://analogik.org/video/_tetra_vaal_video.mov

the corporations KNOW just what they are doin, WELCOME TO THE FUTURE. now get back to the PYRAMIDS :evilgrin:

peace

[LizW]

15. I watched the debate this morning

Dodd took apart each and every argument that Warner and the Repugs raised. Took them apart. Proved that we have the military manpower to do the interrogations, they are already trained, there are more than enough to do the work, and they have the qualifications.

Zell and the Repugs didn't care because they want privatization, period. They want profits flowing in to pockets of their campaign donors. End of story.

[phaseolus]

16. When they write the history books...

...they'll start this chapter with one of the first pieces of legislation promoted by the Repugs after W. Bush took office -- that cute lil' repeal of the Clinton-era law that banned felonious corporations from doing future business with the U.S. Government. That was the necessary first step before starting The Plan.

[Just Me]

17. God! This makes me ILL! Privatizing US intelligence & protection,...

,...is a totally freakin' dangerous risk to our national security!!!

What is the matter with these puckers!?!? :argh: