Top Ten priorities of the Kerry Justice Department

[Jabbery]

When John Kerry is inaugurated, these should be his new Justice Department's Top Ten Priorities:

1. Indict and immediately arrest without bail George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, John Ashcroft, and Condoleeza Rice - and prosecute each to the fullest extent of the law for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and public corruption. Reserve prison cells in Leavenworth Prison, Kansas for each individual.

2. Place all associated individuals and staff members of the above mentioned criminals under house arrest until they are charged or exonerated.

3. Conduct a full audit and criminal investigation into the activities of Clear Channel Broadcasting, Salem Broadcasting network, News Corporation, The Scaife Foundation, and other similarly situated media outlets, specifically seeking criminal ties to tax evasion and investor fraud.

4. Conduct a full audit and criminal investigation into the activities of Christian Broadcasting Network, Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty University, Coral Ridge Ministries, The Christian Coalition, Inc., The American Center for Law and Justice, American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and other similarly situated organizations seeking information related to tax fraud and criminal violations of section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Code.

5. Launch a full scale criminal investigation into the corporate activities and personal lives of any all persons associated in any way (including attorneys) with the Excellence in Broadcasting Network, LLC, specifically looking for information related to tax evasion, drug trafficking and money laundering.

6. Hold Colin Powell under house arrest pending an investigation into war crimes, related to his having deliberately lied to the world diplomatic community in support of an illegal war.

7. Raid all domestic and foreign offices of Halliburton Corporation and its subsidiaries and padlock all the doors until a full-scale investigation is complete. Seize all assets pending disposition.

8. Ditto step number seven for Bechtel Corp., Raytheon, General Dynamics, General Electric, and all other contractors who received no-bid contracts for work in Iraq.

9. Seize all personal assets of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, John Ashcroft, Condoleeza Rice, and similarly situated persons pending disposition of their criminal cases.

10. Suspend all enforcement of all provisions of the USA Patriot Act pending its repeal by Congress.

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Nah. We don't want these criminals in the US

Hand it over to the ICC to be dealt with harshly.

Hawkeye-X

[theboss]

2. Or - in the alternative - something else

This kind of thing reminds me of all the Freepers who were convinced that Bill and Hillary Clinton would be in jail right now, as opposed to - respectively - on a book tour and in the Senate.

[Jabbery]

3. The difference being that they never committed crimes

It's a big diff

[rfranklin]

11. Put George Bush on a "read-a-book" tour...

Perhaps we could force him to read Clinton's book out loud to hostile audiences.

[FlemingsGhost]

4. Absolutely none of the above will be pursued ...

Although, I love the way you think.

John Kerry is simply not the solution to this country's woes.

[clydefrand]

6. What is?

[FlemingsGhost]

14. A brutally honest assessment of a system that "elects" ...

men like George W. Bush, who in the end is simply a symptom of a corrupt broken-down electoral and governing process.

Even if Kerry wanted to, (which he doesn't,) he would not be allowed even come close to addressing the egregious conflicts of interest and misguided influences our elected officials eagerly embrace.

No, the solution to our woes is not "staying the course," it is dramatically changing the course. It materializes as courageous, visionary leadership or some kind of desperate popular uprising ... which is exactly what I see our current trajectory producing.

[molly]

7. Well, then who would be?

[tom_paine]

15. Don't know that anyone could be, molly

The Old American Republic might have simply died because it was it's Time, as Ben Franklin foresaw.

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a7s3.html

Pay special attention to these prophetic lines (did Franklin look into the future and see Amerikan Caeser in Poppy Bush...no, but he knew he would come along, no matter what the name he used)...

In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.

Like he was living right next door to us in today's Amerikan Empire, isn't it?

[Monte Carlo]

9. O yea of little faith...

Kerry is not the whole solution, but he sure is a big part of it. If he wins in November, it's going to be the Top Thousand priorities.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. You're right. Kerry is like a bandaid on a gaping wound.

Even though I've decided to (reluctantly) vote for him, seeing him as anything but "not as bas as.." is disingenuous at best.

[clydefrand]

5. Number 9?

Use those assets to pay for the war. And I'd love to see Falwell get his due. The big fake!

[NewJeffCT]

8. I like how you think

Unfortunately, it's a pipe dream. #10 won't happen at all, as Sen. Kerry supports parts of the Patriot Act. I'd be ecstatic with just 3, 4 and 5. I'd also add in anything related to Rev. Moon.

[wakfs]

12. Amusing but unrealistic

I'd be happy with the following President Kerry initatives:

1. Get rid of the USA Patriot Act.
2. Remove marijuana from the list of dangerous drugs, created in the 1980s by Saint Ronald Reagan. This move would lead to eliminating marijuana from drug testing (which takes its target drugs from the very same executive order signed by Reagan), then would lead to an increase in medical marijuana laws.
3. Clamp down hard on corporations that are evading taxes by moving their headquarters off-shore.


That's all.

[orthogonal]

13. What you suggest is as bad as Bush -- or worse

2. Place all associated individuals and staff members of the above mentioned criminals under house arrest until they are charged or exonerated.

Holy crap. I thought we wanted Kerry as President in order to end unconstitutional abuses of power by the Justice Department, not to perpetuate those abuses.

What you're proposing sounds more like what used to happen every time the Party Chairmanship changed in the old Soviet Union: a purge of the previous leader's people, whether or not they were criminals, followed by show trials.

I'm against Bush precisely because of his administration's Fascistic abuses, and I'll be damned if I'll help elect Kerry only to see more of the same.

[Jabbery]

18. That's what Hermann Goering said

His followers said that the Nuremberg trials were fascist show trials.

Guess you think that too, huh?

[orthogonal]

19. And you're calling me Hermann Göring?

That's what Hermann Goering said

Wait a sec.

Lemme get this straight.

I write that I'm against arresting people until they're "charged or exonerated" and politically motivated arrests and trials, and you call me Hermann Göring?

Why not accuse me of setting the Reichstag fire too?

I think that war crimes trials may be appropriate for some members of this administration, but your laundry list conveniently ignores certain bedrock American principles, among them the presumption of innocence, and advocates prosecutorial fishing expeditions (emphases mine):

"Launch a full scale criminal investigation into the... personal lives of any all persons associated in any way (including attorneys)"

"Hold... under house arrest pending an investigation into war crimes"

"padlock all the doors until a full-scale investigation is complete"

"Seize all personal assets... pending disposition of their criminal cases."

What you advocate is a far cry from freedom.

[Jabbery]

20. You'd have been laughed out of Nuremberg

Prosecuting Evil people require drastic measures. Nuff said.

[rinsd]

22. While set fire to the Constitution....

...make sure you piss on those ashes.

Drastic measures, my ass.

[leyton]

27. There's a memo saying just that...

I believe that's the philosophy applied in Abu Ghraib. Isn't that what Bush should be prosecuted for?

[olddem43]

16. None of this will happen

Sure, there might be a few investigations, but little will come of it. Kerry couldn't get it done even with videotape of all their crimes being committed. Nice to dream about though, just like winning the lottery.

[Padraig18]

17. WTF?????????

None of that will happen. I'm hoping Kerry returns this nation to the rule of law, rather than furthering a Bush-like, fascist 'wish list' like the one you set forth!

:wtf:

[rinsd]

21. In other words.....

Act like a complete dictatorship but rationalize it that these people are evil.....house arrest for associates and staff until proven innocent? selective prosecution of determined enemies, going after personal lives of employees?

So basically you wish to fight the infringement of freedom by infringing on freedom?

Great so after I fight for the authoritarian right to be removed, I have to go after an authoritarian left?

Oh wait, you're the "I hate all republicans, they're all racists" guy.

Nevermind, as these words will likely fall on deaf ears.

[Baltimoreboy]

23. Civil War

Thank God Kerry is not as naive as you as shown by this post otherwise we'd end up with civil war.

[FlemingsGhost]

24. In defense of Jabbery:

The supreme irony regarding fascism is that, quite often, one must use some of its very methods in order to eradicate it. Facsicm is a disease--a disease of the mind--and quite often an innoculation is a small amount of the disease itself.

[rinsd]

25. Even more irony.....

By creating a precedence with the above you all but guarantee an authoritarian regime with the power to go after its critics, there associates etc. Forget free speech, due process, freedom of association, freedom of press, etc...basically forget about the Bill of Rights. The above innoculation would likely kill whatever is left of the patient(America).

Sorry....I'm not down with an authoritarian regime just because they happen to lean left.

[FlemingsGhost]

26. Good point.

And I agree. Thanks, rinsd.

[baboon]

28. none of those will ever happen

under a Kerry Justice Department.