Amnesty's blistering response to Cheney

[G_j]

"It doesn't matter whether he takes Amnesty International seriously. He doesn't take torture seriously; he doesn't take the Geneva Convention seriously; he doesn't take due process rights seriously; and he doesn't take international law seriously."

—William Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International USA, in response to Vice President Dick Cheney's comment that he wasn't putting much weight on Amnesty's criticism of U.S. treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

edit, where I found this:
http://www.tompaine.com/pass/

[rigel99]

1. brilliant response

and I would add...

he does not take the innocent blood of Americans and iraqis flowing in the streets of bagdad seriously.

the only thing our good fair Cheney takes seriously is the furniture his wife buys with the money he steals from us, the US taxpayers, in his Navy house overlooking an ocean of tears cried by pacifists wishing for a better day to come soon....

[AuntiBush]

47. Poetically Said!

The only thing one can assume is "they" have the key to the bunkers. The rest of us are "screwed."

[oxbow]

2. Abuse of power, of human beings, and of the American people's trust

That's what they're guilty of.

[rigel99]

48. and we're guilty of letting it happen one more day

one man is an oppressor because many are slaves, let us despise the slaves.....

[Kerrytravelers]

3. Isn't it amazing, cheney and his merry gang of terrorists quoted

AI when they were justifying committing war crimes invading Iraq, but suddenly dismiss AI when it appears their murderous little tirade is being called exactly what it is- torture.

bush part 1 "supported" AI (so he claims) during his piddly little one term. Now, his murderous son who would serve the world better being tried at the Hague scoffs at human rights and the demands of the global community to stop committing terrorists acts on innocent people.

[burythehatchet]

4. moving response

[berni_mccoy]

5. Using a word our Vice President is fond of:

"Fuck" you Dick!

[oldtime dfl_er]

6. fantastic

Amnesty can afford to tell the truth -- their reputation is impeccable. And when Dickie boy gets tried for war crimes, AI will make sure he gets his binkie at night in his prison cell.

www.cafepress.com/showtheworld

[sundancekid]

7. yes, the chimperor's torturer-in-chief indeed WEARS NO CLOTHES

... as MLK would say: no more appalling silence of the good people ...

[goodboy]

8. oh SNAP! Translated: "suck it DICK!" nominated (nt)

[applegrove]

9. Well said!

[gratuitous]

10. Nothing to add

Schulz covered it entirely. The question, of course, is will the media cover Schulz's response to Cheney? Or is that too much like the truth, which makes many of our media outlets rather nervous?

[bpilgrim]

11. these war pigs are disgusting and i hope we have reached the tipping-point

http://images.globalfreepress.com

i know it's only amnesty but this is getting a lot of press here at home for a change and Amnesty and other respected independent international orgs have been very patient trying to work quietly behind the scenes for years and have obviously decided to go public with the toms of evidence they have and are gonna play HARD-BALL.

give'm hell amnesty :toast:

if we continue to FAIL to hold those responsible for TORTURE to account via a legit independent investigation all the way to the TOP the ICC will step in.

we are gonna be CRUSHED in the HEARTS & MINDS spectrum and we all know that is really were all wars must be WON.

peace

[Disturbed]

13. Bush Regime soffs at AI and the Red Cross.

It is real impressive that these War Criminals scoff at reports of their crimes.

[G_j]

14. true

the IRC as rule does not go public, but they have also concerning some treatment of prisoners.

[Just Me]

12. No shit!!! This cabal really are law-breaking global bullies.

I have NEVER in my life felt so repulsed by any human being.

[driver8]

16. Cheney is one crooked m-fer...

I would actually like to see him get nailed before shrubby.

[paula777]

15. Finally someone who's got the backbone to stand up to these thugs!

[G_j]

17. Standing up to thugs is what Amnesty does well n/t

[Triana]

18. Well Now...

...if only our gutless Dems had the same teeth that Amnesty does...we might actually get somewhere.

[burythehatchet]

19. these days its hard to know who to give to

Amnesty is one you should consider.

[FizzFuzz]

42. I give to Planned Parenthood

They were among the first groups to speak out about who these liars really are. They were among the main organizers of the March for Women's Lives in DC March 2004. biggest march in American history, despite the US media's near total blackout.

I will consider adding Amnesty now.

[burythehatchet]

52. good on ya mate!

:)

plus you'll get those wonderful return address stickers!

[indepat]

20. Ouch! Cheney might get really pis't off, being outed with such aplomb

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. Don't drink anything while you're reading this...

...a snippet in today's Edinburgh Evening News:

"He doesn't take care of his people at all. And he obviously wants to throw his weight around and become a nuclear power".

US Vice President Dick Cheney on North Korean leader Kim Jong-II.

Oh, Dick... What is the world coming to..?

[in_cog_ni_to]

22. We need a "Schulz and Galloway show"

They should take the show on the road! I would pay $$$$ to hear them!Perfect response to that SOB Cheney. :woohoo::applause::woohoo::applause::woohoo:

[jazzjunkysue]

23. That's going to cost the Bush Crime Family

Imagine Bush Sr. having to own a resonse like that? After being an ambassador and working for decades to build relationships all over the world, and then see this as the response.

You can't tell me this won't cost us.

Enter us into the hall of shame with Attilla the Hun, Nero, Stalin and Hitler. The grandchildren of these robber barons will deny their connection to these liars. Amnesty International is beyond question. They have no political agenda. It's like going after Mother Theresa.

[Cocoa]

24. "It doesn't matter whether he takes Amnesty International seriously"

he hits the nail on the head.

[oxbow]

25. I think it's time to contact the DNC and tell them to stand with AI

against this corrupt and out of control Admin. Drive home the message that they've lost integrity, honor, and all sense of decency for human rights.

[wicket]

26. AMEN!!!!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[G_j]

27. war of words ?

not really, words against facts.
The world community plays such a crucial role, frustrated and ashamed Americans welcome truth telling.

[Cleita]

28. William Schulz goes into my hall of heroes. Thanks for posting.n/t

[SalmonChantedEvening]

29. Beautiful, just beautiful.

It's OK Mr. Schulz, we try not to take Cheyney seriously.

[Generator]

30. Thank you Amnesty!

He doesn't recognize or support laws. Cheney is outside the law. I believe the definition of such a person is called a "criminal." It's really simple. The entire m.o. of the Bush admin is use an excuse-9/11 for example-to get around every law and morality there is.

And the Goddamn other side has the nerve to call the liberals relativists. They are the very definition of it. They have no fixed morality whatsoever. They don't even get it-that you don't torture someone because it's just wrong-it's against your personal morality and you don't want it done to you.

[burythehatchet]

31. and here's part of his response to Rumsfailed

"Twenty years ago, Amnesty International was criticising Saddam Hussein's human rights abuses at the same time Donald Rumsfeld was courting him," said William Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International USA, referring to Rumsfeld's December 1983 meeting in Baghdad with Saddam as a special presidential envoy.

"In 2003, Rumsfeld apparently trusted our credibility on violations by Iraq, but now that we are criticising the U.S. he has lost his faith again," Schulz said.

[CBHagman]

41. That is precisely the point.

Amnesty is out there every day, examining what's being done by right-wing dictatorships and communist dictatorships, as well as abuses perpetrated by supposedly democratic nations. They shine a light, put public pressure on the abusers, and all this often takes years of effort. But it brings results, and without bombing a single nation.

What sickens me about the current right wing attack on Amnesty International is that Bush and his ilk want to be taken for the defenders of human rights -- and the only defenders of human rights -- despite the fact that they're willing to turn a blind eye to abuse when convenient.

They won't even give Amnesty credit for their decades of work, either. That worthless Joe Scarborough claimed Amnesty International had done "nothing" regarding Darfur -- all because Amnesty didn't back some legislation Scarborough favored. If Scarborough bother to look and/or tell the truth, he would know that Amnesty has been focused on Darfur for a very long time.

[G_j]

53. here is the full statement:

http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0601-25.htm

Amnesty International's Response to Rumsfeld
Statement of Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA


WASHINGTON--June 1--Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush Administration ignored or dismissed Amnesty International's reports on the abuse of detainees for years, and senior officials continue to ignore the very real plight of men detained without charge or trial. Amnesty International first communicated its concerns at the treatment of prisoners to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld in January 2002 and continued to raise these concerns at the highest levels as allegations of abuse mounted from Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq. The response was to bar AI's human rights investigators from visiting US detention facilities, in contrast to countries as diverse as Libya and Sudan, where governments have accepted the value of independent monitoring.
Twenty years ago, Amnesty International was criticizing Saddam Hussein's human rights abuses at the same time Donald Rumsfeld was courting him. In 2003 Rumsfeld apparently trusted our credibility on violations by Iraq, but now that we are criticizing the US he has lost his faith again.

The deliberate policy of this administration is to detain individuals without charge or trial in prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Bagram Air Base and other locations, where their treatment has not conformed to international standards. Donald Rumsfeld personally approved a December 2002 memorandum that permitted such unlawful interrogation techniques as stress positions, prolonged isolation, stripping, and the use of dogs at Guantanamo Bay, and he should be held accountable, as should all those responsible for torture, no matter how senior.

There has yet to be a full independent investigation, and the content of some of the government's own reports into human rights violations in these prisons remain classified and unseen. If this administration is committed to transparency, it should immediately open the network of detention centers operated by the US around the world to scrutiny by independent human rights groups. It is also worth noting that this administration eagerly cites Amnesty International research when we criticize Cuba and extensively quoted our criticism of the violations in Iraq under Saddam Hussein in the run up to the war.

Rumsfeld quotes (compiled by thinkprogress.org at http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=979 )

On March 27, 2003, Rumsfeld said:

We know that it's a repressive regime?Anyone who has read Amnesty International or any of the human rights organizations about how the regime of Saddam Hussein treats his people?

The next day, Rumsfeld cited his "careful reading" of Amnesty:

t seems to me a careful reading of Amnesty International or the record of Saddam Hussein, having used chemical weapons on his own people as well as his neighbors, and the viciousness of that regime, which is well known and documented by human rights organizations, ought not to be surprised

And on April 1, 2003, Rumsfeld said once again:

f you read the various human rights groups and Amnesty International's description of what they know has gone on, it's not a happy picture.


###

[Jack Rabbit]

32. That is what you call a slapdown

This one is for Mr. Schulz:
:toast:

[Nay]

33. Just for everyone's info, Bill Schulz was the head of the Unitarian

Universalist Association here in the U.S. before he went to Amnesty. He is a heck of a good guy -- honest, fearless, and smart. Give 'em, hell, Bill!

[understandinglife]

34. Bravo William Schulz!! Now that is the type of precise, blistering truth..

.... we need to see all day, every day.


Emad Hajjaj, Al-Ghad Newspaper, Amman, Jordan

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us - how ever long it takes, the day must come when tens of millions of caring individuals peacefully but persistently defy the dictator, deny the corporatists cash flow, and halt the evil being done in Iraq and in all the other places the Bu$h neoconster regime is destroying civilization and the environment in the name of "America."

[Im with Rosey]

35. I am beginning to wonder...

Some of the outrageous hatred being spewn by these people is beginning to have a ring of panic IMHO. I wonder if they are starting to realize they are being backed further and further into the corner we are all waiting to see them in. I know it is SOP to attack the source, but some of this stuff is just going beyond their regular vile-speak. I think they are starting to crack. Quick, get a jackhammer!

[Mythsaje]

36. Kinda explains

why this administration was so dead set against the U.S. being part of the World Court, citing fear that American citizens would be tried for crimes by people outside the country.

Hmmm. Wonder which citizens they were most worried about being tried by the World Court.

Any guesses?

[KoKo]

37. Thanks for this....kind of brings it all back into perspective, doesn't it

[G_j]

38. you mean the duplicitous premeditated lying?

that cost ten of thousands of lives?

[tavalon]

39. Yep, exactly that.

[dweller]

40. Amnesty International's Response to Rumsfeld

Statement of Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

WASHINGTON--June 1--Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush Administration ignored or dismissed
Amnesty International's reports on the abuse of detainees for years, and senior officials
continue to ignore the very real plight of men detained without charge or trial. Amnesty
International first communicated its concerns at the treatment of prisoners to Defense
Secretary Rumsfeld in January 2002 and continued to raise these concerns at the highest
levels as allegations of abuse mounted from Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq. The
response was to bar AI's human rights investigators from visiting US detention facilities, in
contrast to countries as diverse as Libya and Sudan, where governments have accepted the
value of independent monitoring.

Twenty years ago, Amnesty International was criticizing Saddam Hussein's human rights
abuses at the same time Donald Rumsfeld was courting him. In 2003 Rumsfeld apparently
trusted our credibility on violations by Iraq, but now that we are criticizing the US he has lost
his faith again.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0601-25.htm

the hits just keep on coming.
dp

[Cha]

43. Awesome reply!

Thanks William Schultz!

We know cheney doesn't take anything but oil and more oil..seriously.

[Singular73]

44. Oh whatever, Amnesty International HATES AMERICA

Except when the Bush administration cites them repeatedly regarding Saddam, and Iran.

[Terran1212]

45. Did you see AI's statement to Rumsfield? Even better

Ha...

[G_j]

51. he also responded strongly to Bush's "absurd"

comments, turning that around also. I can't find the quote.

[AuntiBush]

46. Thanks Amnesty International. He doesn't take American Lives

Serious, either.

What does he take serious?:

Money
Greed
Corporate Power
American Power
Global Power

Did I mention the "Anti-Christ?"

[Nothing Without Hope]

49. What an excellent respponse to Cheney's attempt at bullying him.

Would that all the members of Congress would have as much wit, backbone and integrity as this non-politician does.

[loudsue]

50. IF the Dems had a backbone, they would JUMP ALL OVER

the Amnesty International band-wagon, and hammer the republicans with their despicable behavior.

Republicans are bullies TO EVERYONE....detainees, Amnesty International, homosexuals, regular citizens, protesters, and even their own comrades, when they feel the urge. Dems need to take the high ground, and call more and more attention to the dialog that has taken place between bush/cheney/rumsfeld and Bill Schulz over these past couple of days. They also need to mention over and over that Bill Schulz has come back at the criticisms...since the media will scarcely cover his retorts.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Crankie Avalon]

54. Powerful. I just wish this response would get as much media airplay...

...as Cheney's initial comments did.

[Shredr]

55. I agree.

Great response. Hopefully the MSM will play it.

[Bouncy Ball]

56. And game, set, match.

Your turn, dickie-poo!

[G_j]

57. Amnesty Defends 'Gulag,' Urges Guantánamo Access

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/060205X.shtml

Amnesty Defends 'Gulag,' Urges Guantánamo Access
Reuters
Thursday 02 June 2005

Human rights group Amnesty defended its description of Guantánamo prison as a "gulag" Thursday and urged the United States to allow independent investigations of allegations of torture at its detention centers for terrorism suspects.

A verbal feud between Amnesty International and Washington has escalated since Amnesty last week compared the prison at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to the brutal Soviet system of forced labor camps where millions of prisoners died.

President Bush dismissed as "absurd" the Amnesty report, which also said the United States was responsible for an upsurge in global human rights violations, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the description "reprehensible."

"The administration's response has been that our report is absurd, that our allegations have no basis, and our answer is very simple: if that is so, open up these detention centers, allow us and others to visit them," Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Zubaida Khan told a news conference.

..more..

[WildEyedLiberal]

58. Time for me to renew my membership to AI

This is amazing.

[dogday]

59. This comes from a non-partisan organization

They don't care about politics, they care about the welfare of human beings. If they say we are doing these things, we are doing these things. We look to our leaders to lead and be an example to the rest of the world. We can all hang our heads in shame.

[City Lights]

60. Go Amnesty!

We just bought "Citizen of the World" shirts from Amnesty.

[donheld]

61. Cheney doesn't seem to take Democracy seriously

:grr:

[dxstone]

62. Creepy Veepee Rat Bastard Cannibal King!

SneerMeister Extraordinaire! Man of a Thousand Faces, Each One Uglier Than The Last!
DON'T take us seriously, Creature of Evil!
By all means, just keep on truckin', Mr. Butcher!

Bravo, Mr. Schultz! Kudos, GJ!
There WILL be a reckoning, eventually... he can't hold out forever; he's gotta run out of ink sometime...


I'M DOIN' FINE ON CLOUD NINE! (HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!)

[Lannes]

63. The head of Amnesty debated Frank Gaffney on hardball

He got off a great parting shot.He said that it was amazing that Gaffney was saying almost verbatim the same thing that Russia and China said when they were defending their actions.Gaffney was pissed! :)