Wes Clark: Stop Blaming the Troops (petition)

[wicket]

Just received this in email from Wes Clark:

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Dear wicket,

The time has come to investigate the Bush Administration's role
in the prisoner abuse and humiliation that has motivated our
enemies in the war on terror and endangers the well-being of our
fighting forces.

Today, the reports of abuse and humiliation at detainment
facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cuba are distracting the
world from focusing on winning the war on terror. Although the
military chain of command seems to have properly investigated
the role of its personnel and held accountable those in the
wrong, the civilian leadership in this country has failed to do
the same.

Call on Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner to
investigate the Bush Administration's role in prisoner abuse
now!

http://ga4.org/campaign/prisonerabuse

For generations, the United States has been a powerful voice of
moral authority in the world. After World War II, we led the
world in creating the Geneva Conventions and prosecuting war
criminals at Nuremberg, and later became one of the first
nations to ratify the Convention Against Torture. Even today,
Slobodan Milosevic is being tried for war crimes thanks to a
U.S.-led NATO air strike against his brutal campaign of ethnic
cleansing in the Balkans.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has squandered our legacy
of moral leadership.

I need your help to protect the honor of our men and women in
uniform and to set us on the right course to win the war on
terror. Although the President has said the United States is
"committed to the worldwide elimination of torture and we are
leading this fight by example," the Administration's actions
don't match his words. In his infamous memo, Alberto Gonzales
advised President Bush to ignore the Geneva Convention on the
treatment of prisoners of war -- a treaty that protects our
soldiers captured abroad -- to give the president more
"flexibility." This so-called "flexibility" along with other
Administration policies and statements may have ultimately
contributed to the environment in which the abuses at Abu
Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan have occurred.

Among the disturbing practices identified so far: the rendition
of prisoners to countries where they can be tortured, failing to
register "ghost prisoners" to deny them visits by the Red Cross,
employing civilian contract agents to conduct interrogations
outside military rules, and the reported prolonged degrading
treatment of some detainees in U.S. custody. All of these
deserve further investigation.

With the right leadership and accountability, couldn't the
Administration have prevented the embarrassment of Abu Ghraib
and the controversy at Guantanamo Bay? While some are blaming
individual soldiers, doesn't at least some of the responsibility
rest with the civilian leadership of our government? Don't the
American people deserve the truth? Shouldn't Congress lead an
investigation?

Sign my petition to Chairman John Warner now and urge him to
hold hearings on the Bush Administration's statements, policies,
orders, and actions related to prisoner abuse.

http://ga4.org/campaign/prisonerabuse

How can we win the war on terrorism, a fight for democracy and
freedom in America and around the world, if we forsake the very
principles and institutions for which we are fighting?

The laws of war are designed to regulate combat and to protect
non-combatants from the violence and degradation of war. The
conduct of this Administration may ultimately lead to a
green-light for our enemies to torture our soldiers when
captured -- we owe it to our men and women in uniform and their
families to investigate.

American soldiers deserve better than to see our allies pointing
their fingers at Guantanamo Bay and calling it an "American
problem." We are doing their work too -- defeating terror is a
global priority.

People of good conscience cannot afford to stay silent. Please
join me today, and then invite everyone you know to stand with
us.

http://ga4.org/campaign/prisonerabuse

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

[ComerPerro]

1. I like where he is going. Hold the Administration accountable

For some reason, this Administration, in spite of all their "support the troops" mantra, sure don't mind rolling over on them when it comes time to pass the buck.

[blm]

2. Absolutely, Wes!!!! Those chickenhawks at BushInc have no idea what it's

like to be a soldier from a country that permits torture for military prisoners.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. signed. n/t

[atreides1]

4. I'll Sign It

But I don't agree that the troops are totally innocent of participating in torture or in war crimes.

In the case of Fallujah the US military came pretty close to creating the 21st Century version of Lidice. And they will all tell you the same thing, that "they were just following orders".

And don't expect anything out of Warner, he gets his walking papers from the same White House that "Cat Killer" Frist does. Sure, Warner makes the noise, but when it comes down to it, he will point the finger at those few troops who were in the wrong place, and allow the commanders to walk away free, which the Army has already done, with the exception of General Karpinski, but she was only a reservist
and hardly worth the effort of protecting just like most of the other reservists in Iraq.

[Adelante]

6. Thanks for signing

I agree some troops are not innocent. Most are, though, and it's the Bush Administration who is most guilty.

[wicket]

5. kick

:kick:

[Adelante]

7. Wes's blog under attack by Freepers

Twice today. Once after the petition. And then after his Fox response to Bush's speech. The filthy fuckers.

http://www.dembloggers.com/story/2005/6/28/193046/998