Larisa Alexandrovna: We just might learn some truth today

[paineinthearse]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larisa-alexandrovna/we-just-might-learn-some-_b_6405.html

We just might learn some truth today

Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.
-Lord Acton

The public demands accountability, as it should, and transparency, as it should, but forgets to participate in making either of those things possible. For several years now, the ACLU has been fighting to have released the documents, photographs and videos, of detainee abuse under our misguided "noble cause."

Today, August 30 - the court will allow the "People" to hear the government's case on why the rape of children, for example - under Project Copper Green - is conducive to winning the war on terror. Perhaps the argument will not be made in those explicit, honest terms, but the substance of the crimes discussed and our need to know about them will be evident even if buried under mounds of legal verbiage.

You Are Here

Part of the hearings will be redacted, but the whole hearing may as well be behind closed doors, given the little interest the public has shown for this case. The "People" are missing from the one moment in which their physical presence is not merely symbolic, but actually and fully active, in making the difference on how the court rules. The moment our country was hijacked into grief and fear on 9/11, the DOD began to conceive of a policy in which torture, rape, and murder would become the tool of choice for the American military-industrial-complex.

We, the "People", do not know how many "un-Americans" and labeled "terrorists" have been tortured, raped, and murdered and how many are still, to this day - at this very moment - being abused by hired contractors and industrial-grade sadists. We don't know who these "detainees" are or for what reasons they are being held. What we do know is beyond inhumane. Imagine the horror of what is buried in the crypts of a decadent government and its destructive power lust. Imagine what we do not know.

more.............

Today

Location:

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
U.S. District Court
500 Pearl Street, Room #910
New York, NY 10007-1312

Resources of Information:

ACLU FOIA - http://www.aclufoiatorture.org/

Source Watch - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Abu_Ghraib

[autorank]

1. Apparently "we can't stand the truth."

There is no good out come for this situaiton. What a total mess!

[teryang]

2. Project Copper Green

What an indictment!

[kansasblue]

3. Larisa Alexandrovna? she's written for Rawstory too, right?

[bananas]

4. and lala_rawraw on DU

There's a good bio linked at the Huffincton Poat article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/contributors/bio.php?nick=larisa-alexandrovna&name=Larisa%20Alexandrovna

[paineinthearse]

5. Stay focused, people

Larisa's piece is hugely important, and DU seems distracted by other events.

In such times I think of John Conyers, "...I for one will not be distracted. We have learned all to well that this Administration can and will manipulate the media to its advantage. However, its absolutely critical that we continue our work...."

[blm]

7. Hard news junkie here...will keep kicked.

.

[paineinthearse]

6. Hitchens: "Prison conditions at Abu Ghraib have improved markedly..."

War to Be Proud Of
From the September 5 / September 12, 2005 issue: The case for overthrowing Saddam was unimpeachable. Why, then, is the administration tongue-tied?
by Christopher Hitchens
09/05/2005, Volume 010, Issue 47

LET ME BEGIN WITH A simple sentence that, even as I write it, appears less than Swiftian in the modesty of its proposal: "Prison conditions at Abu Ghraib have improved markedly and dramatically since the arrival of Coalition troops in Baghdad."

Complete diatribe at http://www.weeklystandard.com/Utilities/printer_preview.asp?idArticle=5995&R=C68B2A43B

Edit: Found this in the EDITORIAL forum - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x151567 - please give it your support.

[lala_rawraw]

8. Okay kids, this is the day...

I am on the phone and hope to have feedback from the court house as this case goes on. I should have a story on this as soon as it happens, whatever "it" is. Those of you in NYC, get your bums over to the court house and represent the people:)

As always, MUAH

[babylonsister]

9. Thanks, as always, lala. We've been waiting a long

time for this; I hope today's the day!

[blm]

11. Working it for you, kiddo.

KICK

[katinmn]

12. Good job, larissa. Will be watching for the word on this.

[democrank]

10. Just clicked on Project Copper Green.

It`s beyond despicable.

[Just Me]

16. To add salt to the wound, these war criminals/human rights violators,...

,...have yet to be held accountable for their despicable and monstrous wrongdoings. :grr:

[blm]

13. Kick.

.

[lala_rawraw]

15. If you can, call C-Span and the MSM outlets and ask them

to cover this hearing... I cannot do this alone:)

[paineinthearse]

22. CSPAN "suggest event" email address

Submit a public event that you think C-SPAN should cover - [e-mail]

Lala, we know from your HuffPo piece the location:
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
U.S. District Court
500 Pearl Street, Room #910
New York, NY 10007-1312

...please keep us informed when court will again be in session.

[blm]

26. Done......

.

[understandinglife]

14. ACLU press release and release of previously redacted documents

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/ACLU_argues_for_release_of_new_Abu_Ghraib_ph_0830.html

The newly released version of a declaration by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, is available online at: www.aclu.org/International/International.cfm?ID=18978&c=36 and www.aclu.org/International/International.cfm?ID=18975&c=36.

The newly released version of a declaration by former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Coordinator for Iraq in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the Department of State Ronald Schlicher declaration is available online at: www.aclu.org/International/International.cfm?ID=18968&c=36.

Peace.

[lala_rawraw]

17. Note this...

"...For instance, General Myers' declaration states that the images at issue concern the "isolated activity by one military unit," and could be used to characterize detainee abuse as being "more widespread than it was." Documents obtained as a result of the ACLU's FOIA request provide overwhelming evidence that the abuse of prisoners was not confined to Abu Ghraib but was widespread and systemic. These documents are available online at www.aclu.org/torturefoia"

[QuettaKid]

18. we can handle the truth!!! KICK.

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

[Nothing Without Hope]

32. So predictable - they're still blaiming those "bad apples," denying any

responsibility from the upper levels. Oh they MUST be held accountable, ALL of them!

[jasmeel]

19. kick!

[MelissaB]

20. For lala_rawraw, Raw Story, and the ACLU

which I joined last night...

:kick:

[bleever]

21. I'll second that, and add my nomination.

:thumbsup:

[mod mom]

23. What has our nation become under these election stealing, war mongering,

torturers? As a nation we must face up to these despicable deeds, and bring to justice all those responsible for this abuse of power. Where is the World Court? All civil nations must demand justice be served.

[paineinthearse]

24. RawStory: ACLU argues for release of new Abu Ghraib photos

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/ACLU_argues_for_release_of_new_Abu_Ghraib_ph_0830.html

ACLU argues for release of new Abu Ghraib photos
RAW STORY


The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union will again appear before a federal judge Tuesday, August 30, to seek the release of Defense Department photographs and videotapes depicting the abuse of prisoners held by the United States at Abu Ghraib, RAW STORY has learned....

#
RUSH RELEASE... MORE DETAILS SOON.... / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE /August 30, 2005

The ACLU today also released previously redacted government documents, including declarations by General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Ronald Schlicher, former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Coordinator for Iraq in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the Department of State, in which they argue that the photographs and videos should not be made public. General Myers also argues that "the democratic idea of public accountability... is misunderstood in other parts of the world."

"Accountability isn't 'misunderstood' by the world, it's misunderstood by the Bush administration and it hasn't happened. That's why the American public has a right to see these images for itself," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. "Instead of hiding evidence of the military's misconduct and failure of leadership from the public, the government should appoint an independent counsel to uncover the full truth about the extent of the abuse and who is responsible."

The hearing, which will be open to the public, will address the government's legal arguments to prevent the public release of images depicting abuse. (Note: the hearing time has been changed to 3 p.m. Eastern. Further details are below.)

....

WHEN: The hearing will be held Tuesday August 30 at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 14D

[lala_rawraw]

25. Coming up, more goodies... for your

Reading pleasure:)

[MelissaB]

27. I'm ready!

:hi:

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. Recommended. We need to be keeping part of our attention on all these

vitally important developments, not just focussed on Katrina's devastation. This is one of a number of important stories that happened to coincide with the hurricane - and it is getting too little attention. We non-Gulf-Coast-Southerners at our computers can do more for this and some other important developments than we can - yet- for the suffering people in LA, MS and AL.

[lala_rawraw]

29. I am trying to keep focus even with one

kidney tied behind my back right now... if this ruling is in favor of the government, then we are no longer safe - given that the FBI has identified peace groups as such, people do not get a court appearance, an attorney, or even a reason for their arrest. they go to ground zero-torture.

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. Is anything known about the judge? Is he/she a Bush appointee or

or there other reasons to fear a biased decision?

(BTW, I still have your prepaid MCI phone card. I'll at least PM you with the PIN number and basic instructions so you and the others at Raw Story can start making calls with it. There are a lot of other bells and whistles, like speed-dialing numbers and instructions for calling overseas - we can arrange to get those to you later. I don't think fax is going to give you enough resolution to read all these instructions.)

edited to add: I've just PMed you with the PIN info and basic instructions for the Raw Story prepaid phone card.

[paineinthearse]

31. Hellerstein, Alvin K.

http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2794

Hellerstein, Alvin K.
Born 1933 in New York, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
U. S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Nominated by William J. Clinton on May 15, 1998, to a seat vacated by Louis L. Stanton; Confirmed by the Senate on October 21, 1998, and received commission on October 22, 1998.

Education:
Columbia College, B.A., 1954

Columbia Law School, J.D., 1956

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Edmund Palmieri, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1956-1957
U.S. Army, JAG Corps, 1957-1960
Private practice, New York City, 1960-1998

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

[lala_rawraw]

33. Yes, all of the 9/11 family filings

Are under him. Also, Tony T Show will have me on to talk about it, was supposed to yesterday but was stuck in ER. Okay, here is link:

http://www.thetonyshow.com/

[lala_rawraw]

34. Here you go, more

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Decorated_veteran_and_lifelong_Republican_says_new__Abu_Ghraib_photos_must_be_0830.html

[paineinthearse]

39. Colonel Pheneger is my kind of Republican!

:patriot: "...Colonel Pheneger is a highly decorated thirty year veteran who has served in various high level military posts throughout his career, including: Commander, U. S. Army Intelligence School, Director of Intelligence, U. S. Special Operations Command; Deputy Director of Intelligence, and has worked with the USSOCOM and USCENTCOM teams providing high level intelligence support. Colonel Pheneger is also a lifelong Republican, who finds the government’s case just another "bending of rules" long since prohibited by the military. He voted for George W. Bush in 2000, and works with the ACLU..."

[Just Me]

44. Great interview and report!!!!

These bastards MUST be held accountable for their egregious and monstrous behavior!!!

[lonestarnot]

35. So what is this suppose to mean? WTF?

[Gregorian]

36. I hope this judge isn't a "fascist".

We'll probably need an independent prosecutor. I guarantee these photos aren't going to see the light of day. But I guarantee the truth will be known. I just don't want it to be like Deep Throat- thirty years later. We need justice NOW.

Hasn't he shown his sympathy for those tortured by his release of documentation of previous cases?

[lala_rawraw]

37. Make yourselves heard, call the shows...

Call the Tony Show:
Randi, etc. Talk about thise issue.

[underpants]

38. *DATA DUMP* warning

NOw would be a really good time huh?

[lala_rawraw]

40. go listen to Tony Show - am talking about this right now

http://www.thetonyshow.com/

[bananas]

41. I missed it!! Is it archived somewhere?

[bananas]

42. dupe

[DemReadingDU]

43. Nominated

[lala_rawraw]

46. On whiterosesociety.org...but was just on Majority Report and

Had to do another topic, so not this story unfortunately.

[blm]

45. One more kick.

.

[lala_rawraw]

47. ACTION ALERT: the judge has not ruled yet...

So write him, call his office, send faxes, make yourselves heard. We have this moment to do it. I beg you!!!!

[Just Me]

49. Um, lala,...

,...having worked in the legal field, I must tell you my belief that contacting a judge is considered inappropriate, and most judges get very peeved by such actions. Just an FYI from my own personal and professional experience.

[lala_rawraw]

50. I have written letters before

Asking the judge to please consider my particular argument in a case involving someone I knew... seems appropriate that we be heard, but if others think this a bad idea, I fully understand.:D

[Just Me]

51. Just sharin',...

,...my own experience as a former law clerk and practitioner. Of course, everyone is entitled to decide their own actions. I'm just trying to be helpful by sharing my own experience.

[lala_rawraw]

53. Thank you:)

[paineinthearse]

54. I've never written to a judge to influence a case

Is this ethically proper?

[KoKo]

55. I don't think so...unless one has an interest in the case as "Friend of

the Court." Judges are supposed to be impartial so writing them to influence a decision would be a "no no." I remember this coming up somewhere on DU way back and someone posted something from a legal site about it. :shrug:

[lala_rawraw]

56. Okay, write to MSM press?

[paineinthearse]

57. Give us a template

100 word summary what this is all about and its importance.

[lala_rawraw]

59. Template to your Congress person

I wrote this very quickly, but you get the idea. Feel free to use. I think it would also be something that could be sent to your local papers as an open letter to your leadership.

-----

Dear :

I am writing to you about the rape war crimes done in my name and without my consent. I have heard the argument that only "the terrorists" are held captive at Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, and other known and "secret" locals around the world.

We do not currently have a definition, a real one, for what a "terrorist" is. The FBI, for example, seems to think peace groups are terrorist organizations - which then would make me, an anti-war advocate, a terrorist under such definitions.

I am asking you if you could define for me, as my representative allowing the abuses at US owned detention camps, what a terrorist is. Is a terrorist a six year old child held at Abu Ghraib? Or is a terrorist the person raping that child in Abu Ghraib? Perhaps a terrorist is the one video taping the rape of that child at Abu Ghraib? Or maybe, a terrorist is the policy maker who thinks that raping children in my name is something I could, would, or ever want to consent to?

Given that you have done nothing to stop this abuse in your capacity as a member of Congress, I can only assume that you must know the exact number of detainees, the crimes they committed, the ages of the detainees, the gender, and so forth.

Above all, as my representative, given that you have taken no action on this matter, I can only assume that you can personally attest to not a single child being held in any of these facilities.

Can you attest to this? Would you be willing to wager your soul on this assertion?

Because as my representative, you have wagered my humanity with your inaction. As my representative you have made me complicit in crimes against humanity, without my consent, using my money.

If you are unwilling to represent basic human decency, then you need not represent me.

I ask you, , to either make a stand against these atrocities by demanding that the documents of detainee abuse be released, so the citizens of this country can see what is being done in their name. Or , you need to resign immediately for your lack of humanity and the cavalier attitude at moral degradation that has allowed our country to become rapists, torturers, and murderers.

I demand, as your constituent and as a citizen of this nation, that you either make a stand on my behalf or you resign. There is no middle ground here.

Sincerely,

[flyarm]

48. thank you lala!!! you were wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Just Me]

52. *kick*

:kick:

[Warren DeMontague]

58. And what an interesting about-face for Judge Hellerstein:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083001632.html

The judge questioned whether he could disregard arguments by Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has warned that releasing the photos would aid al-Qaida recruitment, weaken the Afghan and Iraqi governments and incite riots against U.S. troops.

"How can I ignore the expert opinion of General Myers, who is concerned with the safety of his troops?" the judge asked. "I can't substitute my opinion for the opinion of General Myers."

He said troops in Iraq "face danger every day and don't deserve to have that danger enlarged."

If he rules in favor of the DoD in this case, he will render the FOIA essentially meaningless. Because anything that is "bad enough", the government can cover up. But if it wasn't "bad", we wouldn't need a FOIA, now, would we?

But today's tone was markedly different from the Judge Hellerstein we've seen previously on this same case. Last year, he criticized the Government's "glacial pace" of response.. He's already ordered the release at least once. Strange, isn't it, that he should be so star-struck with Gen. Myers that he's seemingly ready to change his tune?

Well, maybe so.

Hey, maybe the bullshit babble of the Bill O'Reilly's, combined with the psycho-fuck rantings of bloggers like this spooked him:

http://www.residualforces.com/index.php/2005/05/28/310/

(Amazing, in the comments- they talk about the need to suppress the files, yet when others bring up what they are alleged to contain, the responses amount to... "Prove it! Show me the photos!" ... Uh, yeah.)

Maybe the deep wisdom of General Myers really did cause him to reconsider.

Or maybe something, or someone else did. :tinfoilhat:

Who knows. But I'm increasingly of the opinion that the only way those things are going to see the light of day- and as such, the only way we can find out (and get others to see) the bullshit that's been done in our name, is for some soul to leak them... if they're out there.

Sad to say, but the rule of law and gov't accountability increasingly seem to be another casualty of this disaster of an Administration.

Wikipedia on Judge Hellerstein:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Hellerstein

[lonestarnot]

60. Or today maybe?

[lala_rawraw]

61. Okay, my discussion with Tony on this is up at White Rose...

It was really very informative on both sides.

[paineinthearse]

62. Link please?

I looked at http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Trupiano.html but could not find it.

:shrug:

[lala_rawraw]

63. here ya go

Link to WRS's mp3. of the show:
http://server2.whiterosesociety.org/content/trupiano/TrupianoShow-(30-08-2005).mp3

In general, he has good shows and the regulars are a solid line up.

Link to The Tony Show site:
http://www.thetonyshow.com/

[paineinthearse]

64. Is Tony related to Tom Trupiano....

...Red Sox announcer?

[paineinthearse]

65. Mr. *, go Cheney yourself

See Larisa's latest essay in HuffPo at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x151991