Olbermann: Turley on Obama Use of State Secrets Privilege - 'A Corrosive Corrupting Influence'

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 05:48 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_gjKx81SLY   Posted on YouTube: September 10, 2010 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 182   Posted on DU: September 10, 2010 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 731

 
MSNBC Countdown w/ KEITH OLBERMANN - 9 Sept. 2010. Bush administrations extraordinary rendition policy goes unchecked again. Justice Department invocation of states secret privilege gets case against company who helped CIA transport victims to secret sites abroad to be tortured thrown out of court.

TURLEY: States Secret doctrine born out of a demonstrable government lie. "The problem is that the entire privilege is based on a case called The United States v. Reynolds from 1953, and that case was built on a demonstrable lie; that, at the time, various families that were suing over a B-52 crash in Georgia said that the government was simply lying and hiding evidence by claiming national security. Well, in the year 2000, those documents were, in fact, unsealed and declassified, and the families were right. The government die lie. They did use national security for purely tactical reasons. But the privilege continued. So you had a privilege that was born in abuse and continues that form of abuse. And so what the Supreme Court will do is hard to say because they've avoided this issue for decades. They created what has become a corrosive and corrupting influence in our legal system."

- snip -

"This is more than a pass given to administrations, this is a veritible invitation... what they're saying here is that basically you have victims in plain view, but they are invisible to our legal system. It makes a mockery of our legal system, but it invites abuse. In this case, when we have Attorney General Holder saying 'Oh, we've made these careful efforts to make sure this isn't being overused...' All the countries cited in this claim of privilege, they've actually released documents. These countries have actually acknowledged their role.

The United States invoked privilege to shield this administration and the past administration from embarrassment, from the admission that they are concealing a torture program."

OLBERMANN: "How would we know if this statement is true? 'We're pleased that the court recognized that the policy was used appropriately in this case,' meaning states secret policy. How would we ever know that?"

TURLEY: "Well, that's the problem. That they've created a system that defies judicial review. You had five of these judges that heard this evidence in closed session and decided that this was a mockery that it was actually despotism to make these arguments. What these cases often amount to is an act of collusion by courts. They tend to be very impressed by these secret sessions.

But if you look at the record, it's ridiculous, because the rendition programs are so public that some of the parties like Hayden, Cheney are out there talking about it. But when victims try to get simple judicial review, the courts say, oh, no we couldn't possibly give you relief or review because that would disclose national security secrets. You know, if torture is a national security secret, it should be disclosed.

[JDPriestly]

1. K&R Thanks for posting this.

[EFerrari]

2. I emailed the show and suggested they have Andy Worthington on.

He has this story, cold.

Thanks for posting this, Hissyspit.

[truth2power]

6. Andy Worthington, author of "The Guantanamo Files...

Here's his blog:

http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/

The whole torture issue is one of the biggest problems I have with Pres. Obama. The failure of his administration to bring the Bush criminals to justice and their attempts to hide evidence of torture by using the excuse of "state secrets" is sickening and beyond belief for a so-called civilized nation. Obama should return his Nobel Peace Prize.

Over a year ago Pres. Obama stated, "First, I can say, without exception or equivocation, that the United States will not torture",*** yet his administration fights tooth and nail against any sort of judicial review. What do they have to hide? I don't think it's all about embarrassment.

We're not supposed to call Mr. Obama a liar on this site. Aside from the absurd notion that he would then be the only president in U.S. history who hasn't lied about something or other, policy-wise, how are we to interpret his statement above vis a vis his administration's recent actions?

I think his statement was NOT a lie only in the sense that nearly every utterance that comes out of his mouth has some sort of "hook" attached to it. When you parse it, you find that he didn't really say what you thought he said. IMO that's at the root of much of the rancor on this board about what he did or did not promise during the campaign. He can cleverly seem to be all things to all people.

In regard to his statement, the relevant words are "United States". He didn't say we wouldn't render people to black sites where others will do our dirty work for us. I am becoming weary of this type of non-communication. It makes me feel manipulated.

Pres. Obama should be ashamed of his record on human rights.


edit> ***Link to torture statement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJM7nXHQznA

And thank you, Hissyspit for posting this.

[EFerrari]

7. The Red Cross has reported that we have a black site at Bagram

and Andy has reported that McChystal was farming out prisons to isolated outposts to hide them from the Red Cross. I was an English major but I can still do the basic math here.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Do you think wikileaks has the goods on this one?

[flyarm]

4. I watched this last night and it made me sick all over again..how can we have a Democratic Pres.

and each day I feel sicker and sicker at what he is doing? And for those who support this understand this ..we will not always have a Democratic President! or congress! And you too could someday be subject to these crimes against humanity!

[lumpy]

5. Thanks for the post Hissy. This is really very troubling in that it

almost reflects some sort of fascism.

[mmonk]

8. Recommended.

We must not legal justice, the constitution, and truth become too faded in our rear view mirror as we "move forward".

[TheKentuckian]

9. The entire civil liberties situation is the epitome of a fucking debacle.

It can't be glossed over. There are too many that are quick to toss aside everything worth fighting for to win or in fear of extremist blowback.

Are we even looking at the same laws and fundamental principles with many folks????

Fuck it if it is inconvenient is not an acceptable basis for a society. 75% or better of our states are irretrievable cesspools as well, which means broadly we are structurally compromised.

Private prisons and mercenary armies should have been warning enough, now we have walked through the looking glass, found a rabbit hole, and are digging deeper and deeper.