A German citizen who said he was kidnapped by the Central Intelligence Agency and tortured in a prison in Afghanistan lost his last chance to seek redress in court today when the Supreme Court declined to consider his case.
The justices’ refusal to take the case of Khaled el-Masri let stand a March 2 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va. That court upheld a 2006 decision by a federal district judge, who dismissed Mr. Masri’s lawsuit on grounds that trying the case could expose state secrets.
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Mr. Masri contended in his suit that he was seized by local law enforcement officials while vacationing in Macedonia on New Year’s Eve 2003. At the time, he was 41 years old and an unemployed car salesman.
“They asked a lot of questions — if I have relations with Al Qaeda, Al Haramain, the Islamic Brotherhood,” Mr. Masri said in a 2005 interview with The New York Times. “I kept saying no, but they did not believe me.”
After 23 days, he said, he was turned over to C.I.A. operatives, who flew him to a secret C.I.A. prison in Kabul. There, Mr. Masri said, he was kept in a small, filthy cell and shackled, drugged and beaten while being interrogated about his supposed ties to terrorist organizations. At the end of May 2004, Mr. Masri said, he was released in a remote part of Albania without ever having been charged with a crime.
This is outrageous. The blocking of a trial with spurious claims of "state secrets" is, in my opinion, tantamount to an admission of guilt. This crime is even more blatant by the fact that this German citizen was flown to Kabul — an occupied territory of the United States. Does anyone really doubt who's in charge in Afghanistan or Iraq? The crimes of puppet governments are crimes of the puppeteer. It is a further crime that Khaled el-Masri cannot peruse justice in an American court and it is likely that neither those who kidnapped and tortured him nor those that ordered the kidnapping and torture will ever be extradited to stand trial in Germany.
“Good morning, this is Neitherday, live from the madhouse. I spent around 15 minutes, this morning, on the floor in front of the breakfast cart. That doesn't really matter because I'm most likely going to be released today. Yesterday, after my last entry, I was brought back into an office, and it was suggested that I accept a transfer to Whidden hospital, where they have private bathrooms for everyone. Whidden is in Revere and is too far away from those I love. Even if that were not the case, the transfer would have been unacceptable on the basis of principle alone. Immediately following my refusal, I was told by the doc that I might be released tomorrow, which is now today. I guess I'm just too much of a hassle.
And, on the national front, apparently Miers is gone. And while everyone is focusing on abortion and other social issues, Rove is laughing. Abortion is a red herring, gay rights is a red herring. Let's look back at Roberts. Roberts was not, by any means, a strong social conservative. He is, however, very big on restricting civil liberties to fight crime, drugs, terrorism - all the pro-government boogeymen. Miers was a Bush crony, probably having the same pro-government views as Roberts. Again, abortion, gay rights, and such issues were what everyone focused on; the issues everyone was trying to figure out where she stood on. That's exactly what Rove wants people to do. He wants everyone thinking about those issues and those issues alone. He's got most of America fooled. And, that's pretty much where we're at.
They've finally got the people out from the major gathering areas in New Orleans. Finally. There are still many people on roofs and in attics and at various other places around the city, and there are rescue teams looking for the survivors still trapped. It's Sunday. It's good that they've finally gotten people out from the Superdome and convention center, but WTF it's Sunday. It's not enough. The storm hit a week ago. WTF.
This isn't over. Not nearly. It won't be over for a very long time.
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Now Chief Justice Reiquist has died. Almost seems like minor news. Now Bush will be appointing another associate justice to the supreme court and choosing a new chief justice. He doesn't need more fucking power. The shithead himself is on the television right now talking about how the senate needs to speedily confirm whoever he nominates. Yeah, speedily. Like his response to Hurricane Katrina.
Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. worked behind the scenes for a coalition of gay-rights activists, and his legal expertise helped them persuade the Supreme Court to issue a landmark 1996 ruling protecting people against discrimination because of their sexual orientation.
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Roberts did not mention his work on the gay-rights case in his 67-page response to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire released Tuesday.
The committee asked for ''specific instances" in which he had performed pro bono work, how he had fulfilled those responsibilities, and the amount of time he had devoted to them.
But Smith said yesterday that was probably just an oversight because Roberts was not the chief litigator in Romer v. Evans, which struck down a voter-approved 1992 Colorado initiative that would have allowed employers and landlords to exclude gays from jobs and housing.
The United States Supreme Court has just ruled federal authorities have the right to ignore state medical marijuana laws. The Bush administration has been pushing for this anti-state's rights ruling for some time. Funny, I remember when the Republicans were actually pro-state's rights, I gather they're just for state's rights when the states are exercising their rights in a manner that furthers their agenda. Getting points for not being hypocrites are state's rights advocates Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justice Clarence Thomas, who joined with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in dissent of the ruling. I guess it's time to crack down on the sick and dieing.
pissed off
indescribable
chipper