War on Terrorism

Partners in Abuse

This entry was posted in ashcroft Constitution Democracy Iraq Judiciary Libertarianism War on Terrorism on by

Britsh home secretary david blunkett apparently drinks from the same cup as US attorney general john ashcroft. blunkett is proposing changes to British law that fly in the face of individual rights:

The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 allows foreigners who are suspected international terrorists to be detained indefinitely without charge or trial in the event their lives would be in danger if they were deported.
…….
Mr Blunkett wants to extend this so prosecutors can take action against suspected British extremists even though the evidence may not be strong enough to win a conviction under existing laws.
This may mean lowering the burden of proof in such cases from “beyond reasonable doubt” to what is acceptable in civil cases, “the balance of probabilities”
…..
Evidence in the new trials would be kept secret from the defendants …
…..
We have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed, rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it’s too late.
This may mean lowering the burden of proof in such cases from “beyond reasonable doubt” to what is acceptable in civil cases, “the balance of probabilities”.

None of this is acceptable under any circumstances whether applied to citizens or non-citizens.
When dealing with someones life or when justifying war “beyond a reasonable doubt” needs to be a minimum standard.
Via David Carr at Samizdata.

Uhhh, when will the bs stop?

This entry was posted in bush Democracy Iraq US Foreign Policy US Politics War on Terrorism on by

From the Guardian:

Intelligence sources, policy makers and weapons inspectors familiar with the details of the hunt for WMD told The Observer it was widely known that Iraq had no WMD within three weeks of Baghdad falling, despite the assertions of senior Bush administration figures and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

As Jim Henley notes:

The official hawks, like bad dope dealers, got too fond of their own product. They wanted it to be true and convinced themselves of their desires.

Most of us have been taught that honesty is a good thing and will bring good results in life. The republicans still have time to nominate a candidate who has learned this lesson.

History according to w

This entry was posted in bush Iraq US Foreign Policy War on Terrorism on by

Both Tim Dunlop and Atrios point to this article (click through the free pass) where Joe Conason talks about w’s apparent confusion about Iraq inspections:

The president was fantasizing again this afternoon about the circumstances that led to war — and if his remarks at his press conference with the Polish president are to be taken seriously, he also seems badly confused about his Iraqi timeline.

Surely no one who has listened to bush for the last 3 years is surprised when he says stuff like this. He might even really believe he is telling the truth….