Pirate's Cove

The ACLU releases a gently chiding news release regarding a law that Obama just signed

President Obama today signed into law a Homeland Security appropriations bill that grants the Department of Defense (DOD) the authority to continue suppressing photos of prisoner abuse. The amendment, which would allow the DOD to exempt photos from the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), is aimed at photos ordered released by a federal appeals court as part of an American Civil Liberties Union FOIA lawsuit for photos and other records related to detainee abuse in U.S. custody overseas, although it would apply to other photos in government custody as well. Earlier this month, the ACLU sent a letter to Secretary Robert Gates urging him not to exercise the authority to suppress the photos in their case, stating that the photos “are of critical relevance to an ongoing national debate about accountability.”

How, exactly, would the release of any of those photos protect American civil liberties? Personally, I have emailed the ACLU for the answer to that question, and never received more than a form email that says “thank you for writing us. We hate America soldiers and love Islamic wackjobs.”

“We are disappointed that the president has signed a law giving the Defense Department the authority to hide evidence of its own misconduct, and we hope the defense secretary will not take advantage of that authority by suppressing photos related to the abuse of prisoners,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. “Secretary Gates should be guided by the importance of transparency to the democratic process, the extraordinary importance of these photos to the ongoing debate about the treatment of prisoners and the likelihood that the suppression of these photos would ultimately be far more damaging to national security than their disclosure. The last administration’s decision to endorse torture undermined the United States’ moral authority and compromised its security. A failure to fully confront the abuses of the last administration will only compound these harms.”

So, let me see if I have this straight:

1. The ACLU is disappointed. Hmm, were it Bush, they would be “outrage,” but, hey, Barry is just so cute and fuzzy, and then there are all the lollipops and unicorn poots
2. They are asking the Secretary of Defense to ignore the law
3. How is this an on-going debate? The only people who seem to care are the ACLU. Oh, and those Islamic nutjobs who will use the pictures as a reason to saw American heads off.
4. Somehow, not releasing the photos would damage our national security? Only in Liberal World
5. They are asking the Sec of Defense to break the law

Were any of the jihadis Americans? No? Daaaaaaamn! I wonder if the ACLU asked if any of the jihadis liked the treatment. Though, I agree, loud Christian Aguilara music could be considered torture.

“This law allows the administration to transfer prisoners to the U.S. for criminal trials in the federal courts, and the administration should now do exactly that,” said Jaffer. “The military commissions at Guantánamo are not just unlawful but unnecessary. The federal courts are fully capable of prosecuting terrorism suspects while protecting both national security interests and fundamental due process. It’s time to shut down Guantánamo, transfer the military commissions trials to federal courts that uphold the rule of law, and transfer prisoners whom the administration does not intend to charge to countries where they won’t be in danger of being tortured. Indefinite detention without charge or trial undermines the most basic values of justice and fairness.”

Hey, did the MSM let everyone know about this? Not finding it. In essence, the Democrats have taken yet another step to 9/10, where terrorism is solely a law enforcement issue.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU