Rumsfeld canceled a planned visit to Germany after a US human rights org. asked...

[JoMoDo]

The German Press Agency DPA reports: "US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld canceled a planned visit to Germany after a US human rights organization asked German authorities to prosecute him for war crimes, Rumsfeld has informed the German government via the US embassy that he will not take part in the Munich Security Conference in February, conference head Horst Teltschik told dpa on Thursday.

"The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint in December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office against Rumsfeld accusing him of war crimes and torture in connection with detainee abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison."

Speaking of Rumsfeld, the most alarming part of Sy Hersh's excellent report in last week's New Yorker was not the disclosures about reconnaissance in Iran but analysis of how Rumsfeld has usurped the US intelligence community, shunting aside CIA and in effect creating a military run state. Is this a military coup in slow motion? It feels like it.

And CNN: "The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency has run an intelligence-gathering and support unit since 2002 that has authority to operate clandestinely anywhere in the world in support of anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism missions, a senior defense official says."

 

[KleanKut]

Wow just when i couldnt think that German people couldnt get any worse. First they were stupid for making David Hastlehoff a celebrity, and now they want to charge Rumsfeld for crimes he didnt commit. The peresons responsable (only the lower enlisted of course) were punished or in the process. this is dumb and purly for shock value.

 

[BaSICCally]

Klean Kut- you and I know that if the shit goes down on your watch then your held accountable. Rumsfield should and will be held accountable for the treatment of the prisioners in Cuba and Iraq. This is his watch.

Not to mention the crimes aggainst the Afgans and Irianians in the early 90's.

Ask yourself why the middle east hates Americans, then look research the Afgan/ Russian war and the president of Iran the U.S. Goverment put into power.

And what about the Saudi goverment? Why is the United States spreading democracy, when the Saudi Arabia isn't a democratic nation? Also the Saudi Royal Family has billions and billions of dollars while the rest of the country lives in poverty, a lot of their money is invested in the New York Stock exchange. This is a country that beheads criminals in public squares. This is a ally in the war on terror?

 

[KleanKut]

They arnt commiting acts of genocide or harmig there people. We cant jsut invade countries cuz poor people live there and there are rich people in power. If it were up to me we would execute murderers and rapiests in town squares, and it would be gory and televised. It puts out a message.

 

[m.w.merlino]

@KleanKut -- I think you should do research on the people youre defending before you jump in these kinds of conversations. This is going to be something we look back on and regret, and many people in this country are slowly realizing that.

 

[BaSICCally]

They arnt commiting acts of genocide or harmig there people. We cant jsut invade countries cuz poor people live there and there are rich people in power. If it were up to me we would execute murderers and rapiests in town squares, and it would be gory and televised. It puts out a message.

Cruel punishment doesnt go over to well with the public. I highly doubt you would succed.

Oh yeah the Arabian people were killing the Sudanesse people by the 100's of thousands, where was the United States military?

 

[TOKZTLI]

Rumsfeld is a thug, he is not running away from the conference because of the hippies, he more than likely thinks showing up at the conference will not mean anything. This isn't the first international conference Rummy has ignored.

 

[1/2 On It]

If it were up to me we would execute murderers and rapiests in town squares, and it would be gory and televised. It puts out a message.

One of the few things I agree on that you have posted. People need to stop being pussies and realize that capitol punishment when done swiftly and publicly is the MOST EFFECTIVE crime deterrent...not rehabilitation. Look at any place that enforces this type of punishment... a public display of capitol punishment that is.

In Southeastern parts of Turkey the people have street markets where they sell everything from gold jewelry to fruit to live chickens.. and it is all out in the open... they don't often worry about people stealing. Not even the most valuable things... Why? because people who do steal and get caught are taken to the center of the town square and everyone is made to watch as their hand is chopped off on spot. Now that is probably the best crime deterrent.. publicly displayed capitol punishment, the harsher the more effective. Now you might say "that is awful... the person doesn't even have a trial or anything, they are just assumed guilty and harshly punished on-spot". But thats not the point... the point is deterring crime. Not rehabilitating criminals, not fair hearings... no the point is preventing crime in the first place... and this seems to work a whole lot better than the complex system that we have which fails time and time again.