My fellow blogger Vern Nelson invited me to attend “a vital forum at Goldenwest College featuring distinguished Constitutional law experts Marjorie Cohn and Stephen Rohde (pictured above).” So my daughter and I drove over there tonight to check out the proceedings.
There were over 150 people there from students to seniors and the crowd was fairly diverse. Cohn proved to be a great speaker. Rohde was pretty good too, but he was somewhat hammy whereas Cohn stuck to the facts, which were compelling.
Rohde was the first speaker, at least as far as I know as I was a bit late. Both Rohde and Cohn were not very happy with a Bush lawyer named John Yoo who apparently came up with some crazy reasoning to allow torture of U.S. prisoners of war. Rohde in fact compared Yoo to Hitler’s lawyer, who apparently was found guilty after World War II and indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Rohde was very tough on the Democrats on Congress. The audience erupted when he blasted Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers for not impeaching Bush. Impeachment aside, he has a point. The Democrats in Congress have done nothing to stop Bush and his lame war.
Rohde also slammed Bush for violating the Constitution and lying to the people. As one might imagine, that too got a rise out of the audience.
Cohn apparently has published a book outlining six ways that Bush has broken the law. She said she could have listed more than six ways but the book would have been too heavy to carry around. That got a few chuckles.
Cohn spoke about how Bush and Cheney and company lied about WMDs over 900 times after 9/11. She was particularly mad because apparently Bush has violated a number of U.N. treaties previously ratified by the U.S. government, which she says means we have to obey them. I had never heard that before.
Cohn made some interesting allegations about why we invaded Iraq. She asserted that we did so in order to promote U.S. corporations, in so many words. She said that some oil law that is pending in Iraq will hand over 2/3 control of Iraqi oil fields to U.S. companies, which apparently is being opposed by Iraq oil unions. She also said that Bush is negotiating to establish a permanent military presence in Iraq and that he will be pushing for business opportunities for U.S. corporations.
Cohn also blasted Senator John McCain for voting against restricting torture, which she felt was quite a reversal for him, particularly since he himself was tortured by the Vietnamese.
Cohn closed her comments by admitting that it is probably too late to impeach Bush, but “these people should be prosecuted for war crimes.” The audience erupted as she uttered those words. Then she added, “These people should be in jail,” which merited an ovation by many of those in attendance.
I left as the questions and answers were starting up. It was an interesting experience and I am glad Vern invited me. I learned a lot about the war and about the many screw-ups of President George W. Bush. I wonder why Pelosi and the other Democrats in Congress have not done more to stop the war?
Well, for one thing the democrats don’t have a veto proof majority and for another we have a corporate press who refuse to cover [ in any meaningful way ] major stories that would normally rile up average Americans [how much coverage did the Yoo story get ?] who would then call their congressperson and demand action.
By “these people” Did she mean the entire executive branch and the entire legislative branch of the US government should be prosecuted ?
I’m sorry I couldn’t make it tonight. I’ll be going to the HB council meeting Monday night instead.
Anywho, Vern went to great lengths to stress that the forum wasn’t supposed to be about Bush. I guess they lied. lol
SMS
In 50 years or less Bill Clinton will be remembered for that blue stained Gap dress and President Bush will be remembered for fighting the bad guys after 9-11. All the rest of these “debates” will be long forgotten. Makes for fun blogging now though I admit.
#4 In your dreams! Iraq is going down as the worst strategic blunder this country has ever made. You and Bush may fantasize about this debacle miraculously turning around but that is all it is, a fantasy. You don’t get away with recklessly and unnecessarily attacking and destroying another country and then expect history to treat you kindly. Millions of people have been killed, wounded, displaced or otherwise have had their lives ruined as a consequence of OUR actions. For you to EVEN indulge in this fantasy, is proof of how totally ignorant and immoral you and those like you, are.
4. ROFL. I mean ROFLMAO. What’s that thing that happens where you’re rolling around on the floor, and you’re also laughing, and then your ass comes off. Sort of detaches. That thing. Whatever.
Art, thanks for coming Juice brother! Cook, don’t be silly, the two speakers expressed severe disappointment and outrage especially with Pelosi and John Conyers, but the folks guilty of war crimes are Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, etc; the real drivers and deceivers of this low point in our history.
Juice sister Sarah! Yeah, the last I had heard, the League of Women Voters had a rule that Bush and Cheney couldn’t be mentioned in order to keep it non-partisan, but apparently that got changed, or the speakers refused. It was like watching Jim Morrisson spitting out on the Ed Sullivan show (after he promised he wouldn’t) GIRL WE COUDLN’T GET MUCH HIGHER!
Don’t forget we got a date tomorrow in HB Sarah! Some theocrats to put the kibbitz on! (5 post alert later today)