Detainee Measure to Have Fewer Restrictions

The Bush administration and Republican House allies agreed to alter new legislation on military commissions, pressing for a description of how the government could detain and try a wider range of foreign nationals than an earlier version of the bill permitted, and to designate civilians as "unlawful enemy combatants." The definition applies to foreigners living inside or outside the United States and does not rule out the possibility of designating a US citizen as an unlawful combatant.

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The United States Of Torture

"The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture," George W. Bush explained in a June 2003 speech , "and we are leading this fight by example." Oh, the irony! At the time, Bush seemed to have a good grasp of the relevant issues. "Freedom from torture," he said, "is an inalienable human right." True. "The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, ratified by the United States and more than 130 other countries since 1984, forbids governments from deliberately inflicting severe physical or mental pain or suffering on those within their custody or control." Also true. And lastly, a straightforward recognition of who the torturers of the world are, and why they do it: "Yet torture continues to be practiced around the world by rogue regimes whose cruel methods match their determination to crush the human spirit."...

continua / continued