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March 21, 2009

Merkley supports Special Prosecutor

Senator Jeff Merkley held a townhall meeting in Eugene this morning.
Obviously the situation with AIG was a hot topic. What to do about the outrageous bonuses paid to the very people who helped get us (and AIG) INTO this economic mess.

Art Combs, a local activist asked about the possibility of fraud prosecutions of some of the people involved in bundling what they knew (or SHOULD have known) were toxic sub-prime mortgages and using their triple A rating to convince brokers to buy into them.

Jeff agreed it is a situation worth looking into, but pointed out that most of the activity that precipitated the financial collapse was LEGAL at the time. All the more reason why we must amend the law and re-institute safeguards and oversight provisions.

Towards the end of the townhall he called on me and asked what issue had prompted me to attend.

I came here this morning to address the issue of "The Rule of Law".
It has always seemed to me that the rule of law is a lot like pregnancy. You can't be "just a little bit" pregnant. You either are or you aren't. The same with the rule of law; you either support it or you don't. There's no "half-way".

So my question is; considering PUBLIC statements made by former President Bush that he authorized "enhanced interogation techniques" and the recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (who the Geneva Conventions explicitly recognize as the ultimate authority on whether or not treatment of prisoners qualifies as "torture") that the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo and elsewhere DID constitute torture, would you support the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate criminal wrong-doing, including war crimes, of the Bush-Cheney Administration.

To which, Jeff replied: "Yes, I would."
He went on to point out that if ANY administration engaged in criminal actions and stone-walled Congress and the Courts from exercising oversight and holding them to account, untill they were no longer in office, and were allowed to "get away with it" that would virtually ASSURE that some other administration in the future would do the same.
Although he understands the O'Bama Administration's desire to focus on the future (and the "politically radioactive" nature of war crimes prosecutions) we cannot close our eyes to the past and still consider ourselves a just society.

I'm glad I attended the townhall.
And I'm glad I supported Jeff Merkley for the U.S. Senate.

Posted by Mac at March 21, 2009 01:04 PM