Gonzales's
Long Record Of Lawlessness
By Mary Shaw
24 April, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales is under intense scrutiny these days over the
firing of eight federal prosecutors, with lawmakers on both sides of
the aisle calling for Gonzales's resignation. Not only does it appear
that the firings were politically motivated (which is illegal), but
Gonzales may have gone so far as to lie about it to Congress.
Prior to this latest scandal,
Gonzales was perhaps most notorious for his semantic gymnastics to justify
the use of torture on detainees in U.S. custody and to protect the torturers
from prosecution for war crimes - moves that paved the way for the abuses
at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and elsewhere.
Later, so that other countries
could do the dirty work for us, Gonzales defended the Bush administration's
policy of extraordinary rendition, which is the practice of sending
prisoners to other countries (most of which are notorious for their
use of torture) for interrogation. Gonzales said that these other countries
promised not to torture the people we turn over to them. Right.
But you don't have to be
a Muslim to get a taste of the Attorney General's war on human rights.
Back in February, Gonzales went before the Senate Judiciary Committee
and tried to justify his warrantless spying on American citizens. It's
apparently too much trouble for Gonzales's team to get the required
court warrant for wiretapping. (Getting one requires that you demonstrate
reasonable cause.)
Now let's go back farther,
to the 1990s, when Gonzalez served as legal counsel to Texas Governor
George W. Bush. According to a statement by the National Coalition to
Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), Gonzales's track record on death
penalty cases in Texas failed to demonstrate a commitment to fairness,
due process, and equal protection under the law. "Time and again,"
reads the statement, "the legal analysis he provided to then-Gov.
George W. Bush on the eve of executions failed to include any discussion
of the most salient issues, including severe mental retardation and
mental illness, abysmally poor legal representation and, in more than
a handful of cases, even credible claims of innocence."
So there you have it: Gonzales
failed to disclose evidence that may have prompted then-Governor Bush
to commute the death penalty for a possibly innocent person.
In short, Gonzales's long-term
track record has proven him to be an eager participant in George W.
Bush's culture of death, disregard for human rights, and disdain for
the rule of law.
The federal prosecutor scandal
resulted in eight lawyers losing their jobs for no good reason. That's
bad enough. But Gonzales's previous transgressions have resulted in
unlawful detentions, torture, and death.
If this latest scandal is
what finally calls Gonzales to accountability, then it's a positive
step towards restoring true justice in the U.S. But we must not lose
sight of Gonzales's other offenses, and he should be held accountable
for all of them.
Gonzales's position is that
of the nation's highest law enforcement official. As such, he was entrusted
with the responsibility of protecting our rights and freedoms, and defending
the Constitution. Instead, he has built a career on finding creative
ways of ignoring or undermining the rules while evading accountability
for himself and for those he served.
It's time to give Mr. Gonzales
a refresher course on U.S. and international law, and the consequences
of breaking them.
Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist.
She currently serves as Philadelphia Area Coordinator for Amnesty International,
and her views on politics, human rights, and social justice issues have
appeared in numerous online forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide.
Unless otherwise noted, the ideas expressed in this article are the
author's own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Amnesty
or any other organization with which she may be associated. E-mail:
[email protected]
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