Various of interest links from 2007

I collected quite a few links in early 2007, which I never commented on or posted. Here is a selection from January and February.

-Military Commissions Act of 2006 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is the law that sets up military tribunals - the sort of secret military courts the U.S. usually mocks other countries for having - and makes a strange, broad definition of who can be imprisoned without rights indefinitely (which can mean forever). This article quotes Senator Leahy:

Passing laws that remove the few checks against mistreatment of prisoners will not help us win the battle for the hearts and minds of the generation of young people around the world being recruited by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. Authorizing indefinite detention of anybody the Government designates, without any proceeding and without any recourse—is what our worst critics claim the United States would do, not what American values, traditions and our rule of law would have us do.

-Citizens' Hearing on the Legality of U.S. Actions in Iraq:
January 20-21, 2007
Tacoma, Washington, USA.

This was an interesting concept, akin to many traditional community meetings held around the world as a sort of community court.

The Citizens' Hearing will function as a tribunal to put the Iraq War on trial, in response to the Army putting Lt. Watada on trial as the first U.S. military officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.

The hearing will present the case that Lt. Watada would, if allowed, make at his court martial. His defense attorneys maintain that the war on Iraq is illegal under international treaties and under Article Six of the U.S. Constitution. Further, Lt. Watada's defense argues that the Nuremberg Principles and U.S. military regulations require soldiers to follow only 'lawful orders.' In Lt. Watada's view, deployment to Iraq would have made him party to the crimes that permeate the structure and conduct of military operations there.

-BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Guantanamo protests (news.bbc.co.uk, 01/11/2007). Photographs of protests from around the world against the U.S.' prison for alleged terrorists, for which no adequate judicial or review system is in place.

-BBC NEWS | Americas | Mass US protest against Iraq war (news.bbc.co.uk, 01/27/2007):

The Democrats took control of both Houses in November's mid-term election, sparking Mr Bush's decision to form a new strategy for Iraq.

But our correspondent says Congress has so far balked at using the power of funding and only a handful of staunch anti-war Congressmen were present at the rally.

Although nearly all Democrats and a growing numbers of Republicans oppose the president's plans, he says, senators have not been able to agree yet on a single non-binding resolution expressing their concerns.

-BBC NEWS | Middle East | Quick guide: Violence in Iraq (this is an older report, from 11/23/06):

An estimate by US scientists in October 2006 suggested that about 655,000 civilians had been killed since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Western human rights campaigners give much lower figures - between 42,000 and 47,000 civilians - but point out many deaths probably go unreported.

About 3,000 coalition troops - more than 2,800 of them Americans - have died in Iraq in the same period.

The monthly Iraqi death toll hit a record high in October 2006, with more than 3,700 people losing their lives, according to a UN report.

-David Ignatius - Expect The Worst In Iraq - washingtonpost.com (02/07/2007): I selected this item because it's one of those interesting opinion pieces that comes right out and says that there are no good courses of actions... and that we should be selfish. Many other opinions are not quite as honest about our self-serving priorities. Selection:

In this bleak situation -- where, as everyone keeps repeating, "there are no good options" -- what's the right course for U.S. policy? A useful approach may be to start planning, not for the best but for the worst. Congress and the administration should begin thinking about potential catastrophes in Iraq -- and about how to protect the core national interests of the United States and its allies.

At least he's open. He also has a section called "Protect the oil." And yes, it comes before the part about protecting Iraqi civilians. Just so you know that I don't only quote people who are consistently humanitarian in their concerns. There are plenty who aren't.