RIP Tom Durkin

 Fellow Chicago Guantanamo attorney Tom Durkin, died yesterday. Tom was my friend and a legendary defense attorney in Chicago -- even before he took on Guantanamo cases. You can read more about Tom here.

“We’re having a two-tiered system of justice in the federal criminal courts,” Mr. Durkin told a Sun-Times reporter during Daoud’s case in 2014. “We have cases in the war on terror, which we allow secret proceedings in because it’s so sensitive, and then we have our regular old justice system, and I think that’s … very frightening.”

Rest in peace Tom.

MEN IN CAGES

 I hope the American people are more alarmed about the men in cages today than they were in January 2002: a time when my government opened Guantanamo to the men who were randomly picked up in its "war on terror." Those men, who as we later learned were primarily innocent of any crime, were also put in cages- subjected to the elements and with buckets for toilets. 

Camp X-Ray was ultimately closed when the men were moved to a "more sheltered" prison setting (but similarly inhumane). However, if you look at the photos from Wikipedia (at the link) setting up Camp X Ray was eerily similar to the scene at today's Internment Camp being set up in Florida.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) was the umbrella organization for the Guantanamo attorneys. At one point CCR moved to preserve Camp X Ray, so that we here in the U.S. do not forget our inhumanity.

Unfortunately, it seems the trumpers have not forgotten. 

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, these goons are continuing to follow the Guantanamo rule book. One big difference, is that they are now doing this on U.S. soil.  

The only question is, will they get away with this too?

I hope CCR will pick up the mantle and enlist a cadre of attorneys to fight this new battle.

Please donate to CCR NOW.

DC Circuit Court rules against plea deal

 On Friday the federal court of appeals for the district of columbia ruled that the Sec'y of Defense (under Biden) had the authority to scrap the plea deal for the men subject to the military commission and held at Guantanamo (note only 7 of the men currently held at Guantanamo are subject to the military commissions the other 6 men still being held at the base have never been charged with anything!). The deal, which was being negotiated over a period of two years, was for 3 of the men to plead guilty in return for not facing the possibility of a death sentence.  Biden's sec'y of defense Benson, who in theory should have had no say in the deal, tried to cancel it. The military court said Benson had no authority to stop the deal. However, the majority of the Court, in what the dissent called a "stunning" decision, agreed majority that Benson had the authority. It will be interesting to see if the en banc court will take the case.

I discussed the military court's decision here.

Read more about Friday's decision here. 

And on more direct routes from Ireland to the U.S.

 Both of my grandmothers are Irish descendants. My grandmother on my father's side was first generation. Her father fought for Irish independence and fled on the heels of the british. My mother's mother, from all I have gleaned, (long story) was also first generation. This is dedicated to my grandmothers.

THOSE NOT NATIVE BORN ARE IMMIGRANTS

 The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. Both of my grandfathers came to the U.S. from  Canada. My father's father was second generation Canadian after his grandfather came from Ireland to Quebec. i still have family in Quebec. The last song posted here is "Ma Liberte" and sung by a famous Quebecois folk singer. With that song I honor my father's father and that side of the family on their journey to the US from Ireland through Quebec. 

My mother's father's family came to the U.S. on an unknow route from Ireland to Nova Scotia. However, we also know now that my grandfather's roots included roots to Nigeria, Africa. This song is saluted to my Nigerian roots. Of which I am equally proud.

musical interlude

 

The New Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

 "We the billionaires, and our King, in order to deform and sicken our Union, establish injustice, ensure domestic servility, weaken our peoples defenses, undermine our general welfare, and reserve to ourselves and our posterity staggering debt servitude for eternity, do herby instruct the Republicans in Congress to strip 17 million people of their healthcare, increase copays, premiums and deductibles for everyone else, cut 42 million people off of nutritional assistance, increase the national debt by 4 trillion dollars, trash renewable energy systems, increase our electric bills for the carbon kings, all to weaken and destroy the Constitution of the people of these United States of America." 

h/o to congressman Raskin.

Happy 4th of July.

TRUTH Pt. 4 (updated)

 The most dangerous part of this NO LONGER  proposed budget but the actual budget passed by our congress- is not the fact that we will be taking health insurance (and food assistance) away from millions here in this country-- but is the fact that we will officially be turning our country into a police state.  100 Billion dollars is earmarked for ICE. The amount of money being targeted for ICE should make everyone shiver. 

TRUTH Pt. 3

 

My country is as racist as they come and a majority of the voters (who happen to be white) are willing to give up a lot of their freedoms and their health insurance to hurt black and brown people.

TRUTH pt. 2

 The dumbing down of the American people started with Reagan and his cuts to education- with the help of a republican congress.

TRUTH

 

Tomorrow is UN torture awareness day- Give generously to the Guantanamo torture victims...

 

Remember the Guantanamo Survivors     Hello, WAT Community, For the UN Day to Support Victims of Torture -- June 26 -- here are 2 great opportunities:  I.  Sign up for the webinar on Wed June 26 at noon: Guantanamo to CECOT: Abuses by the US Government in the Name of “National Security” II.  Give generously to the Guantanamo Survivors Fund Over the years, we've been amazed at the resilience of Guantanamo survivors as they work to build new lives under challenging circumstances: disabled, stigmatized, and often without documentation in the countries where they have been sent. Their worlds were truly stolen from them.  In June the Guantanamo Survivors Fund raises funds to help ease their struggles.  If you've already donated, thank you!  If you haven't, now is your opportunity to express your solidarity through a generous contribution to GSF, where your entire donation goes directly toward grants.    Donate to GSF   Help GSF raise funds for grants to 4 more Guantanamo survivors by June 26! Donate now!   In peace and solidarity, The WAT Organizing Team   Donate to support our work Please consider a donation to help fund WAT's expenses.  We are completely volunteer-driven and run. We have no paid staff; all of the money you donate goes to funding the work we do together.   Click here to donate to WAT.  WAT centers the men transferred out of Guantanamo through the Guantanamo Survivors Fund (GSF), also volunteer-run. Click here to donate to Guantanamo Survivors Fund. Who we are Witness Against Torture was formed in 2005 when 25 Americans went to Guantánamo Cuba and attempted to visit the detention facility. They then began to organize to shut down Guantánamo, end indefinite detention and torture and call out Islamophobia. We lift up the words of the detainees themselves, bringing them to public spaces they aren't permitted to access. We will carry on our activities until torture is decisively ended, its victims are fully acknowledged, Guantánamo and similar facilities are closed, and those who ordered and committed torture are held to account.   www.witnessagainsttorture.com