US Justice ties abuse of power to the events of September 11, Patriot act, and “persistent fear mongering”

US Justice ties abuse of power to the events of September 11, Patriot act and “persistent fear mongering”

A “longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice” says that “I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time,” calling it “inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful.”

John S. Koppel, US department of Justice:

The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

[…]

In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fear mongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor “politics as usual,” but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate — which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.”

[…]

I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past. But I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of countless thousands of honorable public servants, at Justice and elsewhere, who take their responsibilities seriously and share these views. And some things must be said, whatever the risk.

John S. Koppel has been a civil appellate attorney with the Department of Justice since 1981.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408

Oh boy... I think the dam

Oh boy... I think the damn is crumbling on all sides - The Bush Administration "is in it's last throes." This DoJ scandal will be the Bush Administrations downfall and this should be interesting, to say the least.

Anybody got popcorn?

This is a Powerful and Must-read Statement

John S. Koppel further comments on the Patriot Act:

"The sweeping, judicially unchecked powers granted under the Patriot Act should neither have been created in the first place nor permanently renewed thereafter, and the Act - which also contributed to the ongoing contretemps regarding the replacement of U.S. attorneys, by changing the appointment process to invite political abuse - should be substantially modified, if not scrapped outright. And real, rather than symbolic, responsibility should be assigned for the manifold abuses. The public trust has been flagrantly violated, and meaningful accountability is long overdue. Officials who have brought into disrepute both the Department of Justice and the administration of justice as a whole should finally have to answer for it - and the misdeeds at issue involve not merely garden-variety misconduct, but multiple "high crimes and misdemeanors," including war crimes and crimes against humanity."

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408

“We're an empire now, and when we act we create our own reality."

Hopefully this will have been the final straw.

But I've been telling myself "Don't worry, they'll be impeached any minute now" for about the last 3 years. After Cheney's self-declaration of "THIS man is an island", and Bush's pardon antics... If the country doesn't stand up against these walking bowel-movements now... I don't know. I just don't know.
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"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Buddha
"What you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." - Gandhi
"The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth." - Thomas Paine

U.S. attorney

Does anyone know if Koppel is a Republican? I believe he joined the DOJ in '81.

Americans

have been placed into a deep hypnotic slumber, by the powers that be.
It has been refreshing to have been awakened from the fake grip, placed upon the people, by the persistent fear-mongering.
Many aides have come and gone, but the ringleaders continue to baffle the masses with their slick obfuscations.
Congress appears ready to challenge the bush regime.