posted on September 15, 2004 02:13:56 PM new
Sep 15, 5:01 PM EDT
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Suggesting the government was acting as if it had something to hide, a federal judge Wednesday gave Washington one month to release records related to the treatment of prisoners in Iraq.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein chastised officials for moving at a "glacial pace" in responding to nearly year-old Freedom of Information Act requests from the American Civil Liberties Union and four other watchdog organizations.
"If the documents are more of an embarrassment than a secret, the public should know of our government's treatment of individuals captured and held abroad," Hellerstein wrote. "We are a nation that strives to value the dignity of all humanity."
The groups brought a lawsuit in June, saying they wanted to expose the treatment of detainees.
Hellerstein said though the government had raised "important issues" of national security as a reason for the delays, "merely raising national security concerns cannot justify unlimited delay."
Megan L. Gaffney, a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors in New York, declined to comment.
Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer, was heartened by the action.
"Increasingly, the administration's response to requests has been to stonewall or delay as long as possible until documents are forced out of them by a court," he said.
Now let's see. Some of the documents will be missing like Bush's national guard papers. I wonder how the information in the documents will fare for Bush in one month. Especially when we are closer to election day.
posted on September 15, 2004 02:49:02 PM new
yeager, It would be nice for all Americans to see these records. Anyone want to bet it will never happen before election day? The liars (chicken hawks) in the White House will stone wall like they always do.
Example, who in the White House made public the name of the undercover C.I.A. agent? Its been months since Bush and Cheney have been covering and stone walling this issue.
About the Iraq war. The facts we do know are over 1000 dead troops, over 7,000 wounded and 200 billion spent with no end in sight.
Bush and Cheney only want us to follow the laws not them.
If you like the Bush Cheney kind of government vote for them again. Remember this other fact about the Bush Cheney government. The rich are getting richer and the middle class and working class are getting poorer.
posted on September 15, 2004 02:58:28 PM new
As I have said before, I have voted the republican ticket most of my life. Bush has allowed me to see differently on many topics.
His administration is a FAILURE!
Bigots are miserable people. Prevent Bigotry through Education.
Prevent Bigotry through Education.