Letters, 12/23/12

In reply to “Why This Fight,” by Justin Raimondo, 12/21/12:

I don’t really care which career politician gets the job. Anyone in government is responsible for the continuation of policies injurious in nature to the world — which is bad enough — but they are also injurious to the American people, who must foot the bill for their own injury.

The fix won’t come from inside Washington — not ever. When has any system ever fixed itself? Can’t happen. The concept is akin to perpetutal motion — input is forever less than output.

I hate to say rebellion or revolution on a equivalent scale to, say, Egypt, is the last remaining option. So how about iceland? Citizens got in the streets, caused their government to resign, imprisoned bankers, nationalized the banks. Remember the beginning? Icelanders voted down the bailouts; government [read: lackeys for the banks] didn’t like it so tried again; declared a second vote was needed — got the same result. After that it was off with their heads. A new constitution with more people power was enacted.
We have a model. We should use it.

Lawrence Fitton

In reply to “Gitmo Judge Bans Any Mention of Defendants’ Detention, Torture,” by John Glaser, 12/12/12:

Surely this legal scalawag, this “judge,” has a name so that the world and posterity may know who acted as the official mouthpiece in this seriously Magnitskesque moment. Name and shame him please! Perhaps the Russians can then take sanctions against him.

Robert Harneis

editor’s note: The article identifies the judge as US Army Col. James Pohl, but this letter was an excuse to name him AGAIN – TLK

In reply to “Egypt’s Mursi Declares He’s Above the Law,” by Jason Ditz, 11/22/12:

What Mursi actually said was: All constitutional declarations, laws and decrees made since [he] assumed power on 30 June 2012 cannot be appealed or canceled by any individual, or political or governmental body until a new constitution has been ratified and a new parliament has been elected. All pending lawsuits against them are void.

Please note that all the high posts of the Egyptian judiciary are stuffed with crony capitalists of the Mubarak era, allowing all court cases against wrongdoers whether politicians who are murderers or politicians who are thieves to end in acquittals. There have been NO serious convictions of ANYBODY including Mubarak since the revolution!

I have personal experience of having a Mubarak-era crony get away with my commercial assets despite my pursuing a 5-year court case against him, simply through his bribing of the judges.

So if a very great number of top judges in Egypt are corrupt and are fighting tooth and nail to protect their ill-gotten gains, what do you do?

Dr. Omar Kassem