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US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

bbc.com

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Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#81

Post by walkabout »

wonderwonder wrote: post #60

Lots of people seem to think Trump is some sort of king or going outside the law. Fact is he was democratically elected and working within the system of checks and balances established by our founders. Congress can stop him from doing things but the democratically elected congress allows him to continue. So they agree with his actions and are doing their job. Checked and balanced. The courts can stop him and indeed h…

It’s not exactly working when the executive seizes two core powers of Congress (taxation and spending) and gets away with it for, so far, most of a year, with no end in sight.

There’s a difference between disagreement over reasonable interpretations and some of a handful of key passages in the country’s highest law simply being ignored, for months on end (this aside from entirely unambiguous ordinary laws being ignored left and right, like e.g. firing all the inspectors general without the required notice period). That’s not “democracy working”, it’s rule of law, and democracy, breaking. Democracies are routinely ended by people who were elected, the fact that people won elections doesn’t mean that the results are functioning democracy.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#82

Post by wackget »

nerdponx wrote: post #39
duxup wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

At least I get to feel vindicated. Many many people, including me, have long asserted that the so-called "conservatives" in the Supreme Court are anything but. Historically their decisions have appealed to a certain kind of conservative political base, but the pretense is really starting to wear thin. Limiting the power of the executive branch in general was never the goal, it was only to limit the power of president…

They are not conservatives. They are selfservatives.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#83

Post by [deleted] »

docdeek wrote: post #64

This seems like a bad decision to me. Not only does it seem not to be in the spirit of the law (you can still report but not as easily now) but it's not clear why they shut it down at all. Cost? Inefficiency? Just wasn't getting used much? They have a better solution? On the other hand, the US seems so partisan now that had the current administration told the world they were taking huma' rights abuse reporting seriou…

[deleted]

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#84

Post by selectodude »

wonderwonder wrote: post #70
actionfromafar wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Every check and balance is working its just not making decisions the left agrees with. This is indeed what democracy looks like though. Mid terms are coming up and the people will once again have a chance to voice their opinion. The Republican Party acts like the midterms don't matter at all . Approval is plummeting, representatives ignore townhalls like the plague.

Which is awesome for the dems then correct? Reps will lose seats and then the Dems will have the house and enforce whatever checks and balances they choose. If the reps win then the people have spoken and current actions continue.

I think the more obvious possibility is far more sinister.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#85

Post by actionfromafar »

nerdponx wrote: post #50
ssully wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not odd though. This administration has been very clear that they think things like rules of engagement or caring about collateral damage are bullshit. On a weekly basis now, they are blowing up civilian boats without any evidence wrong doing. Even if they had evidence, it still wouldn’t warrant using hellfire missiles on civilian ships, especially when the U.S. navy or coastguard is more than capable of interce…

My guess is that it's part of the whole "department of war" rebranding. War is hell, toughen up! And someone out there is cheering for this, I'm sure.

Not just out there. Right here, plenty.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#86

Post by watwut »

nerdponx wrote: post #39
duxup wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

At least I get to feel vindicated. Many many people, including me, have long asserted that the so-called "conservatives" in the Supreme Court are anything but. Historically their decisions have appealed to a certain kind of conservative political base, but the pretense is really starting to wear thin. Limiting the power of the executive branch in general was never the goal, it was only to limit the power of president…

> have long asserted that the so-called "conservatives" in the Supreme Court are anything but

They are conservatives and push for conservative agenda. Conservatives wanted them on the court so that they can make decisions like this.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#88

Post by throw0101c »

Joeri wrote: post #80
mikeyouse wrote: post #5

> Tim Rieser, former senior aide to Senator Leahy who wrote the 2011 amendment mandating information gathering, told the BBC the gateway's removal meant the State Department was "clearly ignoring the law". We're in a really bad place... with a servile congress, it turns out there aren't really any laws constraining the executive branch. When everything relies on "independent IGs" for law enforcement inside executive…

When a different side takes control of the justice department they may choose to go after all those who broke the law by order of this president. The president might be protected from consequences according to the supreme court, but those answering to the president are not. This administration has set the standard that the justice department can be weaponized against political enemies. The ratchet only goes one way i…

> The president might be protected from consequences according to the supreme court, but those answering to the president are not.

Unless they are granted a blanket pardon beforehand.

Then all you can really do is an "audit" for who did what, from which no charges can be laid.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#89

Post by i80and »

wonderwonder wrote: post #60

Lots of people seem to think Trump is some sort of king or going outside the law. Fact is he was democratically elected and working within the system of checks and balances established by our founders. Congress can stop him from doing things but the democratically elected congress allows him to continue. So they agree with his actions and are doing their job. Checked and balanced. The courts can stop him and indeed h…

A functioning democratic republic is not, in fact, predicated on voting every couple years and shutting up in between elections.

Additionally, checks and balances abdicating their duties to uphold laws does not mean that no laws are being broken and all is well: it's a symptom of the system as a whole grinding itself apart under the internal contradictions.

Re: US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

#90

Post by cheema33 »

selectodude wrote: post #75
skizm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it turns out there aren't really any laws constraining the executive branch There are plenty of laws being ignored. Tariffs being the most obvious.

Congress should get around to impeaching and convicting the president then!

> Congress should get around to impeaching and convicting the president then!

I hope you know that Congress has abdicated all of their responsibilities to the president. I don't know if the founders ever saw this coming.

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