The Right State

You would think that by now, Amnesty International would have stepped into the fray and said something about the behavior of the terrorists in Iraq.  Nope!  Up to this point these purported do-gooders have only criticized the US for their actions in Iraq.  With the news of the torture of two US soldiers in Iraq, AI has finally come out against the terrorists, sort of.  Amnesty International’s Larry Cox released this to the press:

Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA’s executive director, made the following statement in response to the alleged killing and torture of two U.S. soldiers in Ramadi, Iraq:

“Amnesty International, first and foremost, extends its sincerest condolences to the families of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker for their tragic loss. We are deeply disturbed by reports that these two soldiers were brutally tortured. These reports, if proven true, may rise to the level of war crimes.

Amnesty International condemns the torture or summary killing of anyone who has been taken prisoner and reiterates that such acts are absolutely prohibited in international humanitarian law. This prohibition applies at all times, even during armed conflict. There is no honor or heroism in torturing or killing individuals. Those who order or commit such atrocities must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law without recourse to the death penalty.

Amnesty International again calls on armed groups in Iraq to immediately cease all executions, torture or ill-treatment of people. Armed groups, like other parties to the conflict in Iraq, are required to comply strictly with international law and remain accountable for their actions.” (emphasis added by TRS)

“…may rise to the level of war crimes…”  Even when AI comes out against those who tortured these two soldiers, they are hedging their bets.  Why can’t Cox just call torture a war crime?   According to reports, the bodies of these two soldiers had been so messed up that DNA testing had to be conducted to verify the identity if the two bodies found were those of the missing soldiers.

Maybe Amnesty International can not call the torture of these two soldiers a war crime because doing so would put him on the side of the US, and he can’t let that happen.  How else can you explain Amnesty International turning a blind eye towards the killing of innocent men, women, and children in Iraq by these terrorists?  If Cox’s bunch does not say anything about the terrorist strike in a senior citizen’s home, I would really have to question their sincerity.

Violence across Iraq Tuesday killed at least 11 people and wounded 60, including two dead and two injured when a suicide bomb exploded inside a senior citizens home in Basra, police said.

The bomb apparently was strapped to someone who walked inside the home for elderly Iraqi women in the morning and detonated it, police in the southern city said.

When is Amnesty International going to learn, the terrorists are the bad guys, not the US. They are the ones who intentionally target innocents.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin

Tags: Heroes, Culture, Iraq, War by Chuck
8 Comments »

It seems the people of Arizona learned the hard lessons the people of Louisiana learned during Hurricane Katrina. During the Hurricane and afterwards, the police confiscated the weapons of law abiding citizens who only crime was wanting to protect themselves. Now it seems Arizona wants to avoid what occurred in New Orleans, even though Governor Napolitano does not think such a vote is necessary.

Arizona voters may get a chance to do something that Gov. Janet Napolitano would not: limit her power to take away their guns or limit their rights to carry guns during an emergency.

On a 4-2 party-line vote, the Republican-controlled Senate Government Committee approved a measure Tuesday that would legally bar any governor from using a state of emergency to place new restrictions on the possession, transfer, sales, carrying, storage, display or use of firearms or ammunition. The bill also would remove any ability to commandeer and use weapons or ammunition during any state of war.

It now goes to the full Senate. If it passes there, and also gains House approval, it goes on the November ballot, bypassing Napolitano.

The proposal is a carbon copy of legislation approved earlier this year but vetoed, with the governor calling it both unnecessary and overly restrictive.

This is where the governor of Arizona starts talking out of both sides of her mouth.

On one hand, Napolitano said she has no intent of ever taking away someone’s firearms, even during an emergency. But the governor said she fears new restrictions might be overly broad, potentially preventing her from ordering live ammunition removed from the path of a fire.

If she has no plans on taking people’s weapons, then why is she against the bill. At least now, providing the state Senate approves the measure, the people of Arizona will have the chance to take matters into their own hands. Something that was denied the good people of New Orleans.

Hat tip:  Newsalert

Tags: Corruption, Politics by Chuck
No Comments »