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Jim Henley on the McCain Torture Act, just passed by the US Congress:
In many ways the military commissions bill is designed as a Get Out of Jail Free card as much as a plan for the future. It’s designed to indemnify government officials and employees against criminal prosecution in US courts for acts they’ve already committed, ordered or approved. And that’s all well and good for escaping prosecution in the US courts. But British officials have to answer to British and European Union law. The Hague is not going to care that the US Congress decided to arbitrarily define away much of settled international law on the treatment of prisoners. I’ve already suggested that this trap still waits [for] American officials once some foreign court wants to spring it, but for officials in other countries it’s a more pressing worry.
A previous post on computer geeks riffing on Jackson Pollock has been revised, with various editorial changes and the addition of a more Pollocklike Pollock image from jacksonpollock.org.
