Senate lying on tribunals exposed

Ridiculous Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) held naked in hearing

This is a good example of what I was writing about in a post called ``Cardassian justice'' about a week ago.

TOM SULLIVAN (a lawyer representing men held for years in Gitmo w/o evidence): When they started out in these hearings, these [Combatant Status Review Tribunals], they were presumed guilty. There had already been a finding they were enemy combatants. The determination had been made. No witness or evidence was presented by the government. . . .

And then they put in some classified evidence. I've been down to the secure facility. It's a joke. It's a sham.

I've read the classified evidence. I'm not free to disclose it, but I can tell you it's a sham.

There was no lawyer given to the defendants. They didn't speak English, most of them. They were young men who had no training in law. There were no rules of evidence applicable. . . .

No cross-examination was allowed. There wasn't any objection to physical evidence, because there wasn't any produced.

Now, you call that due process, Your Honor? Do you?

This is a historic moment in our time. To suspend the writ of habeas corpus without hearings, rushing it through just before elections, where people are afraid to vote against this bill because somebody on the other side is going to hold up a TV commercial and criticize them for it, is phony.

Cornyn is more full of shit than practically any of the full-of-shit Republican senators. It's a shame and a disgrace, a stain on America, the way these detainees are being handled.

The worst thing that would happen with this bill is that habeas corpus would be denied for the innocent people held by the US. (At least 85% of those held have no evidence against them, except perhaps for a finger pointed at them for bounty). This is so disturbing. I wish a Democrat would stand up against it.