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The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers! How Cops Extort Confessions;
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The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers!
How Cops Extort Confessions;
How the U.S. “Justice System” Really WorksNinety-two per cent of felony convictions in the U.S. are obtained by plea bargains or confessions. Without them the “justice system” would grind to a halt. In an important piece in our latest newsletter, available only to subscribers, Emily Horowitz shows how totally innocent people will “confess” under police pressure, even without physical torture. Horowitz outlines the powerful case for banning confessions altogether. Also in this new edition Marcus Rediker, co-author of the legendary The Many Headed Hydra, writes of popular heroism and resistance in the favelas of Medellin, Colombia. Alexander Cockburn reports on how America’s oldest bank, patronized by the global elites, washed billions smuggled out of Russia, and how the Russians might win their money back, shaking the world’s banking system if they do so. Serge Halimi describes the real battle for the soul of Europe. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great presents.
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Today's Stories August 9 / 10, 2008 Robert Fantina August 8, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Manuel Garcia, Jr. M. Shahid Alam Andy Worthington Lawrence J. Korb David Model Alan Farago Diop Olugbala Firmin DeBrabander Website of the Day August 7, 2008 Dr. Trudy Bond William Blum Paul Craig Roberts Ralph Nader Robert Weitzel Jacob G. Hornberger Binoy Kampmark David Macaray Howard Lisnoff Website of the Day August 6, 2008 Marc Herold Greg Moses Sheldon Rampton Kevin Young Michael Estrada Robert Weissman Dr. Susan Block Cindy Sheehan Ronald Hoffman Website of the Day August 5, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Jeff Halper Patrick Cockburn Nancy Welch Peter Morici Sousan Hammad Eamon Martin Shepherd Bliss Tim Matson Website of the Day August 4, 2008 Uri Avnery Saul Landau David W. Remington Rev. Jesse Jackson Dave Lindorff Peter Morici Joanne Mariner Ramzy Baroud Christian Wright Website of the Day August 2 / 3, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patrick Cockburn Winslow T. Wheeler James Abourezk Andy Worthington Brian Cloughley Robert Fantina Benjamin Dangl Marlene Martin David Yearsley Fatemeh Keshavarz David Michael Green Obama as Dukakis Harvey Wasserman Jason Hribal Phyllis Pollack Laray Polk Ron Jacobs David Macaray David Rosen Dan Bacher Joe Allen Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend August 1, 2008 Jonathan Cook Nikolas Kozloff Rannie Amiri Peter Morici Christopher Brauchli M. K. Bhadrakumar Patrick Cockburn James J. Brittain Dan Bacher Website of the Day
July 31, 2008 Michael Hudson Carl Finamore Mike Whitney Joshua Frank Andy Worthington Ralph Nader Bill Moyers / Robert Weissman Dave Lindorff Website of the Day July 30, 2008 Brian M. Downing Chuck Spinney William S. Lind David Ker Thomson Karl Grossman Mike Whitney Martha Rosenberg James Murren Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Website of the Day July 29, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair John Ross Peter Morici Alison Weir Gary Leupp David Macaray Brenda Norrell Marjorie Cohn Eric Ruder Website of the Day July 28, 2008 Dr. Bryant Welch Kathy Kelly Mike Whitney Peter Morici Christopher Brauchli Clifton Ross Stephen Lendman Website of the Day July 26 / 27, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair James G. Abourezk Joseph Nevins Uri Avnery Linn Washington, Jr. David Yearsley Binoy Kampmark Saul Landau Joshua Frank Brendan Cooney Jonathan Cook Robert Fantina Lee Sustar Michael Winship David Macaray Missy Beattie Robert Weissman Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend July 25, 2008 Harvey Wasserman Paul Craig Roberts Alan Farago Paul D'Amato Gary Leupp Niranjan Ramakrishnan Mike Whitney Paul Krassner Mike Roselle Website of the Day July 24, 2008 Greg Moses Andy Worthington James Bovard Joe Bageant George Wuerthner DC Larson William Willers David Macaray Website of the Day July 23, 2008 Winslow T. Wheeler Paul Craig Roberts Ralph Nader Mike Whitney Susie Day Website of the Day July 22, 2008 Nikolas Kozloff Patrick Cockburn Soldz, Olson, Reisner Arrigo and Welch Moshe Adler Martha Rosenberg Dan Bacher Harvey Wasserman Anthony Papa Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day July 21, 2008 Ishmael Reed Mike Whitney Andy Worthington Scott Pellegrino John Ross Robert Weitzel Mike Stark Website of the Day July 19 / 20, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Dave Lindorff Saul Landau Ron Jacobs Uri Avnery Neve Gordon Roane Carey Robert Fantina Christopher Brauchli Fred Gardner David Macaray Richard L. Hutto Bill Moyers / Ronnie Cummins David Yearsley Alison McKenna Wajahat Ali Poets' Basement Website of the Day July 18, 2008 Corey D. B. Walker Mike Whitney Robert Bryce Mike Roselle Bouthaina Shaaban Eve Spangler Website of the Day
July 17, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts James G. Abourezk Ralph Nader Allan J. Lichtman Andy Worthington"Screwed Up" and"Abused": Omar Khadr's Interrogations at Gitmo Ronnie Cummins
July 16, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair Paul Craig Roberts Conn Hallinan Dave Lindorff William S. Lind Christopher Brauchli Website of the Day
July 15, 2008 Michael Hudson Brian Cloughley Patrick Cockburn John Ross Howard Lisnoff Website of the Day July 14, 2008 Uri Avnery Paul Craig Roberts Trish Schuh Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Alan Farago Seth Sandronsky Phyllis Pollack Website of the Day July 12 / 13, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair James Abourezk Nicole Colson Stan Cox Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Wajahat Ali / John Stauber Alan Farago Missy Beattie Robert Fantina Rannie Amiri Gregory Kafoury Fran Shor Martha Rosenberg David Macaray Andrew Wimmer Ron Jacobs Farzana Versey Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend July 11, 2008 Kevin Alexander Gray Sasan Fayazmanesh Peter Morici Mike Whitney Manuel Garcia, Jr. Robert Weissman Ramzy Baroud Kelly Overton Adrian Burgos Website of the Day July 10, 2008 Brian McKenna Paul Craig Roberts Saul Landau Ron Jacobs Joshua Frank Peter Morici Alan Maass Robert Weissman William Blum Alan Farago Website of the Day July 9, 2008 Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Luis Rodriguez Sheldon Richman Fatemeh Keshavarz Chad Hanson Sen. Russ Feingold Niranjan Ramakrishnan Dave Lindorff Stanley Heller Philip Rizk Website of the Day July 8, 2008 Nikolas Kozloff Laura Carlsen Mike Whitney Andy Worthington Patrick Irelan Chellis Glendinning David Macaray Dave Lindorff John Chuckman Phillip Doe Website of the Day July 7, 2008 Patrick Bond Kathy Kelly Andy Worthington Clifton Ross Elizabeth Schulte Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Binoy Kampmark Stephen Fleischman Website of the Day July 5 / 6, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair / Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Robert Fantina Binoy Kampmark Rannie Amiri Eric Ruder Brian Cloughley William Blum Frank Barat Christopher Brauchli David Yearsley Ron Jacobs Karim Makdisi Wendy Thompson / N. D. Jayaprakash Ramzy Baroud Kelly Overton Richard Neville Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
July 4, 2008 Kathy Kelly Dave Lindorff Paul Krassner Jackie Corr Laray Polk Dan Bacher Walter Brasch Charles Modiano Website of the Day July 3, 2008 Sharon Smith Andy Worthington Laura Carlsen Peter Morici Ramzi Kysia Martha Rosenberg Anne Landman Dave Zirin Kristin Bricker Website of the Day
July 2, 2008 Patrick Irelan Vijay Prashad Brian Cloughley Ralph Nader Robert Fantina Dave Lindorff Parvez Ahmed Robert Bryce Website of the Day July 1, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Mike Whitney Douglas Macgregor Steven Higgs Andy Worthington Binoy Kampmark Dave Lindorff Roger Burbach Richard W. Behan Gary Leupp Website of the Day |
Weekend Edition Even Hitler's Driver Wasn't Charged With a CrimeHamdan's SecretBy BRUCE JACKSON After a two-week trial—all of it closed to the public, most of it closed to the press, and a good deal of it based on statements by witnesses the prosecutors would not allow to be cross-examined or even present in court—five colonels and a Navy captain have convicted Salim Ahmed Hamdan of having been Osama bin Laden’s driver. They sentenced him to 66 months in prison, five months longer than the trial judge earlier announced he would receive as time-served. Salim Ahmed Hamdan has been in custody since he was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in November 2001, which is 80 months ago, so 15 months of his prisoner time did not count in the time-served accounting. It no doubt counted for Hamdan and his family. The Guantánamo trial process is one in which the accused has no right to confront accusers and witnesses. Hearsay evidence is admitted. Evidence obtained by coercion is admitted. Judges can exclude evidence obtained by methods they can’t stomach—which apparently happened in this case—but they don’t have to. Nothing close to it would be permitted in any court in the United States, though it would be adored by rulers of the worst and most brutal totalitarian systems. It is a system designed to produce convictions, not justice. It is the system favored and established by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John Woo and their associates, who had little difficulty getting it through a compliant Congress. The US government brought two charges against Hamdan. The military jury acquitted him of both counts of the more serious charge—that he was part of a conspiracy with al Qaeda leaders and therefore shared responsibility for the 2001 and other terror attacks, and that he conspired in 2001 to kill Americans in Afghanistan with shoulder-fired missiles. He was convicted only of having been bin Laden’s driver, having been a member of Al Qaeda and of “knowing its goals.” This is the first time in U.S. history that a chauffeur with no demonstrable responsibility for anything except getting his boss to the place on time has been tried and convicted by a military tribunal for anything at all. Several commentators have pointed out that Hitler’s chauffeur and bodyguard— SS-Sturmbannführer (major) Erich Kempka—was held for a time as a witness in the trials of other Nazis, but was never himself charged at Nuremburg or anywhere else. The limited verdict and the short sentence were a rebuke to the prosecutors, who asked for a sentence on the chauffeuring charge of 30 years to life, and by extension the Bush administration, which had much of its Guantánamo macho riding on this trial. Afterward, the prosecutors tried to put a good face on it by saying it was a wonderful illustration of this new system of justice at work. It was nothing of the sort. It was an abomination, a parody of justice, a judicial farce in which some people tried to act decently in spite of a structure that made that nearly impossible. There was, apparently, no evidence that Hamdan had anything to do with the September 11 attacks or even knew anything about them until after they happened. Surely the government prosecutors knew the weakness of their case going in, and that is, presumably, why they added the chauffeuring charge two years after the initial conspiracy charges were set. Even so, why they would spend so much time and money pushing a charge they had to have known was flimsy? Perhaps they assumed that the six military jurors would be more interested in protecting their careers than in protecting their honor or serving justice. Those jurors surely knew of the ruined careers of military attorneys who had fought for the Constitutional rights of Guantánamo prisoners previously. If that was their assumption, the prosecutors blundered seriously. Almost all the evidence against Hamdan was apparently derived from his own statements during 40 separate interrogations, some of them lasting for days. I write “apparently” because what Hamdan said was one of the things kept secret in the name of “national security.” That begs two questions: In secret from whom? And why? Other than what has happened to him since he was taken prisoner and brought by the Americans to the offshore gulag in Cuba, Hamdan knows nothing his employers didn’t know as of the date of his arrest almost seven years ago. Indeed, one of the reasons the serious charges against him were thrown out was because the prosecutors couldn’t convince the jurors he knew anything of the sort. He’s been isolated, harassed and, in all likelihood, tortured by his US captors for years. His former employers have to assume that he has by now spilled everything he knew, that he has, like Lenny Bruce’s guy on the table next to the prisoner getting the hot lead enema, even made up things to get the torturers to back off. Salim Ahmed Hamdan has no secrets to reveal about Osama bin Laden and his associates. The only thing Salim Ahmed Hamdan knows that Osama doesn’t know is the thing you and I don’t know either: what Bush’s interrogators did to him in their closed prison on that island. The secret things Salim Ahmed Hamdan knows aren’t secrets about al Qaeda; they’re secrets about the things done by the United States government. If you’re old enough, this may have a familiar ring to it. During and for some time after the Tet Offensive in Vietnam in 1968, the U.S. Department of Defense listed casualties among the US and its allies, but it refused to release reports on casualties suffered by the NLF. Those numbers were unambiguous: all they had to do was count the bodies on the ground. But that information, the Department of Defense said, was classified. The questions then, as now, were: classified from whom? And why? The NLF knew how many people they sent out and they knew how many came back and they were capable of subtraction, so they knew exactly what their casualties were. The only people who didn’t know were the Americans and their allies. The Defense Department wasn’t hiding the Tet tallies from our ostensible enemies but from us. What happened to Salim Ahmed Hamdan is hardly the only thing the Bush White House has active tried to keep us from learning. It has banished photographers who let their newspapers publish photographs of dead GIs. It has banned press coverage and photography of returning coffins. It has prevented press coverage of military funerals even when the families of slain GIs wanted the press there. We still don’t know the names of the oil industry officials Vice President Cheney met with his first year in office, just before this administration formulated its oil policy. This is an administration full of secret things, things it doesn’t want you to know, to see, to hear. Perhaps the only decent part of the farce that was the Guantánamo Gulag trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan occurred at the very end, after the sentence had been read and just before Hamdan was taken to wherever they are going to warehouse him while they figure out what they’ll do with and to him next. He’s only got a few months to do on this sentence but the Bush administration has insisted all along that he’s a dangerous enemy combatant, a class of people it insists have virtually no legal rights who can be kept locked up as long as the US is engaged in whatever it considers a war against terror going on anywhere in the world. Will he flatten out his time in December and go home or will he be kept on ice until the US gets a president who believes in the rule of law and is willing to act accordingly? “Mr. Hamdan,” the judge said, “I hope the day comes that you are able to return to your wife and daughters and your country.” “Inshallah,” Hamdan replied. An interpreter translated the Arabic: “God willing.” “Inshallah,” the judge responded. Bruce Jackson edits the web journal BuffaloReport.com. His most recent books ares The Story is True: The Art and Meaning of Telling Stories (Temple University Press) and Cummins Wide: Photographs from the Arkansas Penitentiary (Center for Documentary Studies and Center Working Papers).
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