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TechnoratiYoo’s Views Make Philly News
The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of that city's two major daily newspapers, is in the news itself these days after hiring controversial former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo as a monthly columnist.
Letters and e-mails critical of the Inquirer are pouring in. "How in the world could John Yoo's legal analysis of anything be informative?" wrote Lisa Ernst of Philadelphia. "What next? An investment advice column by Bernie Madoff?" Will Bunch of the rival Philadelphia Daily News wrote, "It's not about muzzling John Yoo from expressing his far-out-of-the-mainstream opinion in the many venues that are available to him, but whether a major American newspaper should give Yoo, his actions, and the notion of torture advocacy its implied endorsement by handing him a megaphone."
Yoo served from 2001 to 2003 as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush Justice Department, where he worked under Jay Bybee. There, Yoo authored or co-authored "torture memos," the legal advice given to the Bush White House authorizing harsh interrogation practices. Yoo defined torture in one memo: "The victim must experience intense pain or suffering of the kind that is equivalent to the pain that would be associated with serious physical injury, so severe that death, organ failure, or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body function will likely result."
Judge Baltasar Garzon of the Spanish National Court is moving ahead with an investigation of "The Bush Six," which includes Yoo and Bybee, as well as former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; William J. Haynes II, then general counsel to the Department of Defense; Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense for policy; and David Addington, the chief of staff under former Vice President Dick Cheney. These six could possibly face criminal charges in Spain for enabling torture at Guantanamo and elsewhere. They might think twice before traveling abroad to Spain or other European nations. Yoo, Bybee and another Bush Justice Department attorney, Steven G. Bradbury, face an investigation into their conduct by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility. The Justice Department could forward the report to state bar associations, where the attorneys could be disciplined, possibly disbarred. Bybee, now a federal judge, could be impeached.
The disbarment strategy has been embraced by grass-roots activists as well. The group DisbarTortureLawyers.com said, "On Monday, May 18, 2009, a broad coalition of organizations dedicated to accountable government, and representing over one million members, filed disciplinary complaints with state bar licensing boards against ... twelve attorneys for advocating the torture of detainees during the Bush Administration."
Disbarment would certainly be a problem for many of these people, perhaps costing them their jobs. But the detention and interrogation practices that gained their official sanction, from the highest level of the executive branch, have had much more serious and far-reaching consequences for hundreds, if not thousands, of people around the globe.
John Sifton is a human-rights investigator who recently wrote a piece titled "The Bush Administration Homicides." He concludes that "an estimated 100 detainees have died during interrogations, some who were clearly tortured to death." He told me: "These aggressive techniques were not just limited to the high-value detainee program in the CIA. They spread to the military with disastrous results. They led to the deaths of human beings ... when there's a dead body involved, you can't just have a debate about policy differences and looking forward or looking backward."
Bunch told me: "Philadelphia is a city of 4 million people. John Yoo grew up here, but he doesn't even live here now. And to think this is a voice that's reflective of the community, frankly, [is] an insult to true conservatives that the best voice they can get on the editorial page is somebody who's famous for being a torture advocate."
I was in Philadelphia this past weekend and got to hear Grammy Award-winning soul singer John Legend give the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. He said in his speech: "As a nation and as a world, we need more truth. Let me repeat that. We need more truth. ... Too often, in business and in government, people are rewarded for having the answer that the person they report to wants them to have: ‘Yes, sir. We can provide mortgages to people who have no down payment and can't afford the monthly payments.' ... ‘Yes, ma'am. I can write a legal brief to justify torture.' " The students listened with rapt attention.
There are many Philadelphians who can write and inspire debate that leads people to action. John Yoo has done enough harm.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
31 Comments so far
Show AllYoo simply did what any ethical attorney would do--he was asked by his client for a legal opinion--he rendered his opnion, whether you agree with it or not, was in strict compliance with both the Canon of Ethics as well as the ABA standards of conduct---end of story
A very interesting point you make, there 'reagan80'---and with that logic, any tribe which has a treaty with the USA. who finds a 'lawyer' to tell them that it is "OK" to; say for example rob any bank they find they want to rob, anywhere in the states that were formed after , lets say, the 1868 Medicine Lodge Creek Treaty---which would cover most all of the Western States of the USA---and it will be just fine: since that also would be in compliance with the "Canon of Ethics and the ABA Standards"-----------In reality the Tribes would have a more logical argument for just that kind of behavior since the USA is in violation of that treaty, as well as all of the more than 200 others-----more logical than the Bush admin. had for it's many crimes; even the "Safety of the Nation" argument since the "tribes are Nations"
By the way, what bank do you have your money in?
Good Luck America, you really need it.
Native American Bank in Denver-- it couldn't be more secure
I am a little confused re the Yoo matter as well. It is interesting that the Inquirer has been losing readership at a pretty fast clip and yet continues down the road it is on. Does Yoo have a right to express his views? Sure. I suppose he does. Does the Inquirer have to provide the venue? Nope.
The comment earlier about having conservative legal thinkers writing for the paper who have not been under suspicion of torture is dead on.
A couple of years back they hired Rick Santorum to write a column for the paper. !?! This is the SAME Rick Santorum who LOST, AS AN INCUMBENT to an empty suit BY 18 points. That was the strongest possible rejection of a politician I have ever seen. This wasn't a man who committed crimes, ala Ted Stevens, this was a legislator who decided that HIS judgement on Terry Schiavo was superior to his constituents judgement. When he was defeated, the state took a huge sigh of relief. We then woke up the next day to find that the Inquirer provided Santorum with a soapbox to continue fucking with area voters....this is not a paper which needs rescue.
The saddest part of all this? Its eventual demise will be determined to be the result of "technology" and not its wrong-headed editorial view.
I take comfort in the fact that Mr. Yoo will get reborn as a tapeworm--many thousands of times. :)
I wish that these guys would have to worry about travelling to Europe, as Amy writes.
Alas, the Spanish government is right now trying to prevent Spanish judges from prosecuting human rights violations around the world in future by changing the law that enabled them to do so.
Even a social democratic Prime Minister like Zapatero feels in the long run unable to handle the political pressure from big countries every times Baltasar Garzón and a handful of other Spanish judges try to do the right thing, i.e. go for these perpetrators around the world.
So now Spain wants to limit the Spanish judiciary's scope to the prosecution of human rights violations which involved Spanish citizens and/or which took place on Spanish territory.
Sad.
We shouldn't be surprised. The right wing usually manages to pay off its foot soldiers one way or another, so providing Yoo a nice little sinecure if his license to practise law is pulled and his teaching position goes away is just about par for the course.
Lioness
Yoo is a disgrace and will eventually be executed somewhere as the criminal he is.
His photos make it clear that he obviously considers himself a hero.
"Obama OKs UAE N-deal despite torture video"
Don't blame me! I voted for the Greens.
Yet another reason to care about saving journalism and NOT saving corporate newspapers.
Another one biting the dust -- and the newspaper industry wonders why people stop buying their fishwrap.
yes, don't they realize these rags are still cheaper than standard asswipe?
The City of Brotherly Torture?
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
Democracynow.org
You go!
Here's a great idea: Relentlessly monitor Yoo's columns, then destroy them verbally with facts and logic. Then send that in to the Inkwire.
On the one hand, freedom of speech allows Yoo to advocate torture. On the other hand, individual press entities are free to not publish his comments, or to publish comments against Yoo's. Because of the other hand, I can't get too excited about the Inquirer publishing Yoo's comments. If there was control or a policy excluding opposing points of view, that would concern me. There are entities that do that. I contributed to one for a time until it became clear that my comments opposing suggested assassination of a well-known congressman would NOT be allowed. I couldn't think of doing anything except boycotting the site and letting people know about the problem. In the case of the Philadelphia Inquirer, it seems that opponents will have an opportunity to express contrary views.
Intelligent people shouldn't waste energy and time wringing their hands about this. The MSM is like elementary school. You can't expect sophistication equal to that of a university. Most MSM readers don't know who Yoo is or what he said, and even those who know something probably won't be interested enough to read what he says. They probably will go no deeper than listening to jokes about him on popular comedy shows.
Because we're members of a society in which most individuals never watch or read important news and commentary, we can't just ignore the MSM. Some attention should be devoted to responding therein to persons like Yoo. But with the proliferation of news and discussion sources, those of us who want more than the MSM offers can, and should, look elsewhere. Personally, I've found many comments in threads like those in CD and other entities, even MSM outlets (the Washington Post is a good example), that exceed considerably in value and insight what the host organ publishes. CD does I think an excellent job of culling important things from the MSM, and selecting them from non-MSM sources.
And Faux News has Oliver "Iran-Contra" North as a correspondent...
Everyone knows the Repubes are corrupt, even the Repubes...
Now folks are starting to catch on to how the corporatists have co-opted the Democks as well...
It's all about the Rebranding...
Ollie North was so darn close to getting elected Senator of VA in 1994 despite his crimes. Didn't Faux News have G Gordon Liddy at one point or something? Sorry I don't want the channels so I'm lost as to who appears on what channels these days.
Er, excuse me, didn't Obama just give a blanket immunity thingy to everyone involved in high crimes over the last few years? Most people in the world know Yoo belongs in jail, but as your beloved saint has said "what's a few war crimes between elites?".
No American newspaper would hire as a columnist someone as far to the left as Mr. Phuck Yoo, Attorney at Lawlessness, is to the right. However, the fact that Yoo appears in The Philadelphia Inquirer, founded by the Big Daddy of American Yellow Journalism and imperial wars against weaker nations, Charles Foster Kane, does not surprise me.
Rosebud...
I presume that the moribund Inquirer is betting that a reactionary wingnut war criminal will attract more subscribers than a humane and thoughtful columnist.
Incidentally, as Philly residents know, a new company resurrected the defunct "Philadelphia Evening Bulletin" a couple of years ago. I admit that I was pleased to see the "Bulletin" logo and format of my childhood returning to the local newspaper scene-- we were a "Bulletin" family.
After I read a complimentary copy or two, I realized with dismay that the new "Bulletin" was clearly targeting a conservative/reactionary audience. I think it's still being published, but it didn't exactly take off like a rocket.
But local media still seem to turn right to boost sales.
A couple of years back, the local AM newsradio station hired local conservative wingnut Mike Smerconish to do spot commentary. In response to my indignant e-mail questioning the presence of Smerconish without at least another commenter for "balance"-- Smerconish was hired around the time of Rush Limbaugh's abortive NFL football commenter career-- the KYW station manager disagreed that Smerconish had been hired because of his reactionary politics.
No, it was because he's widely recognized as a "talented communicator", can provoke discussion on all segments of the political spectrum, etc. The experiment lasted several months, and then either Smerconish was dropped or his contract wasn't renewed.
So I'm sure that the Inquirer will defend Yoo's employment with assorted clichés about his unique "viewpoint" and "thought-provoking" analysis. I doubt very much if Yoo's presence will slow the Inky's decline into oblivion, though.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Sioux Rose
O.S. Seeing this sniveling, wide-eyed sycophant rewarded with a job at a paper that exists in the city that boasts the shining Liberty Bell is its own satire. The deregulation allowed the monied elites to take over all forms of media, and they are intent on controlling message. The harder times get, the more hate circulates and the MSM is positioning itself to have the dominant voices make sure that all that angst gets projected at the wrong (as in not responsible for the various and sundry messes) targets. What fun to be had in a nation as well-armed and ill-informed as this one. The fireworks have not yet begun!
2 clever by 1/2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_lawyer
It's curious to me that Bush is able to squeek silently by while his underlings take the heat. His ability to appear stupid has turned out to be his greatest asset as if he didn't have the brains to understand that people were being tortured during his watch. In fact, he ratified everything they did. Seems to me he's much smarter than he ever gets credit for having conviced us that he's too dumb to have been responsible for any of the crimes and disasters of his administration. Apparently few believe he was the "decider" on any substantive issue.
You have echoed exactly what I've always thought about Bush. He puts on an act so people think he's too stupid to have been able to grasp what was going on during his presidency. Plus, the liberals loved to write articles and spend their time and attention on discussing how stupid he is, which means less time and attention went to actually probing his policies. I can't think of a single way in which it doesn't work to his benefit, and you're the first person I've heard who shares my opinion on this.
"Seems to me he's much smarter than he ever gets credit for having conviced us that he's too dumb to have been responsible for any of the crimes and disasters of his administration."
Smart? No, he's devious. Sociopaths are frequently able to fool people into thinking they are quite sociable, and very harmless. Look into Ted Bundy. Very "nice" guy, quite personable, and a serial killer.
W is no better. When he was Governor of Texas, he and Gonzo put more people to death than any governor in US history. Laughed about it, too. Does that sound like anything but a person lacking in human feelings? The man was and is a complete psycho. He was raised by sociopaths to BE a sociopath and he learned his lessons well. He sees having emotions as being weak, anyone who exhibits them is weak, and to be exploited. He surrounded himself with people just as cold hearted and sick as he is, so that he could be supported in his desires to rule and never be questioned. Look at Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and the rest of them and tell me that there is anyone less psychotic than W himself. They are all just as inhuman as he is.
So, smart is not the word I would use to describe the former sociopath in chief. Sick would apply far more.
To those of you so critical of "W": I'm no fan of his, but you should realize that millions of people got right in line with him. Down here in Texas, all of the unfortunate (euphemistically speaking) traits you've pointed out exist in abundance. Those of us on the other side need to be realistic about this. Millions of people can't be psychotic, sociopathic, inhuman, no better than Ted Bundy, etc. Millions of people can't be involuntarily committed, put on meds, imprisoned, and so on. On the other hand, some very effective steps are being taken, such as going after the law licenses of lawyers who knowingly promoted the violation of laws forbidding things like waterboarding. Even though the ex-president and Dick Cheney aren't lawyers, their standing would be substantially reduced if the lawyers they worked with were disbarred. Criminal prosecutions may also occur, but probably only after disbarments.
Philly's too crowded, rusting badly, and too crime ridden. Rural PA should accomodate the homeless in Philly as it costs too much to live there and the city is filled with very corrupt pols anyway.
As Chomsky would say: it is understandable that the people of Philly would be shocked; but they should certainly not be surprised. Think about it: One can be sitting in the electric chair and receive a shock- with no surprise about it. The surprise comes when you're sitting in your office chair and receive a shock (perhaps related to a malfunction of the hidden electronics monitoring your vital signs!).
Goodman quotes: singer John Legend gave the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. He said in his speech: "As a nation and as a world, we need more truth. Let me repeat that. We need more truth. ... Too often, in business and in government, people are rewarded for having the answer that the person they report to wants them to have."
The newspapers, like the government, are lackeys for those who run them and who are intent on continuing their pursuit of wealth and power. Most major newspapers are dying; in part due to the internet. But also because their reporting has been more and more exposed for the agenda-based spin that it is by REAL journalists on the internet. Just today, the Daily Beast headline is:
Iran Missile Test:Ahmadinejad Says It's Within Israel's Range
This headline is supported in the article by the following:
"Defense Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target," state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Nowhere in this quote is Israel mentioned! The DB article DOES begin with the following: 'Ahmadinejad said Iran test-fired a new advanced missile Wednesday with a range of about 1,200 miles, far enough to strike Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.' Note the ambiguity. Did Ahmadinejad say only that the missile had a 1200 mile range? OR Did he add that such a range was enough to strike Israel? Well, to be fair to the DB, how many people would be suitably 'shocked' by the headline: "Iran extended-range missile test successful" Just lacks that 'Shock & Awe' entertainment flavor, doesn't it? And so, such slanted journalism not only boosts DB's ratings, but it also may be accomplishing an equally important goal; namely to represent Iran has hell-bent on 'destroying Israel'; thus fueling the fire for an attack by Israel. Even the NY Times- the 'paper of record' has been exposed more and more for its level of spin; exposure that was nowhere nearly as great prior to the internet.
So, when it is announced that The Philadelphia Inquirer as hired a Bush henchman as a columnist the citizens of Philly should be perhaps shocked but not so surprised. Those who ARE surprised should do a little investigative journalism of their own, in order to determine the extent to which that action reflects a larger agenda. As Legend notes: "people are rewarded for having the answer that the person they report to wants them to have." Newspaperjournalists' are rewarded for reporting what is in the best interests of their owners; not what might in any way resemble truth. This is a truism that is highlighted in every enterprise: from bankers who report to their investors, to Obama's economic advisers who report to major CEOs, to military analysts who report to the military corporate complex. This has been going on for centuries as Chomsky notes in his latest CD article. What has NOT been attendant to that ongoing scam is the level of accessibility to in-depth REAL journalism that exposes it. This level has reached a very high pitch in a very short period of time. Consequently, those who have been proceeding in the 'business as usual' manner continue to do so in a way that reflects their obliviousness to how blatantly deceitful their reporting actually is to the masses. If newspapers such as the Philly Inquirer are to survive they will need to address the increasing awareness that the emperor has no clothes. One way would be to push for regulation of the internet.
Why should something kept alive which has become corrupt and rotten to the core like Main Stream Media? True, not many printed publications would be left and even less TV stations. But the sooner this propaganda machine receives the disdain of the public the sooner independent reporting will take place.
Long live journalism, demise to the MSM!
Your suggestion to push for regulation of the Internet deserves a bullet.
And if you want to "do a little investigative journalism of (your) own, in order to determine the extent to which that action reflects a larger agenda" read some in-depth REAL journalism that exposes the BIGGEST SCAM IN HISTORY:
***** www.scribd.com/people/documents/2169400-ep-heidner *****
Read "Collateral Damage" part I and II. No MSM would EVER report THAT.
It will change the way you look at history, politics, finance, war and terrorism.
The details are well researched and referenced. The consequences are BEYOND BELIEF.