Pundit Country

This is certainly one of the longest articles I’ve recommended in quite some time, but it’s also an exceptionally well-written article on how the bloodlust that is the Texas judicial system most likely put an innocent man to death based on junk science, poor attention to detail, system of legal checks and balances that are rarely followed.

In this piece by David Grann, he lays out the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in 2004 for the deaths of his three children by arson. In the ensuing years since his death, evidence has come to light that strongly points to the fact that he as completely innocent of the crime in which he was convicted of as well as the systematic stripping of one’s humanity the Texas prison system has become.

I realize I’ve written this many times before, but the cause of the unjustly accused is a passion of yours (because one day it could be you who is accused), then you really need to read this piece. It’s that good.

Trial by Fire by David Grann

Related articles

• Texas kills…..an innocent man? (apublicdefender.com)
• Mark Olmsted: Crime and Punishment: Perception vs. Reality (huffingtonpost.com)
• Texas Executed An Innocent Man (outsidethebeltway.com)

Both Obama and Bush, when confronted with the horrors of what the CIA and Cheney did to enemy combatants and detainees are repeatedly said that the United States does not torture. Obama’s statement, while hinting that we did in fact torture, never quite goes far enough. He like Clinton facing the Rwanda genocide refused to call what happened by it proper name because the U.S. would be bound to actually do something about it. And that’s the problem.

Until President Obama takes hos oath of office seriously on this matter cannot legitimately say that the U.S. doesn’t torture. he can only say that we don’t do it currently. We haven’t put an end to it. We’ve only put the action on hold until another president decides that it’s again part of the American arsenal. That is why prosecutions are so vitally important. Crime not punished is crime that is not deterred.

Related articles

• Dick Cheney Thinks Examining War Crimes Is The Same As Playing Politics [Waterboard This!] (jezebel.com)
• Dick Cheney Says Harsh Interrogations Kept U.S. Safe From Terror (usnews.com)
• The Washington Post’s Support For Torture, Ctd (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)

(h/t The Daily Dish)

“[I]f you genuinely believe in the rule of law, you can’t invoke political expediency as a guide to whether possible crimes should be investigated and prosecuted. And the fact that the Attorney-General has decided to go forward should be seen as very positive sign, because it shows that he is willing to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities even if it is politically inconvenient for the president who appointed him. I have no doubt that the president would prefer to “look forward,” because an investigation and/or prosecution will drive both the CIA and the right-wing media types crazy and because he’s got enough alligators to wrestle with already. But he also promised us that he would end the politicization of the Department of Justice that his predecessor practiced, and Holder’s decision, however inconvenient for Obama, is a reassuring sign that there is still life in the U.S. Constitution,”

- Stephen Walt.

Related articles

• AG Holder Appoints CIA Abuse Investigator (mydd.com)
• Leon Panetta Should Be Fired (delawarewatch.blogspot.com)
• Obama to Let Holder Decide on C.I.A. Investigations (nytimes.com)

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