Bush's Bizarre Pardon List | Five Gitmo Prisoners Ordered Released | Can Bush Pardon Himself?

Rights & Liberties Newsletter November 26th, 2008 More from Rights & Liberties »

Bush's Bizarre Pardon List By Jenny Booth, The Times of London UK A hip-hop artist and a former Detroit police sergeant are among 16 people to be pardoned or to have their prison sentences commuted by President Bush. Read more »   Call me humorless, but I always found the presidential turkey pardoning ceremony to be a rather crass ritual for a society that still routinely executes human beings. Especially when presided over by George W. Bush -- a man who oversaw more than 150 executions as governor of Texas. Nevertheless, today, in a Rose Garden ceremony, Bush pardoned his last Thanksgiving turkey, a bird named Pumpkin, to great fanfare and nostalgia. Along with a "backup bird" named Pecan, "Pumpkin will be the honorary grand marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade," the president declared. "Together, these birds will gobble the rest of their days in the happiest place on Earth." "I just hope they stay humble there," he added. It was, perhaps, a suitably absurd snapshot of Bush's lame duck status in these final days of the most criminal administration in White House history. It also comes mere days after the release of a rather surprising list of presidential pardons -- of humans -- that includes a Grammy-award-winning hip-hop artist and a Detroit police sergeant. (Read the rest of the names here.) The topic of presidential pardons is a hot one these days, and with good reason; from his warmongering cronies to the twisted legal minds behind the torture memos, the Bush White House was rife with criminals. Some of them have paid a price. The vast majority have not. This week, Senator Russ Feingold (D-IL) warns the president, if he values his legacy, to beware the power of the pardon, while Stephen M. Brown asks the very relevant question: "Can George W. Bush pardon himself?" Keep visiting AlterNet's Rights & Liberties section for more on pardons, prosecutions, and beyond. Happy Thanksgiving, Liliana Segura Editor, Rights & Liberties Special Coverage     Can George W. Bush 'Self-Pardon' Himself? By Stephen M Brown, AlterNet There's no definitive legal consensus on whether a president can pardon himself. But Bush may well give the theorists an answer. Read more »   Verdict Against Holy Land Charity Could Have a Chilling Effect on the Muslim Community By Laila Al-Arian, AlterNet A Texas jury's guilty decision in the nation's largest terrorism financing trial since 9/11 reawakens the injustices of Bush's War on Terror. Read more »   Obama's Drug Czar Pick: Will We Ever Get Past Having a War on Drugs? By Maia Szalavitz, Huffington Post We can't ignore science like Bill Clinton did and install a drug czar who will ignore science and push dogma. Read more »   Psychologists to Obama: Don't Name Torture Apologist John Brenner CIA Director By Stephen Soldz, Psyche, Science, and Society An open letter from 200 psychologists and allies who are urging Obama not to select John Brennan to be Director of the CIA. Read more »   U.S. Government to U.S. Mercenaries: Say Goodbye to Immunity in Iraq Middle East Online Under the Status of Forces Agreement awaiting passage, private military contractors would be subject to Iraqi criminal and civil law. Read more »   In Stunning Ruling, D.C. Judge Orders Release of Five Gitmo Prisoners Center for Constitutional Rights In a courtroom out of the public eye, and with prisoners allowed only limited access to the proceedings, the judge still found no reason to hold them. Read more »   PEEK and Video: The hottest buzz and videos on the web     Will Obama Take on Bush-era Torture? By Devin Montgomery, Jurist Legal News and Research Although he does not seem eager to prosecute those who approved or carried out torture, there is talk of a 9/11 Commission-style investigation. Read more »   Obama and the End of the Military's Ban on Gays By John Ridley, Huffington Post With Barack Obama as president it's not just possible. Thankfully, it's probable. Read more »   Surprise: Cops Who Get Tasered Really Don't Like It By Digby, Hullabaloo Apparently some police officers have a bone to pick with Taser International Inc. Read more »   Is Tony Blair a Terrorist? NSA Eavesdropped on Britain's Prime Minister By Steve Benen, Washington Monthly And to think, some of us nervous nellies were concerned that the NSA might abuse its surveillance powers. Read more »

Support AlterNet  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Unsubscribe from Rights and Liberties Unsubscribe from all future AlterNet communications. You are subscribed as fpac.rangola@blogger.com © 2007 Independent Media Institute All Rights Reserved 77 Federal St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110