http://www.prisonplanet.com/terror-memos-reveal-total-destruction-of-us-constitutional-freedoms.htmlAs reported last month, one of Obama’s first actions in office was to sign an executive order securing the continued practice of secretly capturing, transporting and imprisoning so called “enemy combatants”.
Under executive orders issued by Obama just two days into his tenure, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The Obama administration appears to have determined that the rendition program was one component of the Bush administration’s war on terrorism that it could not afford to discard.” Greg Miller noted.
A minor provision within one executive order states that instructions to close the CIA’s secret prisons “do not refer to facilities used only to hold people on a short-term, transitory basis”, meaning that some “black sites” can remain open.
Though former CIA officials have admitted that rendition is mostly unproductive, an administration official told the LA Times anonymously: “Obviously you need to preserve some tools — you still have to go after the bad guys. The legal advisors working on this looked at rendition. It is controversial in some circles and kicked up a big storm in Europe. But if done within certain parameters, it is an acceptable practice.”
As we further illuminated in our previous report, Obama’s much lauded declaration to “ban” torture and his “commitment” to close down detention facilities is full of loopholes and hidden clauses designed to allow such practices and premises to be continued, albeit with renewed secrecy.
If Obama were truly committed to ending the legacy of torture and secret detention, he would authorize the prosecution of those officials responsible, all the way up to the top. Instead, he , along with his CIA Director Leon Panetta, has said he will do no such thing.
Indeed, the latest sign of allowing such crimes to go unpunished comes in the form of federal prosecutor John Durham signaling that even though he has yet to complete his investigation, he is unlikely to indict any CIA employees for incinerating 92 secret interrogation tapes that purportedly show suspects being waterboarded.
Furthermore, we have not seen Obama repeal Patriot Acts I and II, nor have we seen a reversal of Bush’s signing statement that would effectively repeal the John Warner Defense Authorization Act.
We have not seen any evidence to suggest that the NSA will cease warrantless secret surveillance and phone-taps of American citizens.
We have not seen any deviation from the Bush-era war on terror policies.
We have not seen any CHANGE.
Mister Obama, don't get comfortable. I am very close to ejecting you from my theater.
I don't allow trash here.
