January 19, 2007

How To Win in Court Every Time

Why is it that torture is not usually allowed in coercing evidence from suspected criminals?

And why does the Bush Administration want to allow hearsay and testimony obtained by torture now in their prosecutions of prisoners of Guantanamo?

Simply put, they can't get convictions any other way. They cannot convict these men with normal evidence obtained through legal means, because they don't have enough of it.

That is why we have elevated to an art the practice of legal contortion. I'm referring to the pattern of creating means to violate legal precedent and moral principle. We've used language ("enemy combatant," "harsh tactics"), place (Guantanamo, off-shore CIA prisons), and now, we just wanna beat it out of 'em.

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