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State Secrets Markup: One Step Closer to Justice?The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties had a markup today (markup? What's that?) on a bill very near and dear to our hearts. The State Secrets Protection Act would help to limit the executive branch's claims of state secrets. The bill passed the subcommittee today by a vote of 6-3. Next step, full committee markup. Cross your fingers that Congress gets this thing done. Why do you care? Because that's the same old excuse the Bush administration has been using for the last seven years to block any legal challenges to their messed up policies. Like what? Well, like the NSA wiretapping program. Or rendition. Or really anything the White House doesn't want us knowing the whole truth about. I work in the Washington Legislative Office, and since we only deal with the goofballs on the Hill, I don't get the joy of interacting with our clients very often. I've met a few and they were all very impressive but one client stood out to me — Khaled El Masri. I met him briefly and honestly couldn't even tell you if we even shook hands but I watched him tell his story to a roomful of reporters at the National Press Club at that I will never forget. The hard-boiled DC press corps — and, indeed the entire room — was spellbound the entire time he spoke. Being kidnapped, tortured and held for months for no reason with no explanation is a harrowing experience to say the least. But to suffer that and receive no justice, not even the hope of justice, because our government has this overly broad privilege at its disposal is, well, unforgivable. I beg you to read about his experience. The moral of the story is this: we're not just frustrated by the use of the state secrets privilege, we're heartbroken. There's a human cost to this and we're sick of paying.
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Sep 19th, 2008 at 2:34am
I live in Tucson Arizona. I am now banned from the 400 congress building. I was invited to a meeting with the Department of Health and human Services and my picture was taken over my objections. Take the photo or go to jail. I came to the building with a friend to object about the decision the Department of Health made when I filed a complaint about abuse in a nursing home that my mother was residing.I am a guardian that had to sit in the hallway in a chair in front of the nursing home staff to see my paralyzed speechless mother. I was given a letter from the Attorney Generals office from Phoenix by the police officer that did the investigation in the nursing home. Freedom of speech? I don't think so. My mother almost died in the hallway soon after I filed the complaint. I moved her to another nursing home. I was told by the police officer that because my mother was on AHCCCS I had had no right to complain. The nursing home is their house. I need to follow the rules. The nursing home was almost closed down later for rape of a resident by another resident.
Sep 20th, 2008 at 9:54pm
You can always contact Adult Protective Services. It's specifically for aged adults. Aslo, check the Survey Book at the front of the Nursing Home. It will tell you where the deficiancies are in the building and how they take care of their residents. At least, that's how it is here in Washington.