Dec 16th, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Turner, Human Rights Program at 11:35am	Human Rights

A Plea to Obama, from Guantánamo

(Originally posted on Daily Kos.)

Yesterday marked the final military commission hearing before the eve of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. The question of what will become of Guantánamo was a subject of much speculation in the days before yesterday's pre-trial hearing in the case of Saudi national Ahmed Mohammed al Darbi. Al Darbi has been held in U.S. custody for six years and is charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism based on alleged connections to al-Qaeda.

Just before concluding yesterday's hearing, the judge, Army Col. James L. Pohl, raised the issue on everyone's mind, unaddressed in other post-election hearings. With al Darbi's trial slated to start in late March, he said, "The court is aware that on January 20 there will be a new commander-in-chief, which may or may not impact on these proceedings." He cautioned, "Both sides should know that unless and until a competent authority tells us not to, prepare to proceed as scheduled."

At this, al Darbi motioned that he wished to address the court. Through an interpreter, Al Darbi spoke:

"Your honor, you had mentioned there will be a new president on January 20. I hope this location will be closed as he promised," he announced. He continued, "I am hopeful that Mr. President Obama will make good on his promise and earn back the legitimacy the United States has lost in the eyes of the world, as a world leader."

"I am asking this nation that claims to be a world power to respect their Constitution so that they can regain their leadership," al Darbi added.

As he spoke, al Darbi held up a photograph of Barack Obama. When I looked more closely, I realized that he was holding a copy of the ACLU's full-page New York Times ad that ran on November 10. The ad consists of a photograph of President-elect Barack Obama and a quotation from his campaign pledge that, "As president, I will close Guantánamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere to the Geneva Conventions." It launched an ACLU campaign calling on President-elect Barack Obama to close the Guantánamo Bay prison and end the military commissions on Day One of his presidency. The judge admitted al Darbi's copy of the ACLU ad into evidence.

Al Darbi's defense lawyers later said they had no idea how al Darbi obtained the ACLU ad (and the ACLU certainly didn't give it to him), though the detainees do have some access to news. Al Darbi articulated a now common refrain. For much of the world, Guantánamo has become a symbol of injustice, abuse, and the Bush administration's excesses in the name of the "war on terror." It has damaged America's image and standing in the world. During the campaign, Obama described Guantánamo as "a sad chapter in American history." Though it may require political capital and hard decisions, President-elect Obama must close Guantánamo immediately upon taking office. By doing so, he can end the poisonous legacy of the Bush administration's policies and take a critical first step in restoring American values of justice, due process, and human rights.

Permalink |	Human Rights

Tags: Close Guantanamo, Guantanamo Dispatch, Human Rights Program

1. scrivener Says:
   Dec 16th, 2008 at 11:57am

   TO: ACLU AND DAILY KOS:

   Torture and denial of due process are occurring right here in the U.S., in cities, towns and counties across America, as part of a nationwide state-funded vigilante network hiding behind the cover of various federal community policing and anti-terrorism programs.

   Untold thousands of victims of this covert extrajudicial targeting are seeking legal assistance from the ACLU, including the author of this article, a mainstream journalist who is among those who have been denied his civil and human rights by this unconstitutional activity.

   Please read this, and please meet with the author, Vic Livingston, so that ACLU can begin to address these domestic abuses of power:

   AMERICAN GESTAPO: 'State-Supported Terrorism' Targets U.S. Citizens

   by VIC LIVINGSTON, former business reporter, Fox TV Phila., NY Daily News, Phila. Bulletin, St. Petersburg Times

   • Congress: Probe "extrajudicial targeting" of American citizens by vigilantes hiding behind government-funded programs

   • Due process denied, the Constitution violated by vigilante groups said to resemble KKK, Stasi and Nazi Gestapo

   • A cause of the crisis in the mortgage and credit markets?

   NEW IN 'COMMENTS': Author's personal account

   A virulent form of domestic terrorism is destroying the lives of citizens across America.

   Victims of so-called organized "gang stalking" or "community stalking" charge that the rule of law has broken down nationwide at the hands of state-supported vigilantes -- operating under the cover of citizen community policing and neighborhood watch corps and business-related anti-terrorism programs, supplemented by municipal workers and members of private and fraternal organizations.

   A nationwide network comprised of these citizen groups, funded by elements of government at multiple levels, is the "extrajudicial" control mechanism that victims say is dispensing officially tolerated "vigilante justice."

   Many web sites in the U.S., Canada and other industrialized nations chronicle this horror. But victims say the tentacles of this domestic terrorism extend well beyond the so-called "street muscle" comprised of gang-stalking local vigilantes and self-styled soldiers of fortune.

   Victims of this extrajudicial targeting and control network maintain that these vigilantes are operating as judge, jury and executioner -- meting out various forms of harassment and abuse that they say amounts to physical torture and psychological harassment. Some victims have moved to other cities and towns to escape the persecution -- but they say the vigilantism recurs in their new locale.

   "It appears to be a nationwide network that attracts extremists as well as law and order types and people connected to public safety such as firefighters, utility workers, police auxiliaries, retired police and military officers, and even their family members, including children and teenagers," says one victim, who says he has been "gang-stalked" for several years. "I doubt it could exist without some people in positions of power looking the other way."

   Even some regular, uniformed police are reported to have been intimidated by this network of extrajudicial control.

   Victims say that they are physically harassed and relentlessly stalked, whether in vehicles or on foot; property is vandalized; privacy is invaded by way of pervasive surveillance; mail is intercepted, financial accounts and billing statements are altered and family finances decimated; and their physical well-being is compromised by hi-tech equipment such as "directed energy weapons" (D.E.W.) emitting silent bursts of radiation -- lasers, microwaves, x-rays, sonic frequencies -- that can stun, maim, induce illness or even kill.

   A recent article on the Wired.com magazine "Danger Room" blog site discusses a court document said to indicate that the U.S. Secret Service is involved in the development of directed energy weapons technology. The article speculates that the agency may have deployed such devices in the course of its official duties.

   http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/11/presidents-secr.h tml

   "This is torture that's happening right here, in American cities and towns," says an alleged victim. "But it's like pre- World War II Germany; people refuse to believe that such abuses could happen in a civilized society. But it is happening. And I'm convinced that some local and federal authorities not only have knowledge of this extra-legal targeting, but are providing funding and direction.

   "I know the FBI knows about it, because I've been down there several times over the past two years to report it." He says he knows of no formal investigation, despite his offers to cooperate.

   "I'm not saying they know of the worst abuses, such as using microwaves on targeted persons to degrade their health and make it impossible for them to earn a living. But they must know that these citizen patrols are doing a lot more than just cruising around the neighborhood. "

   Citizens who have reported abuses say their complaints are typically ignored -- or that authorities insinuate that their claims are figments of their imagination, or are a manifestation of a mental illness such as paranoia.

   "That appears to be part of the M-O," says one victim. "You haven't done anything wrong, so they can't charge you with a crime. So they attempt to make it look like you're crazy. That's how they marginalize people who don't fit in with their world view." The victim says it's possible that local law enforcement has been "co-opted" by a variation of "the big lie."

   "Higher-ups come in and say, 'We've identified this person as a threat.' What are they going to do? They're going to go with the program, especially since a lot of their funding comes from outside the community."

   This victim believes the vigilante network is a convenient way for those in power to dispense with persons or groups of people they simply don't like or regard as undesirables, or whose political or social views do not hew to what they consider the established order.

   Victims also believe that a network of government programs and agencies works in tandem with the extrajudicial vigilante system to destroy their financial security. They allege that the crisis in the mortgage and credit markets may have been worsened by these programs, which they say are sapping the financial well-being of individuals and families without benefit of the right of due process. Making available "easy credit" is a primary tool that puts "targeted individuals" on the road to financial ruin, victims maintain.

   Some victims wonder whether these extrajudicial programs didn't help spawn financial crises in the first place. "We haven't had these kind of widespread financial woes for generations," a gang-stalking victim said. "You have to wonder if these programs weren't a blueprint for an ideologically-motivated purge."

   Some of the agencies looking into the mortgage and credit market problems may have had long-standing knowledge of these programs, according to victims, who are calling on Congress to investigate.

   "The issue of state-supported vigilantism and extrajudicial control and punishment represents an assault on our judicial system that makes Watergate look like the third-rate burglary that it started out to be," says the gang-stalking victim. "Since government agencies appear to be involved in funding these programs, it's up to Congress to investigate, to use its powers of oversight to ensure that democracy and the rule of law prevails, and not the law of the jungle."

   The network of programs and policies that are allegedly circumventing the judicial system, violating constitutional rights and meting out vigilante justice might collectively be termed the mechanics of personal destruction -- a blueprint for political and social dominance crafted by those who would use the institutions of government as a tool of ideologically-driven social engineering.

   This powerful apparatus appears to exist under the radar of most elected members of Congress and officers of the judicial system. They refuse to consider that these programs, over time, have adopted the of methodology the East German Stasi, the KKK of the old South, and the Gestapo of the Nazi Third Reich -- and that the "targets" include innocent American citizens tagged as political "dissidents."

   Victims say the rise of this "American Gestapo" represents the victory of neo-fascism over democracy -- achieved under the guise of "national security" and "keeping America safe." They say that in the face of mounting evidence of widespread abuses, those who identify themselves as liberals and progressives naively insist that "it can't happen here."

   Victims charge that extrajudicial targeting of American citizens is destroying our democracy. They maintain that individuals and families are being irreparably harmed by what could they describe as "social genocide." Some call it a "silent holocaust" due to its clandestine nature and the use of silent, invisible "directed energy" technology to achieve its horrific goals.

   Below are links to the articles about this clear and present danger to our constitutional democracy and to the lives and livelihoods of its citizens. Victims urge lawmakers and congressional committees to start asking some tough questions, starting with the Department of Homeland Security:

   "Mr. Chertoff, are you aware that many Americans believe they have been the victims of so-called community or gang stalking, possibly perpetrated by persons equipped and trained by federally funded volunteer programs under your charge? Have you heard of such reports, and are you investigating to ensure that these programs and their resources are not being misused?"

   Victims believe this cancer on American society extends beyond a single cabinet department. But they say the curative process must begin with forces entrusted with the nation's security before more Americans are damaged by this descent from the rule of law into home-grown fascism.

   A FINAL NOTE: The author's communications and blog page are subject to persistent disruption and tampering by unknown hackers. He would appreciate it if readers would forward the links below to members of Congress and officials at ALCU.org, CCRjustice.org, or any other organization that can help restore American values to American governance and law enforcement.

   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citiz ens-govt-agencies-root-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   OR members.nowpublic.com/scrivener -- re: "Targeting of U.S. Citizens"/ "State-Supported Terrorism"/ "Directed Energy Weapons"

   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/zap-have-you-been-targe ted-directed-energy-weapon-victims-organized-gang-stalking-say-its-hap pening-usa-1

   This unaffiliated web site describes an alleged victim's account:

   http://monarchnewphoenix.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-d estroy-activist.html

2. Quidpro Says:
   Dec 16th, 2008 at 12:43pm

   If Obama makes good on his campaign promise, where will the detainees be held? Or will they be released?

3. Vic Livingston (scrivener) Says:
   Dec 18th, 2008 at 12:54pm

   It appears that the government has used the Patriot Act and other provisions of the “war on terror” to conduct extensive “extrajudicial targeting” of U.S. citizens — perhaps for reasons of politics as opposed to national security — resulting in the denial of due process and unremitting harassment that some victims describe as “torture.”

   Persons subjected to these abuses often describe themselves as victims of so-called organized community or gang stalking. I have tried to post two articles that describe this mainstream journalist’s experiences as victim of such extrajudicial targeting and severe harassment that could be described as a form of torture. My posts keep getting taken down. I don’t know if ACLU is doing this, or if its site is being hacked by a third party entity.

   I once again will attempt to post links to my articles, and renew my plea to the ACLU to provide legal assistance to me and to the untold thousands of other Americans who have been subject to extrajudicial targeting and organized community/gang stalking at the apparent direction of government agencies.

   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/american-gestapo-state -supported-terrorism-targets-u-s-citizens
   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies -root-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis
   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/zap-have-you-been-targeted-directed- energy-weapon-victims-organized-gang-stalking-say-its-happening-usa-1< /p>

   OR IF LINKS ARE DISABLED:

   members.nowpublic.com/scrivener RE: “American Gestapo,” “Targeting of U.S. Citizens,” “Directed Energy Weapons”

   Since my communications are subject to interception and tampering (surveillance is only the beginning, ACLU), I would appreciate hearing from ACLU blog readers; please post messages to the “comments” section of my articles. Thank you.

Name

E-mail

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Homepage

• Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
• Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

What code is in the image? *

Enter the characters shown in the image.