"State Secrets"

[icarus]

Now this is downright creepy.

El-Masri v. U.S., 06-1613: Court rejects 'alleged' CIA kidnap victim.

"State secrets" have been invoked in order to block the lawsuit of a German man of Lebanese descent kidnapped through mistaken identity and tortured by the CIA.

I've heard of this guy. He was let go (just dropped off in the middle of nowhere) once the CIA realized he wasn't the man they wanted. Four months later.

The US has a "extraordinary rendition" program, in which terrorism suspects are captured and taken to foreign countries for interrogation. In this case, the German man was picked up in Macedonia and taken to Afghanistan.

U.S. presidents used the state secrets privilege six times from 1953 to 1976, according to OpenTheGovernment.org. Since 2001, it has been used 39 times, enabling the government to unilaterally withhold documents from the court system, the group said.

Free country?

Comments

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I want a special ceremony at the end of his term, one involving a 30' spring-loaded rubber boot that punts him over the White House lawn.