Don't confirm Gonzales for AG, say Greens
Monday, January 31, 2005
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-487-0693, mclarty@greens.org
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
GREENS TO DEMOCRATIC SENATORS: BLOCK CONFIRMATION OF
GONZALES FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders declared
their opposition to the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to the office of
Attorney General, and urged Democrats to filibuster the nomination in
the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Gonzales, who currently serves as White House Counsel, has justified
legal loopholes allowing abuse of prisoners by U.S. personnel, and
claimed that prohibitions in treaties signed by the U.S. on cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment does not apply in the treatment of
noncitizens abroad.
Mr. Gonzales also argued before the Supreme Court, in the cases of Yaser
Hamdi and Jose Padilla, that the President should have the power to
imprison American citizens indefinitely, incommunicado, and without
recourse to lawyers or the court. Greens claim that a nominee who takes
such a position will subvert rather than uphold the U.S. Constitution,
and will place the President above the law.
"Since the purpose of the Geneva Conventions and the 1994
Convention Against Torture is to eliminate torture and degrading
treatment of prisoners worldwide, Mr. Gonzales's goal in seeking
loopholes can only be license for the U.S. to violate those
treaties," said Rebecca Rotzler, Deputy Mayor of New Paltz, New
York.and a member of the Green Party's Peace Action Committee (GPAX).
"Mr. Gonzales should be investigated and censured or prosecuted for
offering such counsel to the White House. His confirmaton would bring
shame on the highest law enforcement position in the nation."
The Green Party has sharply criticized the Bush Administration for what
Greens called a prolonged assault on the U.S. Constitution and the rule
of international law <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_10_28_04.html>.
Greens note that the treatment of prisoners and denial of due process
for American citizens justified by Mr. Gonzales violates the letter and
principles of the Fifth and Eighth Amendments (due process; freedom from
cruel and unusual punishment).
"President Bush's nomination of Alberto Gonzales is especially
outrageous in the wake of revelations of abuse and murder of detainees
at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay," said Mark Dunlea, New York
delegate to the party's national Coordinating Committee and GPAX member.
"Before the Bush Administration can proclaim itself the champion of
democracy abroad, it must show that it is committed to the rule of law
at home. It would send a wrong message to the world if the Senate were
to confirm a nominee who has been unwilling to recognize our
responsibility to comply with international legal obligations. Our
country's response to 9/11 must be a celebration of our commitment to
the rule of law, not an excuse for its demise."
"A lot more than the reputation of the U.S. is at stake,"
added Mr. Dunlea. "An Attorney General who espouses policies of
flexibility on torture for American citizens will place American
military personnel who are taken prisoner by current or future enemies
at terrible risk of similar treatment in retaliation."
GPAX has issued an alert to party members and friends, urging them to
call U.S. Senators and demand that they oppose Mr. Gonzales'
confirmation. In taking this position, Greens have joined a growing
number of civil and human rights organizations, peace groups, military
veterans, religious leaders, lawyers, judges, and elected officials.
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1711 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX) http://www.gp.org/committees/peace/
2004 Cobb/LaMarche Campaign: News on the recount efforts http://www.votecobb.org
