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	<title><![CDATA[Issues &amp; Answers Regarding Inspiration and the Life and Work of Ellen G. White]]></title>
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	<description><![CDATA[Issues & Answers Regarding Inspiration and the Life and Work of Ellen G. <br>White<br>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:17:52 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[An Era of Spiritual Darkness]]></title>
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	<description><![CDATA[An Era of Spiritual Darkness<br><< Previous Chapter << >> Next Chapter >><br>[Return to the Table of Contents]<br>[Return to Online Books Menu]<br>[Return to the Homepage]<br><br><br><br>The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the <br>great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power. <br>He declared that the day of Christ should not come, "except there come a <br>falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; <br>who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is <br>worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself <br>that he is God." And furthermore, the apostle warns his brethren that "the <br>mystery of iniquity doth already work." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7. Even at <br>that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare <br>the way for the development of the papacy.<br><br>Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as <br>it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, "the <br>mystery of iniquity" carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. <br>Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the <br>Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for <br>a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. <br>But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces <br>of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles <br>for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the <br>requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The <br>nominal conversion of Constantine,<br><br>50<br><br>in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the <br>world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the <br>work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be <br>vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her <br>doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith <br>and worship of the professed followers of Christ.<br><br>This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the <br>development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and <br>exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a <br>masterpiece of Satan's power--a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon <br>the throne to rule the earth according to his will.<br><br>Satan once endeavored to form a compromise with Christ. He came to the Son <br>of God in the wilderness of temptation, and showing Him all the kingdoms of <br>the world and the glory of them, offered to give all into His hands if He <br>would but acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of darkness. Christ <br>rebuked the presumptuous tempter and forced him to depart. But Satan meets <br>with greater success in presenting the same temptations to man. To secure <br>worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the favor and support <br>of the great men of earth; and having thus rejected Christ, she was induced <br>to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan--the bishop of Rome.<br><br>It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the visible <br>head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme authority over <br>bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than this, the pope has <br>been given the very titles of Deity. He has been styled "Lord God the Pope" <br>(see Appendix), and has been declared infallible. He demands the homage of <br>all men. The same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation is <br>still urged by him through the Church of Rome, and vast numbers are ready to <br>yield him homage.<br><br>51<br><br>But those who fear and reverence God meet this heaven-daring assumption as <br>Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe: "Thou shalt worship the Lord <br>thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Luke 4:8. God has never given a <br>hint in His word that He has appointed any man to be the head of the church. <br>The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the teachings of the <br>Scriptures. The pope can have no power over Christ's church except by <br>usurpation.<br><br>Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of <br>heresy and willful separation from the true church. But these accusations <br>apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid down the banner of <br>Christ and departed from "the faith which was once delivered unto the <br>saints." Jude 3.<br><br>Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his <br>deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the word that even the Saviour <br>of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ presented <br>the shield of eternal truth, saying, "It is written." To every suggestion of <br>the adversary, He opposed the wisdom and power of the word. In order for <br>Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority of the <br>papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible <br>would exalt God and place finite men in their true position; therefore its <br>sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was adopted by <br>the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was <br>prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their <br>houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to <br>sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost universally <br>acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with authority over <br>church and state.<br><br>The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according to his <br>will. Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to "think to change times <br>and laws." Daniel 7:25. This<br><br>52<br><br>work it was not slow to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a <br>substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal <br>acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually <br>introduced into the Christian worship. The decree of a general council (see <br>Appendix) finally established this system of idolatry. To complete the <br>sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the second <br>commandment, forbidding image worship, and to divide the tenth commandment, <br>in order to preserve the number.<br><br>The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further <br>disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated <br>leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment also, and <br>essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and <br>sanctified (Genesis 2:2, 3), and in its stead to exalt the festival observed <br>by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This change was not at <br>first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been <br>kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and, <br>believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness <br>of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to <br>bring about his object. That the attention of the people might be called to <br>the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. <br>Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of <br>recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed.<br><br>To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan had <br>led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the <br>most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now, taking <br>advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded, <br>he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally <br>continued to observe the Sunday as a joyous festival, he led them, in order <br>to show<br><br>53<br><br>their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and <br>gloom.<br><br>In the early part of the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a <br>decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. (See <br>Appendix.) The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was <br>honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the conflicting <br>interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do this by the <br>bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for power, <br>perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, <br>it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus <br>advance the power and glory of the church. But while many God-fearing <br>Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of <br>sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and <br>observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment.<br><br>The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the <br>Christian world under his banner and to exercise his power through his <br>vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of <br>Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving <br>churchmen he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to <br>time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the <br>world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was <br>pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. <br>Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution, <br>while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers <br>were declared to be accursed.<br><br>The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is <br>called God, or that is worshiped." 2 Thessalonians 2:4. He had dared to <br>change the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all <br>mankind to the true and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is<br><br>54<br><br>revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and is thereby <br>distinguished from all false gods. It was as a memorial of the work of <br>creation that the seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was <br>designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men as the source <br>of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men <br>from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; <br>therefore he directs his efforts especially against that commandment which <br>points to God as the Creator.<br><br>Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the <br>Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was <br>given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday as a <br>Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" (2 <br>Thessalonians 2:7, R.V.) which, even in Paul's day, had begun its work. <br>Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid <br>reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction?<br><br>In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of <br>power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to <br>be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. <br>The dragon had given to the beast "his power, and his seat, and great <br>authority." Revelation 13:2. And now began the 1260 years of papal <br>oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel <br>7:25; Revelation 13:5-7. (See Appendix.) Christians were forced to choose <br>either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, <br>or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the <br>fagot, or the headsman's ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: "Ye <br>shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; <br>and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated <br>of all men for My name's sake." Luke 21:16, 17. Persecution opened upon the <br>faithful with greater fury than ever before,<br><br>55<br><br>and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of <br>Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: "The <br>woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that <br>they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days." <br>Revelation 12:6.<br><br>The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark <br>Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred <br>from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting <br>in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the <br>people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he <br>delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly <br>mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, <br>that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly <br>obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the <br>severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the <br>offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to <br>fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay, more, to the prince of darkness <br>himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb <br>of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard <br>himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing <br>iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions was manifest the <br>corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God.<br><br>Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful <br>standard-bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without <br>witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly <br>prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was <br>lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people <br>were burdened with rigorous exactions.<br><br>They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to <br>trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of <br>penance, the worship of relics, the<br><br>56<br><br>erection of churches, shrines, and altars, the payment of large sums to the <br>church--these and many similar acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of <br>God or to secure His favor; as if God were like men, to be angered at <br>trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!<br><br>Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the Roman <br>Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of the <br>eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the <br>church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which they <br>now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to give it <br>a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of lies. <br>Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before unheard of <br>were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope from the <br>earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth greedily accepted <br>these deceptions. (See Appendix.)<br><br>The few faithful builders upon the true foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11) <br>were perplexed and hindered as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the <br>work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day, some <br>were ready to say: "The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and <br>there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build." Nehemiah 4:10. <br>Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and <br>every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some <br>who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of <br>peace and security for their property and their lives, they turned away from <br>the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies, <br>fearlessly declared: "Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is <br>great and terrible" (verse 14); and they proceeded with the work, everyone <br>with his sword girded by his side. Ephesians 6:17.<br><br>The same spirit of hatred and opposition to the truth has inspired the <br>enemies of God in every age, and the same<br><br>57<br><br>vigilance and fidelity have been required in His servants. The words of <br>Christ to the first disciples are applicable to His followers to the close <br>of time: "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark 13:37.<br><br>The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general. <br>Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The <br>most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so <br>completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have lost <br>its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure-loving, <br>sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the people who looked <br>to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice.<br><br>Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh century, <br>Pope Gregory VII proclaimed the perfection of the Roman Church. Among the <br>propositions which he put forth was one declaring that the church had never <br>erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the Scripture <br>proofs did not accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff also claimed the <br>power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which he pronounced <br>could be reversed by anyone, but that it was his prerogative to reverse the <br>decisions of all others. (See Appendix.)<br><br>A striking illustration of the tyrannical character of this advocate of <br>infallibility was given in his treatment of the German emperor, Henry IV. <br>For presuming to disregard the pope's authority, this monarch was declared <br>to be excommunicated and dethroned. Terrified by the desertion and threats <br>of his own princes, who were encouraged in rebellion against him by the <br>papal mandate, Henry felt the necessity of making his peace with Rome. In <br>company with his wife and a faithful servant he crossed the Alps in <br>midwinter, that he might humble himself before the pope. Upon reaching the <br>castle whither Gregory had withdrawn, he was conducted, without his guards, <br>into an outer court, and there, in the severe cold of winter, with uncovered <br>head and naked<br><br>58<br><br>feet, and in a miserable dress, he awaited the pope's permission to come <br>into his presence. Not until he had continued three days fasting and making <br>confession, did the pontiff condescend to grant him pardon. Even then it was <br>only upon condition that the emperor should await the sanction of the pope <br>before resuming the insignia or exercising the power of royalty. And <br>Gregory, elated with his triumph, boasted that it was his duty to pull down <br>the pride of kings.<br><br>How striking the contrast between the overbearing pride of this haughty <br>pontiff and the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who represents Himself as <br>pleading at the door of the heart for admittance, that He may come in to <br>bring pardon and peace, and who taught His disciples: "Whosoever will be <br>chief among you, let him be your servant." Matthew 20:27.<br><br>The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the <br>doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the establishment of the papacy <br>the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and exerted an <br>influence in the church. Many who professed conversion still clung to the <br>tenets of their pagan philosophy, and not only continued its study <br>themselves, but urged it upon others as a means of extending their influence <br>among the heathen. Serious errors were thus introduced into the Christian <br>faith. Prominent among these was the belief in man's natural immortality and <br>his consciousness in death. This doctrine laid the foundation upon which <br>Rome established the invocation of saints and the adoration of the Virgin <br>Mary. From this sprang also the heresy of eternal torment for the finally <br>impenitent, which was early incorporated into the papal faith.<br><br>Then the way was prepared for the introduction of still another invention of <br>paganism, which Rome named purgatory, and employed to terrify the credulous <br>and superstitious multitudes. By this heresy is affirmed the existence of a <br>place of torment, in which the souls of such as have not merited eternal <br>damnation are to suffer punishment for their sins,<br><br>59<br><br>and from which, when freed from impurity, they are admitted to heaven. (See <br>Appendix.)<br><br>Still another fabrication was needed to enable Rome to profit by the fears <br>and the vices of her adherents. This was supplied by the doctrine of <br>indulgences. Full remission of sins, past, present, and future, and release <br>from all the pains and penalties incurred, were promised to all who would <br>enlist in the pontiff's wars to extend his temporal dominion, to punish his <br>enemies, or to exterminate those who dared deny his spiritual supremacy. The <br>people were also taught that by the payment of money to the church they <br>might free themselves from sin, and also release the souls of their deceased <br>friends who were confined in the tormenting flames. By such means did Rome <br>fill her coffers and sustain the magnificence, luxury, and vice of the <br>pretended representatives of Him who had not where to lay His head. (See <br>Appendix.)<br><br>The Scriptural ordinance of the Lord's Supper had been supplanted by the <br>idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papal priests pretended, by their <br>senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual <br>"body and blood of Christ."--Cardinal Wiseman, The Real Presence of the Body <br>and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist, Proved From <br>Scripture, lecture 8, sec. 3, par. 26. With blasphemous presumption, they <br>openly claimed the power of creating God, the Creator of all things. <br>Christians were required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this <br>horrible, Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who refused were given to the <br>flames. (See Appendix.)<br><br>In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the <br>engines of the papacy--the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought with <br>the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils Satan and his <br>angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an <br>angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees and <br>writing the history of deeds too horrible to appear to human eyes. "Babylon <br>the great" was "drunken with the blood of the saints." The mangled forms of <br>millions of<br><br>60<br><br>martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power.<br><br>Popery had become the world's despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the <br>decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for <br>eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of <br>Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently <br>performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and <br>liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater <br>dignity, magnificence, or power.<br><br>But "the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world."--J. A. Wylie, <br>The History of Protestantism, b. 1, ch. 4. The Holy Scriptures were almost <br>unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests. Like the Pharisees of <br>old, the papal leaders hated the light which would reveal their sins. God's <br>law, the standard of righteousness, having been removed, they exercised <br>power without limit, and practiced vice without restraint. Fraud, avarice, <br>and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain <br>wealth or position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the <br>vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so <br>revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the <br>church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. For centuries Europe had made <br>no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual <br>paralysis had fallen upon Christendom.<br><br>The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful and <br>striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea: "My people are <br>destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I <br>will also reject thee: . . . seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, <br>I will also forget thy children." "There is no truth, nor mercy, nor <br>knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and <br>stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth <br>blood." Hosea 4:6, 1, 2. Such were the results of banishing the word of God.<br><br><br>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:28:18 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[American Home of the Brave - Crushing Children's Testicles Is Okay - Bush Advisor John Yoo]]></title>
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	<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/17580" rel="nofollow" class="url" target="_blank">http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/17580</a><br><br>What does torture have in common with genocide, slavery, and wars of<br>aggression?  They are all jus cogens.  That's Latin for "higher law" or<br>"compelling law."  This means that no country can ever pass a law that<br>allows torture.  There can be no immunity from criminal liability for<br>violation of a jus cogens prohibition.<br><br>The United States has always prohibited torture in our Constitution,<br>laws, executive statements, judicial decisions, and treaties. When the<br>U.S. ratifies a treaty, it becomes part of American law under the<br>Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. <br><br>The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading<br>Treatment or Punishment, says, "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever,<br>whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability<br>or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for<br>torture."<br><br>Whether someone is a POW or not, he must always be treated humanely;<br>there are no gaps in the Geneva Conventions.<br><br>The US War Crimes Act, and 18 USC sections 818 and 3231, punish torture,<br>willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health,<br>and inhuman, humiliating or degrading treatment.<br><br>The Torture Statute criminalizes the commission, attempt, or conspiracy<br>to commit torture outside the United States. <br><br>The Constitution gives Congress the power to make laws and the President<br>the duty to enforce them.  Yet Bush, relying on memos by lawyers<br>including John Yoo, announced the Geneva Conventions did not apply to<br>alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda members. But torture and inhumane treatment<br>are never allowed under our laws.<br><br>Justice Department lawyers wrote memos at the request of Bush officials<br>to insulate them from prosecution for torture.  In memos dated August 1,<br>2002 and March 14, 2003, John Yoo wrote the DOJ would not enforce U.S.<br>laws against torture, assault, maiming and stalking, in the detention and<br>interrogation of enemy combatants.<br><br>The maiming statute makes it a crime for someone "with the intent to<br>torture, maim, or disfigure" to "cut, bite, or slit the nose, ear or lip,<br>or cut out or disable the tongue, or put out or destroy an eye, or cut<br>off or disable a limb, or any member of another person" or throw or pour<br>upon another person any scalding water, corrosive acid, or caustic<br>substance.<br><br>Yoo said, "just because the statute says -- that doesn't mean you have to<br>do it."  In a debate with Notre Dame Professor Doug Cassell, Yoo said<br>there is no treaty that prohibits the President from torturing someone by<br>crushing the testicles of the person's child.  It depends on the<br>President's motive, Yoo said, notwithstanding the absolute prohibition on<br>torture.<br><br>Yoo twisted the law and redefined torture much more narrowly than the<br>Torture Convention and the Torture Statute.  Under Yoo's definition, you<br>have to nearly kill the person to constitute torture.<br><br>Yoo wrote that self-defense or necessity could be defenses to war crimes<br>prosecutions, notwithstanding the Torture Convention's absolute<br>prohibition against torture in all circumstances.<br><br>After the August 1, 2002 memo was made public, the DOJ knew it was<br>indefensible.  It was withdrawn as of June 1, 2004, and a new opinion,<br>dated December 30, 2004, specifically rejected Yoo's definition of<br>torture, and admitted that a defendant's motives to protect national<br>security won't shield him from prosecution.  The rescission of the prior<br>memo is an admission by the DOJ that the legal reasoning was wrong.  But<br>for the 22 months it was in effect, it sanctioned and caused the torture<br>of myriad prisoners.<br><br>Yoo and other DOJ lawyers were part of a common plan to violate U.S. and<br>international laws outlawing torture.  It was reasonably foreseeable<br>their advice would result in great physical or mental harm or death to<br>many detainees.  Indeed, more than 100 have died, many from torture. Yoo<br>admitted recently he knew interrogators would take action based on what<br>he advised.<br><br>Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, George<br>Tenet, and John Ashcroft met in the White House and micromanaged the<br>torture by approving specific torture techniques such as waterboarding.<br>Bush admitted he knew and approved of their actions.<br><br>They are all liable under the War Crimes Act and the Torture Statute.<br>Under the doctrine of command responsibility, commanders, all the way up<br>the chain of command to the commander in chief, are liable for war crimes<br>if they knew or should have known their subordinates would commit them,<br>and they did nothing to stop or prevent it.  The Bush officials ordered<br>the torture after seeking legal cover from their lawyers. <br><br>The President can no more order the commission of torture than he can<br>order the commission of genocide, or establish a system of slavery, or<br>wage a war of aggression. <br><br>A Select Committee of Congress should launch an immediate and thorough<br>investigation of the circumstances under which torture was authorized and<br>rationalized.  The high officials of our government, and the lawyers who<br>advised them, should be investigated and prosecuted by a Special<br>Prosecutor, independent of the Justice Department, for their roles in<br>misusing the rule of law and legal analysis to justify torture and other<br>crimes in flagrant violation of our laws.<br><br>For the complete testimony, see<br><a href="http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=205193-1" rel="nofollow" class="url" target="_blank">http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id...</a>. <br><br> <br><br>Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the<br>President of the National Lawyers Guild.  She is the author of  "Cowboy<br>Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law."<br>
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	<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:33:34 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH BY DENNIS KUCINICH]]></title>
	<guid>http://www.nnseek.com/e/alt.culture.arabic.friends/articles_of_impeachment_for_president_george_w_bush_226275445t.html</guid>
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	<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://kucinich.house.gov/spotlightissues/documents.htm" rel="nofollow" class="url" target="_blank">http://kucinich.house.gov/spotlightissues/documents.htm</a><br><br><a href="http://www.impeachbush.tv/progress/dk_aoi_bush" rel="nofollow" class="url" target="_blank">http://www.impeachbush.tv/progress/dk_aoi_bush</a>/<br><br><a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article3786591.ece" rel="nofollow" class="url" target="_blank">http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article3786591.ece</a><br>==============================================================<br><br>Articles of Impeachment for President George W Bush by Dennis Kucinich<br><br>Introduced in Congress June 9, 2008. More details here.<br><br>    Resolved, that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes<br>and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be<br>exhibited to the United States Senate:<br><br>    Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of<br>the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of<br>the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its<br>impeachment against President George W. Bush for high crimes and<br>misdemeanors.<br><br>    In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush,<br>in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office<br>of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability,<br>preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and<br>in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be<br>faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power.<br><br>   1. Article I - Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a<br>False Case for War Against Iraq.<br>   2. Article II - Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent<br>Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of<br>Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War<br>of Aggression.<br>   3. Article III - Misleading the American People and Members of<br>Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to<br>Manufacture a False Case for War.<br>   4. Article IV - Misleading the American People and Members of Congress<br>to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.<br>   5. Article V - Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of<br>Aggression.<br>   6. Article VI - Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of<br>HJRes114.<br>   7. Article VII - Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.<br>   8. Article VIII - Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of<br>the UN Charter.<br>   9. Article IX - Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle<br>Armor<br>  10. Article X - Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for<br>Political Purposes<br>  11. Article XI - Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq<br>  12. Article XII - Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That<br>Nation's Natural Resources<br>  13. Article XIII - Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and<br>Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries<br>  14. Article XIV - Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of<br>Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of<br>Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence<br>Agency<br>  15. Article XV - Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal<br>Contractors in Iraq<br>  16. Article XVI - Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in<br>Connection With Iraq and US Contractors<br>  17. Article XVII - Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And<br>Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives<br>  18. Article XVIII - Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the<br>Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places,<br>as a Matter of Official Policy<br>  19. Article XIX - Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against<br>Their Will to 'Black Sites' Located in Other Nations, Including Nations<br>Known to Practice Torture<br>  20. Article XX - Imprisoning Children<br>  21. Article XXI - Misleading Congress and the American People About<br>Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran,<br>With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government<br>  22. Article XXII - Creating Secret Laws<br>  23. Article XXIII - Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act<br>  24. Article XXIV - Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered<br>Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment<br>  25. Article XXV - Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an<br>Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers<br>and Emails of American Citizens<br>  26. Article XXVI - Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing<br>Statements<br>  27. Article XXVII - Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and<br>Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply<br>  28. Article XXVIII - Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption<br>of the Administration of Justice<br>  29. Article XXIX - Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965<br>  30. Article XXX - Misleading Congress and the American People in an<br>Attempt to Destroy Medicare<br>  31. Article XXXI - Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster<br>of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency<br>  32. Article XXXII - Misleading Congress and the American People,<br>Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change<br>  33. Article XXXIII - Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High<br>Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior<br>to 911.<br>  34. Article XXXIV - Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks<br>of September 11, 2001<br>  35. Article XXXV - Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders<br>
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	<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:29:39 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[VATICAN  GOVERNMENT   eom]]></title>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2008 08:28:51 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[VANGUARD GROUP INVESTMENTS  Malvern, PA  19355  USA   eom]]></title>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2008 08:28:28 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[JOSEPH PALERMO  eom]]></title>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2008 08:27:54 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Pamela London-Barrett  eom]]></title>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2008 08:27:09 PDT</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[NICK HOFFMAN   eom]]></title>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2008 08:26:37 PDT</pubDate>
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