You read that right, my friends. A grand jury in Willacy County, Texas has indicted Richard Cheney, currently our Vice President in charge of torture and abuse of prisoners, for — well — for abuse of prisoners. Really. Just not the prisoners you think:
A Texas grand jury has charged US Vice-President Dick Cheney for “organised criminal activity” related to alleged abuse of private prison inmates.
The indictment says Mr Cheney – who has invested $85m (£56m) in a company that holds shares in for-profit prisons – conspired to block an investigation. […]
The indictment was overseen by county District Attorney Juan Guerra, an outgoing prosecutor at the end of his term of office.
He cites the case of Gregorio De La Rosa, who died on 26 April 26, 2001 inside a private prison in Willacy County, Texas.
The grand jury in Willacy County, near the US-Mexico border, accuses Mr Cheney of committing “at least misdemeanour assaults” of inmates by allowing other inmates to assault them.
It said there was a “direct conflict of interest” because Mr Cheney had influence over federal contracts awarded to prison companies. […]
The three-page indictment also alleges that former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “used his position…to stop the investigations as to the wrong doings.”
I guess someone is going to need a pardon from his subordinate. I mean for something other than war crimes. Leave it to Cheney to find new ways to embarrass the United States, his high office and the Republican party. Notice I didn’t say he embarrassed himself. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past eight years it is that Dick Cheney is beyond shame.
To be honest, I suspect that this indictment will be dismissed. I’ll bet you know the old joke about how a prosecutor could get a a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. For that reason alone, I’m sure Dick can find a judge in Texas to take care of this little problem for him. Nonetheless, who knew that Cheney was directly profiting off of investments in the private prison industry. Disaster capitalism at it’s best, wouldn’t you agree?
How can the United States call itself a decent nation when such travesties of justice continue to occur and when expediency trumps honor as seems to be the case of the incoming administration. I guess it’s too much to ask our politicians to stand by and for the principles of constitutional government.
Same same.
Only the most negative scenes can sometimes successfully take measures of this sort.
If say someplace in Massachusetts or Vermont or California indicted him?
I can hear the reaction now.
But Enron/BushCo/Halliburton Central?
If I didn’t know better…and of course, I don’t know better…I’d think that the secret hand of Obama/Clinton/the left wing of the Intel community was involved here.
Think about it.
They can’t indict the ButchCo Boys. This whole next 8 months or so is going to be dedicated to some sort of feelgood media blitz.
The runup to the Iraq War?
You ain’t seen nuthin” yet!!!
The runup to the war on financial disaster.
Watch.
That’s the public stance.
But behind the scenes?
A grassroots fire is started.
Cheney indicted in 27 counties.
Butch’s name on a sewage system.
Rumours of Rove’s strange sexual proclivities are leaked. True OR false, no matter.
And so on.
That way they can have their cake and eat it too.
Now THAT would be truly Hillaryesque.
There’s a movie in there somewhere, if nothing else.
Yup.
Bet on it.
AG
Is he a diaper boy,too? Like Vitter? Or does he have a “wide stance”? Got a link?
Paging Jeff Gannon ..
Link?
I don’ need no steenking links!!!
Karl Rove on his first meeting with George W. Butch:
Love at first sight.
Does he actually act on these proclivities?
I neither know nor do I care.
Neither do I particularly care if he even has them, truth be told.
However…my own bet is that well over 70% of the orangutan-brained electorate would care, and they would care in a negative manner.
This is politics, not cultural morality.
“Take these monkeys down any which way you can!!!” is the real name of the game.
In a brawl with a truly dangerous opponent?
Marquis of Queensbury rules?
Not in my experience.
Hit him with a beer bottle.
Kick him in the balls.
Shoot him if you have a gun.
Marquis of the Real World rules apply here.
Bet on it.
If you can hang it on him…do so.
Look what they did to Bill Clinton for having the audacity to engage in some non-harmful recreational sexual contact while engaged in perhaps the most stressful job in the world.
Rove did that.
Rove and others like him.
Tit for tat.
Fuck ’em.
AG
Just ordinarily gay,then? I feel a twinge at attacking him for that, but I agree that this is a brass knuckle brawl. Yeah, out him right in the faces of the Moral Majority.
This attack on Rove would appear to have the same justification as Mike Jones had for outing Haggard — the target isn’t sexuality, but the utmost hypocrisy.
We’re talking about the type of demonization that results in murder. Both of these men have benefitted enormously.
Steve Benen gives a little more perspective in About That Cheney Indictment.
Well, it’s a fun thought anyway.
Travel to Europe, uh.. nope
Visit Georgie in Texas, uh…nope
OT – could someone show me how to do strike through words?
It’s < letter s>
like this
<backslash, letter s>
No spaces.
Has a nabbing-Capone-on-tax-evasion feel, but I’d still go with it.
No wonder he bought a new
housemansion in Dubai!It takes 12 people to indict someone. Ever notice how little respect Republicans have for the law, when it affects them. Gonzo and Cheney basically saying its a farce.
It is, given impending pardon-fest. Just like the whole Libby deal was an exercise in futility, so is this.
Fitzmas was a left hand smack to all our faces, just no one seemed to care/notice because it all started so well.
I like the “organized criminal activity” part.
Let’s keep painting them with that Raceteering and Corrupt Organizations brush. The picture will change.