Public Forum Letter07/19/2007
A recent article reports the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on behalf of nine former prisoners who had been abused and tortured in American prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The dismissal was based on a district court judge's opinion that "Rumsfeld cannot be held responsible for actions taken in connection with his government job."
This is a most interesting position since the Nazis, whom we prosecuted at Nuremburg, were charged and sentenced for deeds committed in connection with their government jobs. A district court judge had no problem allowing Americans to sue the government of Sudan for the USS Cole incident and the government of Iran for financing the Khobar Tower bombing. Even if they both were guilty, their deeds would have been committed in connection with their government jobs.
The U.S. searched for and captured Saddam Hussein and issued a deck of cards for his officials for deeds committed in connection with their government jobs.
Yet, Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, et. al., are guilty of some the most heinous criminal acts in recorded history and they are going to walk because they are Americans? What kind of justice is that?
Reginald E. Smith Jr.
West Valley City
http://www.sltrib.com/Opinion/ci_6417797
