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US axes website for reporting human rights abuses by US-armed foreign forces

(www.bbc.com)
763 points tartoran | 3 comments | 23 Oct 25 14:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.661s | source
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mikeyouse ◴[23 Oct 25 14:35 UTC] No.45682307[source]▶
> Tim Rieser, former senior aide to Senator Leahy who wrote the 2011 amendment mandating information gathering, told the BBC the gateway's removal meant the State Department was "clearly ignoring the law".

We're in a really bad place... with a servile congress, it turns out there aren't really any laws constraining the executive branch. When everything relies on "independent IGs" for law enforcement inside executive branch departments, and the President can fire them all without consequence or oversight, then it turns out there is no law.

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Joeri ◴[23 Oct 25 15:18 UTC] No.45682838[source]▶
When a different side takes control of the justice department they may choose to go after all those who broke the law by order of this president. The president might be protected from consequences according to the supreme court, but those answering to the president are not.

This administration has set the standard that the justice department can be weaponized against political enemies. The ratchet only goes one way in American politics, presidents never relinquish the powers claimed by their predecessors.

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dirtyoldmick[dead post] ◴[23 Oct 25 15:22 UTC] No.45682894[source]▶
[flagged]
1. margalabargala ◴[23 Oct 25 15:32 UTC] No.45683032[source]▶
Let's say for a moment he did.

Shouldn't that be fixed rather than now abused further?

If your justification for Trump doing something is that "Biden did it first", then that means Biden is no worse than Trump. It means Trump just just following along the path Biden laid for him to the same goal.

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2. ahmeneeroe-v2 ◴[23 Oct 25 19:22 UTC] No.45685772[source]▶
No. If you don't use a weapon that your enemy will use, you will lose. It's a matter of survival.
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3. margalabargala ◴[23 Oct 25 21:11 UTC] No.45687234[source]▶
Setting aside the ludicrous idea that something is a "matter of survival" for the party currently controlling every single branch of the US government, what you said is still wrong and just an excuse for weak leadership.

Following that thought path literally anywhere just leads to the party in question being actively worse than the thing they claim to fight against.

A competent leader would see something abusable, an opportunity for corruption, and take steps to prevent its abuse.

Weak, corrupt leadership sees an opportunity for corruption and says "$core! They did it fir$t!". And that's how we lose. All of us I mean.