←back to thread

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

(www.bbc.com)
763 points tartoran | 1 comments | 23 Oct 25 14:25 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
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.

replies(21): >>45682323 #>>45682445 #>>45682511 #>>45682590 #>>45682838 #>>45682977 #>>45682980 #>>45683124 #>>45683225 #>>45683230 #>>45683339 #>>45683432 #>>45683533 #>>45683596 #>>45683626 #>>45683638 #>>45683774 #>>45683801 #>>45683853 #>>45683854 #>>45683942 #
wffurr ◴[23 Oct 25 14:46 UTC] No.45682445[source]▶
The answer is impeachment, but when Congress is stuffed with boot licking toadies, then there is no recourse.
replies(5): >>45682460 #>>45682691 #>>45682910 #>>45683177 #>>45684072 #
AndrewKemendo ◴[23 Oct 25 15:23 UTC] No.45682910[source]▶
If a population decides to let themselves be run this way then who is at fault?

People get the leaders they deserve

replies(1): >>45683176 #
jkestner ◴[23 Oct 25 15:43 UTC] No.45683176[source]▶
We love to blame the common clay, don't we. You can win a majority of voters and lose an election. There are systemic problems, starting with money in politics, two senators per state, the electoral college and gerrymandering.
replies(4): >>45683767 #>>45683916 #>>45683980 #>>45684191 #
1. AndrewKemendo ◴[23 Oct 25 17:00 UTC] No.45684191[source]▶
George Carlin said it best:

“Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. F*ck Hope.’”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/78321-now-there-s-one-thing...

Video version: https://youtu.be/rVXekzwkz10?si=90VqlzOLiUS_7yFx