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Cheating Justice: How Bush and Cheney Attacked the Rule of Law and Plotted to Avoid Prosecution- and What We Can Do about It
Holtzman and Cooper reveal how the Bush-Cheney administration broke the law—and why and how the people can bring them to justice.
Deceiving Congress about the war in Iraq, illegal wire-tapping, and torture are only a few of the ways that the Bush-Cheney administration transgressed the law. Yet, they remain unindicted for these and other offenses. This book details how they got away with it, and how we can hold them accountable.
Deceiving Congress about the war in Iraq, illegal wire-tapping, and torture are only a few of the ways that the Bush-Cheney administration transgressed the law. Yet, they remain unindicted for these and other offenses. This book details how they got away with it, and how we can hold them accountable.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 18, 2012
God bless the USA---God curse the USA.
You keep hearing it over and over, "God bless the USA. God bless the USA. God bless the USA."
But I've tended to cringe each time I've heard it for the past eight or more years. Not because I didn't wish for it to be so or want it to happen. In fact, I cringed for quite awhile with only a vague understanding of exactly why I did. Then I read CHEATING JUSTICE, by Elizabeth Holtzman with Cynthia L. Cooper. Now I know why I cringe. Because President George W. Bush, Vice President Cheney, and others actually did deceive Congress and the citizens to go to war in Iraq. Furthermore, they set free the appalling policies of brutal and inhuman torture in violation of law and basic human compassion. And they haven't faced the consequences for having done so.
So let me stand now and applaud these courageous women, Elizabeth Holzman and Cynthia L. Cooper, who are capable, very experienced and knowledgeable attorneys and writers, who refuse to let American justice be cheated without raising the roof, setting forth an exacting case for action. Their book presents the facts and the case for how and why we, as a society, should proceed against those responsible for various atrocities, including torture.
Often, the "God bless the USA" refrain is heard in a political context. Frequently, for me at least, it's the President of the United States of America I hear saying it, seeking to sanctify his speech as he closes: "God bless the USA." But now, as I've said, I cringe when that happens and find myself wondering: is such a petition blasphemy? Will the USA be cursed? Must we, as a nation, not repent, acknowledging wrongdoing in not holding the rich and powerful people responsible and accountable? Shouldn't we, with Elizabeth Holzman and Cynthia Cooper, stand tall for justice and not allow the swindle of righteousness to continue?
Remember back to March 20, 2003 to the attack on Baghdad? I watched on television: the bombing, the explosions, the gunfire, the rising smoke and the bleeding bodies, the innocent killing and destruction that went on and on and on. The war continued for days and weeks, for months and years, ever onward. Remember the news reports night after night? Remember the cost in lives, in injuries, in time and money, not just of Americans, but Iraqis and others involved in the mess. Remember the loved ones lost or maimed, the financial disasters it has wrought at home and abroad? Remember, in the midst of it, all those wretched pictures at Abu Ghraib? Men --- guilty or not --- tortured, laid bare and brutalized, subjected to gross humiliations, absolute terror in their faces, maimed and killed? Remember? US soldiers standing over them, mocking and torturing them, and getting off in doing so? Torture, plain and simple. Savage, sadistic and callous. Plus the continuing stories, not only of Abu Graib and Iraq, but also of arrests and renderings, at home and abroad, of the perhaps guilty and the innocent in the "war on terror"? The miscarriages of justice.
Remember the pretexts for starting the war in Iraq: the alleged weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi's connections to the 9/11 attacks. It was a pack of lies and untruths. Pretexts, laid bare in this deliberate, take-you-all-through-it, step-by-step, book.
Will God curse the USA? Despite repeated, ad infinitum, incantations of "God bless the USA" by Americans of all walks of life, can we as citizens truly expect God --- or, for that matter, any secular philosophy --- so petitioned, to bless the USA?
I worked as an appeals officer for the IRS. (When I used to mention that I worked for the IRS, people would cringe. I'd say that at least it was appealing work). What does an appeals officer for the IRS do? Where warranted, they make compromises on tax cases appealed by disgruntled taxpayers --- individuals, corporations, partnerships, etc. Appeals officers weigh the state of the existing pertinent laws and all of the relevant facts and circumstances of a case. Then they assess the risks to the parties in litigating. They try to make compromises, accordingly, if warranted. The reason I mention this is because that is precisely what these authors do with CHEATING JUSTICE.
You should read it. I hope you do. Eventually people need to say and hear "God bless the USA" without cringing and worrying as a nation we've shirked our responsibility in justice. Can God bless the USA?
I wrote Making Expression Less Taxing: A Freelancer's Tax Resource, Time For All Eternity, and Alejandro the Great.
You keep hearing it over and over, "God bless the USA. God bless the USA. God bless the USA."
But I've tended to cringe each time I've heard it for the past eight or more years. Not because I didn't wish for it to be so or want it to happen. In fact, I cringed for quite awhile with only a vague understanding of exactly why I did. Then I read CHEATING JUSTICE, by Elizabeth Holtzman with Cynthia L. Cooper. Now I know why I cringe. Because President George W. Bush, Vice President Cheney, and others actually did deceive Congress and the citizens to go to war in Iraq. Furthermore, they set free the appalling policies of brutal and inhuman torture in violation of law and basic human compassion. And they haven't faced the consequences for having done so.
So let me stand now and applaud these courageous women, Elizabeth Holzman and Cynthia L. Cooper, who are capable, very experienced and knowledgeable attorneys and writers, who refuse to let American justice be cheated without raising the roof, setting forth an exacting case for action. Their book presents the facts and the case for how and why we, as a society, should proceed against those responsible for various atrocities, including torture.
Often, the "God bless the USA" refrain is heard in a political context. Frequently, for me at least, it's the President of the United States of America I hear saying it, seeking to sanctify his speech as he closes: "God bless the USA." But now, as I've said, I cringe when that happens and find myself wondering: is such a petition blasphemy? Will the USA be cursed? Must we, as a nation, not repent, acknowledging wrongdoing in not holding the rich and powerful people responsible and accountable? Shouldn't we, with Elizabeth Holzman and Cynthia Cooper, stand tall for justice and not allow the swindle of righteousness to continue?
Remember back to March 20, 2003 to the attack on Baghdad? I watched on television: the bombing, the explosions, the gunfire, the rising smoke and the bleeding bodies, the innocent killing and destruction that went on and on and on. The war continued for days and weeks, for months and years, ever onward. Remember the news reports night after night? Remember the cost in lives, in injuries, in time and money, not just of Americans, but Iraqis and others involved in the mess. Remember the loved ones lost or maimed, the financial disasters it has wrought at home and abroad? Remember, in the midst of it, all those wretched pictures at Abu Ghraib? Men --- guilty or not --- tortured, laid bare and brutalized, subjected to gross humiliations, absolute terror in their faces, maimed and killed? Remember? US soldiers standing over them, mocking and torturing them, and getting off in doing so? Torture, plain and simple. Savage, sadistic and callous. Plus the continuing stories, not only of Abu Graib and Iraq, but also of arrests and renderings, at home and abroad, of the perhaps guilty and the innocent in the "war on terror"? The miscarriages of justice.
Remember the pretexts for starting the war in Iraq: the alleged weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi's connections to the 9/11 attacks. It was a pack of lies and untruths. Pretexts, laid bare in this deliberate, take-you-all-through-it, step-by-step, book.
Will God curse the USA? Despite repeated, ad infinitum, incantations of "God bless the USA" by Americans of all walks of life, can we as citizens truly expect God --- or, for that matter, any secular philosophy --- so petitioned, to bless the USA?
I worked as an appeals officer for the IRS. (When I used to mention that I worked for the IRS, people would cringe. I'd say that at least it was appealing work). What does an appeals officer for the IRS do? Where warranted, they make compromises on tax cases appealed by disgruntled taxpayers --- individuals, corporations, partnerships, etc. Appeals officers weigh the state of the existing pertinent laws and all of the relevant facts and circumstances of a case. Then they assess the risks to the parties in litigating. They try to make compromises, accordingly, if warranted. The reason I mention this is because that is precisely what these authors do with CHEATING JUSTICE.
You should read it. I hope you do. Eventually people need to say and hear "God bless the USA" without cringing and worrying as a nation we've shirked our responsibility in justice. Can God bless the USA?
I wrote Making Expression Less Taxing: A Freelancer's Tax Resource, Time For All Eternity, and Alejandro the Great.
June 29, 2012
Reads like a law brief, which is almost what it is. The Bush/Cheney administration broke so many laws it took a book to discuss them. They are still liable for prosecution for quite a few of them; the statute of limitations has not run out yet. They should be prosecuted for attempting to reduce this country to the level of third-world dictatorships. Our greatest freedom is the rule of law; Bush, Cheney, et. al deliberately broke many, many laws and are now laughing and bragging about it. They have lowered the status of the United States in the eyes of the world and made us a less moral place. Worst of all, they have endangered our military and any other Americans who are taken as prisoners; torture and cruel treatment will once again be the norm, in direct contravention of the Geneva Conventions and international law, at which the Bush administration thumbed its collective nose. To allow these malefactors to laugh over their misdeeds is to open our nation to any deeds any president chooses to perform. I had thought that President Nixon had proved that presidents are not above the law. Bush/Cheney and their cohorts have proved that is not the case, unless we act to prosecute them for their crimes.
May 10, 2019
Great Reminder of Bush's War Crimes
Elizabeth Holtzman was a lawyer during the Watergate Hearings. She lays out a great argument for finding ways to punish Bush, Cheney and other Bush administration officials for torture and war crimes. She wants that letting this stand would further harm our nation. I'd say she was right. Things are worse and more dangerous today.
Elizabeth Holtzman was a lawyer during the Watergate Hearings. She lays out a great argument for finding ways to punish Bush, Cheney and other Bush administration officials for torture and war crimes. She wants that letting this stand would further harm our nation. I'd say she was right. Things are worse and more dangerous today.
July 2, 2013
This was an excellent, well-researched book that clearly outlined how Bush 43 and his administration violated the Constitution and numerous other laws, both national and international. It explained not only the precise laws broken, but what can be done to fix the system so that such tragedy does not take place again. The best part is, it was not very long; it packed quite a punch in 167 pages.
July 14, 2012
This was written as a legal brief so it's quite dense to read. I agree with many other reviewers that the case is superbly made but so was the smokescreen that will continue to protect the Bush/ Cheney team from prosecution. Not for nothing do such smug smirks sit on those faces.
January 13, 2015
If you're wondering why Bush, Cheney, et al aren't traveling abroad these days, it's because so many countries and international tribunals have cases pending against them. It's a shame that these criminals have not been brought to justice. Elizabeth Holtzman reminds us that there is still time.
July 4, 2012
Great read for this 4th of July!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews