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President Carter: The U.S. has abandoned the basic principle of human rights

10-10-2007

Former President Carter accuses President Bush of coming up with his own definitions for torture and human rights. From CNN:

Carter says U.S. tortures prisoners

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United States tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Carter said Wednesday.

“I don’t think it. I know it,” Carter told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

“Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights,” Carter said. “We’ve said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we’ve said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime to which they are accused.”

Carter also said President Bush creates his own definition of human rights.

Carter’s comments come on the heels of an October 4 article in The New York Times disclosing the existence of secret Justice Department memorandums supporting the use of “harsh interrogation techniques.” These include “head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures,” according to the Times.

The White House last week confirmed the existence of the documents but would not make them public.

Responding to the newspaper report Friday, Bush defended the techniques used, saying, “This government does not torture people.”

Asked about Bush’s comments, Carter said, “That’s not an accurate statement if you use the international norms of torture as has always been honored — certainly in the last 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated.

“But you can make your own definition of human rights and say we don’t violate them, and you can make your own definition of torture and say we don’t violate them.”

After reading a transcript of Carter’s remarks, a senior White House official said, “Our position is clear. We don’t torture.”

The official said, “It’s just sad to hear a former president speak like that.”


Posted in Blog | 13 Comments »

  • John

    >Jimmy has spoken…as usual out of the wrong side of his mouth. He was a failure as President, a failure as Commander in Chief, a failure as a statesman. He needs to sit down and shutup and quit undermining the United States.
    I know of no one who has any belief in the assinine statements he continues make, no one respects him or his Presidency, he is by far the worse President we have ever had. Even bush looks better than Carter, atleast he has a backbone.

  • Anonymous

    >It's no secret that Guantanamo is a torture house, from various witness accounts. And now, a proofing document from the United States government.

    America needs to wake up from the new global reality: it's losing international creditibility; strong global distrust of true intentions of US policies; and fading economic influence thanks to the mountain of debt.

    Not shut up.

    Discussion like this help you realize how awful America's "brand" had become and it is time for us to stand up and face the brutal facts.

  • Anonymous

    >I find it interesting that Jimmy Carter would comment on the US and human rights. When he was president, Iran held a number of US journalist as hostages for his entire presidency. God only knows what torture and suffering they endured, but the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, after defeating Jimmy the hick Carter, the hostages were released. Jimmy needs to go to a home and stop trying to establish a legacy. His only legacy is that he allowed American journalists to be held captive in Iran and tortured for 4 years while doing nothing. Read your history liberals. You don't that's why you can't compete in the arena of ideas, you can only win by character assination. None of you have had an idea since JFK and he would be rolling in his grave if he could see you now. Shame on all of you.

  • Anonymous

    >Carter was a disaster as a President, especially with foreign policy and now he's an expert – I guess that's why the "deal" he negotiated with North Korea during the Clinton Admin. went so well. Please, Mr. President, go back to building houses for habitat for humanity – at least you were good at that!

  • Anonymous

    >Who cares what Carter thinks? He is as irrelevant today as he was during his failed presidency. He has no legacy, he did nothing while in office, so now, at the expense of our country and it's leadership, he is trying to make some profound impact on foreign policy? Dementia is setting in fast; or maybe he really is dumb! Apparently he thinks the treatment our soldiers receive is OK. The torture, beheading, burning etc that our soldiers endure is never mentioned by him. I say if torture is what it takes for us to gain information, then have at it. If he had his way we could only give GITMO detainees a 'Time Out' until they promised to behave. It's time Jimbo shuts up and quit spewing his socialist garbage. He has done nothing of any importance in his entire adult life. Just go quietly into a nursing home somewhere where you can't do any damage. Useless bag of flesh.

  • David L. Gentkle

    >Carter was the worst and most ineffective president in the history of this country. He almost destroyed out military, destroyed our economy (12% unemployment and 19% inflation rates), undermined the pro-Western Sha of Iran and put radical Muslims (Komemi) in charge (emboling the whole radical Muslim movement), gave up our Panama Canal which is now controlled by Communist China's engineers, undermined President Clinton on stopping North Korea from getting nuclear weapons, supported the improper elections of radical left wing dictators from various countires included Chauves, and blamed us Americans for his failings. He totally messed up the Embassy Hostage Recue Attempt in Iran (I know this for a fact because I was part of that operation), killing 8 brave Americans and blaming a Naval Academy Classmate of mine for Carter's failings, etc. etc. I could go on but there is a limit on the space. Carter is a complete twit.

  • Anonymous

    >Should we believe a former President that said this week that there is no genocide in Sudan. Talk about abandoned human rights I think he should stick to building houses for Habitat. He lost his credibilty long ago.

  • Anonymous

    >Carter is a disgrace, a pot calling the kettle dirty. If he had any sence of dignity he would just shut up. His administration was such a failure in every respect, and no one respects him. When he says these things he just makes himself look more stupid than he is. What an idiot! He just needs to go back to the p-nut farm where he belongs.

  • Anonymous

    >As a member of Jimmy Carter's generation, it is apparent that he is suffering from severe dementia. For any former President to make such remarks about the sitting President is a shame and disgrace. Punishment of terroists which is not life threatening such as our military has endured is certainly acceptable to a majority of us. America is the land of the free and the brave! Keep up the valiant work to protect us from fanatics.

  • Anonymous

    >Re Former President Carter's comment – it is sad to see the deterioration of this man. People close to him need to take better care of him relative to his public comments. A lot has been said in the media and by Carter, now, about torture. Nothing substantive has been said or provided to prove any of this nonsense. At this point, Carter needs to either recant or prove, in court(U.S. court), his allegations. Apparently some people will go to any length (in public statements) to undermine their country.

  • Anonymous

    >Carter is by far the worst president that the US has ever had. Now that he is old, senile and not privey to government intelligence information, he thinks that he is an authority on how to run the government? I think NOT!!!!

  • Ralph

    >On September 17, 1787, just before the signing of the Constitution, Ben Franklin presented a brief speech in which he said: "I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other."

    The quality of mind reflected in the personal attacks on Jimmy Carter by people who ignore the despotic measures taken almost daily by the Bush-Cheny Administration, and a spineless,collaborating Congress, suggest to me that we, as a people, are becoming so corrupted that we are incapable of preserving the kind of government given to us by the Founding Fathers.

    What amazes me is that the Bush-Cheny Administration is producing a serialized Orwellian Virtual Reality Show, complete with daily doses of Double Think and Double Talk. And with impunity.

    Hav our minds become so numbed that we are incapable of value-based dialogue. In the logic tight compartments of our minds, anyone who disagrees with any of our values disagrees with all. We have become either liberals or conservatives–we have,and tolerate, no middle ground; the options available to us are limited to "my way or the highway."

    How long can we continue, as a people, to deserve the Nation given to us by the Founding Fathers. The Constitution the Founding Fathers gave us grew out of heated dialogue, hard compromises, giving and taking, and,ultimately,out of trust in each other that they cared for the core values of nation they were launching,and rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

  • David

    >Jimmy Carter is a courageous man, more informed on what is actually happening in the world than most of the posters here will ever be. Cowardly Arbusto (little Bush) wouldn't even show up for the non-combat post his daddy got him in the Nat'l Guard – too much partying to be done while real soldiers were actually fighting in Vietnam. Of course, that was a bullsh**t war as well.