The Solution Zone - 08/11/11

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Download this episode (right click and save)

Topic #1: YES! US CITIZENS CAN ACTUALLY SUE RUMSFELD FOR TORTURE

Guest #1: Kathleen McClellan - Government Accountability Project – www.whistleblower.org

Two Lawsuits filed by citizen’s of the United States against Donald Rumsfeld for torture are being been allowed to proceed. Both courts – one, a US District Court in Washington DC and the second, a US Appeals Court in Chicago, have rejected the argument that Rumsfeld should be immune from such lawsuits.

On August 2nd the Federal court in Washington, DC upheld a Constitutional Rights claim filed by a US translator who says that he was tortured and illegally imprisoned.

Then, less than a week later, on Monday, August 8th, the 7th District Appeals Court in Chicago upheld the lawsuit filed by US citizens Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel - ruling that the case could go forward to the discovery process. Kathleen McClellen - National Security and Human Rights Counsel from the Government Accountability project joins the program to discusses the impact of these rulings and whether they may lead to further accountability by Bush administration for crimes it has been accused of committing in Iraq.

TOPIC #2: Dollars or Democracy – Fight Corporate Financing of Elections www.dollarsordemocracy.org

GUEST #2: Rick Claypool - Public Citizen - Online Action Team

Last year the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, case opened the door for huge corporations to spend outrageous amounts of money in secret campaign donations and drown out the voices of real people.

Today Public Citizen is speaking out with an Auguest 11th online drive called “dollarsordemocracy” that encourages people to type an unlimited number of dollar signs all day long  in protest of how Corporate money drowns out their voices. Rick Patel from Public Citizen joins us to discusses the current $ campaign and the enormous influence corporate dollars currently have on our election.