Comments on: Will Amrit give her autograph back? http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/ All that flavorful brownness in one savory packet Sat, 30 Nov 2013 11:11:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Priya http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239504 Priya Fri, 15 May 2009 04:54:27 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239504 <p>Interesting topic so I did some more digging thanks to Padma's breasts ;-)</p> <p>Here is the <a href="http://gawker.com/5253864/if-youre-angry-about-the-torture-photos-youre-being-played-by-obama?skyline=true&s=x">nuanced story</a>...Amrit may win but Obama made a smart move -</p> <blockquote>First off, Obama did not actually decide not to release the photos, despite the way his reversal has been characterized. The decision isn't his to make. The Pentagon is currently compelled by a court order [pdf] to turn 22 photos over to the ACLU, which sued the government under the Freedom of Information Act for their release in 2003. The Pentagon lost in district court and lost again on appeal; earlier this year Pentagon lawyers decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court and struck a deal with the ACLU. The government has no say at this point in whether or not those photos get released—either the FOIA compels their release or it doesn't, and it's up to a court to decide that question. All Obama did yesterday was authorize the Pentagon to ask the Supreme Court to take the case. The Court might take the case or it might not. And if it does, it will almost certainly uphold the decisions of the district and appeals courts and order the photos to be released. </blockquote> <blockquote>The government's legal argument is laughable—it was, the appeals court judges noted in their opinion, tossed in as an afterthought in the government's district court brief—and Obama surely knows it. And since the Pentagon already agreed to release the photos before Obama's reversal, it's not in a terribly strong position to argue that the threat from anger in the Arab world is very substantial—if these photos will actually put soldiers' lives in real danger, then why did you agree to release them before all your legal options were exhausted? By trying to take that argument to the Supreme Court, all Obama is doing is delaying the photos' release and earning points as a moderate and loyal Commander in Chief. He knows that the photos will come out before his next election, and any lingering anger from his supporters will have long since dissipated.</blockquote> Interesting topic so I did some more digging thanks to Padma’s breasts ;-)

Here is the nuanced story…Amrit may win but Obama made a smart move -

First off, Obama did not actually decide not to release the photos, despite the way his reversal has been characterized. The decision isn’t his to make. The Pentagon is currently compelled by a court order [pdf] to turn 22 photos over to the ACLU, which sued the government under the Freedom of Information Act for their release in 2003. The Pentagon lost in district court and lost again on appeal; earlier this year Pentagon lawyers decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court and struck a deal with the ACLU. The government has no say at this point in whether or not those photos get released—either the FOIA compels their release or it doesn’t, and it’s up to a court to decide that question. All Obama did yesterday was authorize the Pentagon to ask the Supreme Court to take the case. The Court might take the case or it might not. And if it does, it will almost certainly uphold the decisions of the district and appeals courts and order the photos to be released.
The government’s legal argument is laughable—it was, the appeals court judges noted in their opinion, tossed in as an afterthought in the government’s district court brief—and Obama surely knows it. And since the Pentagon already agreed to release the photos before Obama’s reversal, it’s not in a terribly strong position to argue that the threat from anger in the Arab world is very substantial—if these photos will actually put soldiers’ lives in real danger, then why did you agree to release them before all your legal options were exhausted? By trying to take that argument to the Supreme Court, all Obama is doing is delaying the photos’ release and earning points as a moderate and loyal Commander in Chief. He knows that the photos will come out before his next election, and any lingering anger from his supporters will have long since dissipated.
]]> By: Priya http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239499 Priya Fri, 15 May 2009 03:13:36 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239499 <p>Actually I wonder what would liberal activists have to say to this decision in comparison to Gujarat tragedy perpetrators who have escaped from the clutches of the laws ? Perfect Law and Order case ?</p> Actually I wonder what would liberal activists have to say to this decision in comparison to Gujarat tragedy perpetrators who have escaped from the clutches of the laws ? Perfect Law and Order case ?

]]> By: Priya http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239498 Priya Fri, 15 May 2009 03:03:23 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239498 <blockquote> <blockquote> <p>there's nothing proactive about it other than giving curious people something juicily disrespectful to drool over.</p> </blockquote> </blockquote> <p>though the war crimes cannot be compared..not releasing photos will prevent future war crime trials like that of <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6276198.ece">John Demjanjuk</a> which is slated to be the last of such German trials this week. Social backlash is an important factor in the decision especially in this media age.</p>

there’s nothing proactive about it other than giving curious people something juicily disrespectful to drool over.

though the war crimes cannot be compared..not releasing photos will prevent future war crime trials like that of John Demjanjuk which is slated to be the last of such German trials this week. Social backlash is an important factor in the decision especially in this media age.

]]> By: Priya http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239496 Priya Fri, 15 May 2009 02:36:25 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239496 <p>Is this dilemma something new ? Organizations and activists approach a problem from a singular focus on their beliefs and missions whereas the govt. and strategists have to think abt. realpolitik. Both sides need PR to sustain their campaign and bring people on board and depending on which/whose wind blows stronger at a particular time there is this proverbial tussle between the two. History is replete with such examples...(though this is not to belittle some very important changes that reformers and activists have brought about in the past...)</p> Is this dilemma something new ? Organizations and activists approach a problem from a singular focus on their beliefs and missions whereas the govt. and strategists have to think abt. realpolitik. Both sides need PR to sustain their campaign and bring people on board and depending on which/whose wind blows stronger at a particular time there is this proverbial tussle between the two. History is replete with such examples…(though this is not to belittle some very important changes that reformers and activists have brought about in the past…)

]]> By: cc http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239433 cc Thu, 14 May 2009 18:55:09 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239433 <p>It's never good PR when a president blatantly changes policy like that. But what exactly is wrong with his decision? So long as we prosecute the perpetrators, that should be enough. Splashing the photos across newspapers will further exploit the victims, and there's nothing proactive about it other than giving curious people something juicily disrespectful to drool over.</p> It’s never good PR when a president blatantly changes policy like that. But what exactly is wrong with his decision? So long as we prosecute the perpetrators, that should be enough. Splashing the photos across newspapers will further exploit the victims, and there’s nothing proactive about it other than giving curious people something juicily disrespectful to drool over.

]]> By: scribina http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239408 scribina Thu, 14 May 2009 11:17:10 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239408 <blockquote>He has two daughters</blockquote> <p>actually.. he has three daughters, with the one at aclu being the youngest.</p> He has two daughters

actually.. he has three daughters, with the one at aclu being the youngest.

]]> By: Suki Dillon http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239406 Suki Dillon Thu, 14 May 2009 10:44:50 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239406 <p><i>The Obama administration reversed its stance that previously agreed to allow the release of these damning pictures. Now Obama says “I changed my mind.”</i></p> <p>This will end up helping Obama in 2012.</p> The Obama administration reversed its stance that previously agreed to allow the release of these damning pictures. Now Obama says “I changed my mind.”

This will end up helping Obama in 2012.

]]> By: Kush Tandon http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2009/05/14/will_amrit_give/comment-page-1/#comment-239396 Kush Tandon Thu, 14 May 2009 07:00:01 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=5769#comment-239396 <p>Dude, MM Singh has another daughter who is a history professor @ St. Stephen's College, Delhi University.</p> <p>He has two daughters</p> Dude, MM Singh has another daughter who is a history professor @ St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

He has two daughters

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