...the case could damage relations between Spain's Socialist government and President Barack Obama's administration.

See? Socialists looking out for each other. Damn socialists. They're everywhere, scratching each others' backs, biding their time. Biding. Their. Time. Then, like a jack-in-the-box where you're just slowly...turning...the...crank...you know that at...any...moment...maybe...right...now...almost...you...can't...

POP!

Out comes the socialism.

...or Diego Luna



/Diego Luna

Aren't Penelope Cruz and Paz Vega two names for one woman, who is just pretending to be two different people so she can make more money?

Obama will trade Cruz and Vega for tips on how to run a socialist government without being removed from office.
This seems fair
right?

Can we keep Antonio Banderas? I kinda like him, but not de la manera homosexual. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Also, Javier Bardem.

I wasn't expecting that.

And the countdown until O'Reilly claims credit for this begins.

Keep the chicks, send them the dicks.

But I don't WANT the case dropped. Who does?

Diogenes: And the countdown until O'Reilly claims credit for this begins.


Of course he's responsible. He singlehandedly crippled the Spanish economy. He's more powerful than any politician in the country. He even said so on the tee-vee.

Pocket Ninja:
POP!

Out comes the socialism.

Beatle_Matt: ...or Diego Luna

Reading those two together was more amusing.

/Diego in a Box?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Bad deal.

I'll take one of each.

Spain not only has the right under the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture to prosecute foreign officials for torturing its citizens, but it -- like the U.S. -- has the affirmative obligation to do so. (Indeed, the Bush administration itself insisted just last year that the U.S. the right to criminally prosecute foreign officials for ordering acts of torture even in the absence of an accusation that any of the victims were American. Of course, that involved brown folks doing the torturing, and not Americans).

CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (signed by the U.S. under Ronald Reagan):

Article 2

1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.

2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.

3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture. . . .


Article 4

1. Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law. The same shall apply to an attempt to commit torture and to an act by any person which constitutes complicity or participation in torture.


Article 7

1. The State Party in territory under whose jurisdiction a person alleged to have committed any offence referred to in article 4 is found, shall in the cases contemplated in article 5, if it does not extradite him, submit the case to its competent authorities for the purpose of prosecution.


Article 15

Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.


Ronald Reagan, 5/20/1988, transmitting Treaty to the U.S. Senate:

The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention. It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.


U.S. Constitution, Article VI:

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

Me amo la Paz

Me amo las tatas musicales de Senorita Cruz.

The price is too high Subby

I didn't expect the Spanish to cancel their inquisition.

Does this mean that the boycott of Spain is over?

vernonFL: I didn't expect the Spanish to cancel their inquisition.

Win!

vernonFL: I didn't expect the Spanish to cancel their inquisition.

NOBODY expects the Spanish to cancel their inquisition!

Ok keep the pics of hot Spanish chicks coming

but...

no no NO! I'll be honest I was raised by hardcore republican creationists and listened to rush limbaugh at age 12 (really tells you the intelligence level of his listeners) but then around mid high school started to do research and left a lot of the right wing nuttery behind...but the bush administration so effing horrible that after eight years (until obama my entire adult life W was in office) of the surreality of dubya's administration the fact that justice might happen to people in power started to give me a little more hope in humanity.

I mean torture? really? wtf? plus if you have to go outside your own country's border to freakin circumvent law for interrogations it's pretty obvious you are a bad guy...don't get me started on the patriot act. It was so beautiful that people in power might actually be held accountable for the consequences of their actions. Don't let that die!

/drtfa
//hit the sauce a lil early today as it is my 'weekend'
///hope rant made sense in light of vodak

roughridersfan: vernonFL: I didn't expect the Spanish to cancel their inquisition.

NOBODY expects the Spanish to cancel their inquisition!

Their main weapon is surprise and regret.

NikolaiFarkoff: Can we keep Antonio Banderas? I kinda like him, but not de la manera homosexual. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Also, Javier Bardem.


You are the....how do you say?? Ahh yes, Gay.

NO DEAL

/hot like Spanish ladies

Spanish court likely to drop case against six former Bush administration officials. In return, we have to send back Penelope Cruz and Paz Vega

Wow. We are getting screwed on that deal.

submitter: In return, we have to send back Penelope Cruz and Paz Vega

The big downside to this that I see is that BillO is going to assume Spain is dropping it because of him and his boycott threat. Not that his ego needs any more boosting, but I hate to give them opportunities to feel justified.

The only reason I would ever want Paz Vega sent back is that I think she did more nude scenes while working in Spain.

GameSprocket: The only reason I would ever want Paz Vega sent back is that I think she did more nude scenes while working in Spain.

So did Penelope Cruz.

We need to get some fruity Spanish directors on the case.

Well that crashed and burned even more quickly than I expected. I guess they figured out that making accusations is quite a bit different than proving them.

la ley internacional es un oximoron siempre el pais mas poderoso decide en la historia tambien las repurcusiones palo que habia pasado. ke os den cochinos americanos

Yeah, wouldn't want anyone from the "party of personal responsibility" to be tried for their crimes against humanity. That wouldn't be fair.

I mean, these people are American citizens, do you really want a foreign country to be able to pick up our citizens and treat them however they like? My, that should cause international condemnation!

randomjsa: Well that crashed and burned even more quickly than I expected. I guess they figured out that making accusations is quite a bit different than proving them.



yup.

If Spain wants Paz Vega back, they'll just have to bomb the USS Maine again. :P

NittLion78: If Spain wants Paz Vega back, they'll just have to bomb the USS Maine again. :P

Like 9/11, that was an inside job.

Thanks a lot, Spain. Thanks a LOT for just frakking giving up.

That sounds like a lose-lose situation for us.

Erm, the whole reason they went after the US officials in the first place was apparently so they could go after their local officials as well, required setting a precedent in the courts.

This is second hand info from the underbelly of a law school, but it arrived after a respected author spoke on the matter while on his book tour.

Dammit, they let Billo Win!

Headline: "Spanish court likely to drop case against six former Bush officials..."

FTFA: "The case might still go forward at the court, despite the prosecution opposition..."

¿Devolver Paz Vega y Penelope Cruz? ¡Ni pensarlo!

¡Hijole, que hijos de putas están los españoles que quiren nuestras mujeres ibéricas tan bellas que me tiembla cuando estén cerca de mi!
¡Qué se vayan al infierno!

Bueno, dame más Paz Vega...

Spaniards with bush?


/hot like the track temp in dubai

Cubicle Jockey: Spain not only has the right under the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture to prosecute foreign officials for torturing its citizens, but it -- like the U.S. -- has the affirmative obligation to do so. (Indeed, the Bush administration itself insisted just last year that the U.S. the right to criminally prosecute foreign officials for ordering acts of torture even in the absence of an accusation that any of the victims were American. Of course, that involved brown folks doing the torturing, and not Americans).


Perhaps they should remove the beam from their own eye before attempting to remove a mote from ours. And as an extra added bonus, if you have such a woody for Spain perhaps you should get thee hence.

Farmerjohn48pan: Perhaps they should remove the beam from their own eye before attempting to remove a mote from ours.

Is that a joke?

Vega?



or

?

Goodfella: Diogenes: And the countdown until O'Reilly claims credit for this begins.


Of course he's responsible. He singlehandedly crippled the Spanish economy. He's more powerful than any politician in the country. He even said so on the tee-vee.

B-b-but...
I thought Rush Limbaugh was the most powerful...er...um...political entity in the country!
The GOP certainly treats him as such...

BTW...
DAMN.
Was so glad to see that Spain had indicted these bozos...wish they hadn't dropped it.
Hope our guys will pick it up, but they probably won't.