Ex-President George W. Bush--now officially "on the lam"

Yeehaw!

Good on you, Switzerland.

Check it out, according to The New York Times:

February 5, 2011

Bush's Swiss Visit Off After Complaints on Torture

By REUTERS

GENEVA (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George W. Bush, under fire from human rights group over allegations of ordering torture, has canceled a visit to Switzerland where he was to address a Jewish charity gala.

Bush was to be the keynote speaker at Keren Hayesod's annual dinner on February 12 in Geneva. But pressure has been building on the Swiss government to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he enters the Alpine country.

Criminal complaints against Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials say, and several human rights groups signaled that they were poised to take further legal action this week.


Because, after all, as the article rightly and correctly points out:  Torture is a crime under international law and human rights experts say the absolute prohibition is very clear.

Unfortunately, technically he has diplomatic immunity and, likely, these human rights groups won't keep their pressure on forever but hey, at least for now, at least in this instance, it messed with his plans and he's at least remotely aware of how people around the world feel about the national and international laws he broke.

But at least, for right now, let's enjoy this moment.

Have a great weekend, y'all.


(and thanks to friend John McA. for bringing this article to my attention).

Maybe one day soon we can all be protected against hate crimes

Have you heard that the hate crimes bill is coming before Congress again?

I hope you'll join me in sending a message to Congress: we can't wait any longer for a federal law to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans from violent hate crimes. Take action at:

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/hate_crimes

Ordinary people are living in fear for their safety and their lives every day, in small towns and big cities. Hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise, but the federal government has no direct authority to investigate, prosecute or help local law enforcement crack down.

We can't let this continue. We can't let friends and neighbors become targets for violence simply because of who they are.

Congress passed the hate crimes bill in 2007, but because of George Bush's veto threat, it never became law. And now, right-wing extremists are once again making outrageous claims that the bill would criminalize preachers, end free speech, and so on.

Will you help make sure their lies aren't the only things members of Congress are hearing about this bill? Please click below to send a note urging Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard Act.

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/hate_crimes

Thanks for your help, regardless.