The Geneva conventions outline what are valid military targets. Not how to treat POWs, banning weaponry, or anything like that.
I’ve asked the same question. No one seems to know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions
http://www.genevaconventions.org/
A very large portion of these documents deals with who IS and who IS NOT covered by the Conventions.
Why?
If everyone is covered, why doesn't this treaty simply say, “every living human being on the face of this Earth is covered?”
The truth is, when you argue with an informed liberal, for any length of time, they end up saying something like, “Cheney and the neo-cons carved out exceptions—” Blah Blah Blay -—
They KNOW they do not have the law behind them, at least not yet.
They count on an activist judge or some international Court, even though their case, that their was any “crime” is very weak.
In September 2006, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., authored the amendment to the military tribunals bill that would have effectively defined waterboarding as torture and made it subject to Common Article 3 under the Geneva Conventions.
The amendment itself focused on conduct of other countries, but said: “should any United States person to whom the Geneva Conventions apply be subjected to any of the following acts, the United States would consider such act to constitute a punishable offense under common Article 3 ... .”
The amendment listed “forcing the person to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner; applying beatings, electric shocks, burns, or other forms of physical pain to the person; waterboarding the person; using dogs on the person; inducing hypothermia or heat injury in the person; conducting a mock execution of the person; and depriving the person of necessary food, water, or medical care.”
The amendment failed to gain the needed 50 votes, failing 46-53. Specter and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island were the only Republicans to vote in favor. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., was the lone Democrat to oppose the measure.
Can you locate any of this in The US Constitution or The Federalist Papers?
Oh, you haven’t READ The US Constitution, Congressperson??? And Why The H3ll NOT?
Both houses of congress passed a torture bill but it wasn’t enough to beat Bush’s veto.
If there is no law, there is no problem and no reason to keep anything secret.
Big News! The Terrorists are not signatories to the “Geneva Convention”.
TITLE X--MATTERS RELATING TO DETAINEES
12/30/2005: Became Public Law No: 109-148.
109th Congress