Comments on: Was Yoo Spreading Pixie Dust on the Geneva Convention?

By: SpaceLobster

SpaceLobster — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:17:13 +0000

Rightwingers clearly hate treaties of all kind (Kyoto, Panama Canal…they’re probably not to crazy about Appomatox).

In any case, it will be all be set right…or more right as we get to work on restoring law and stuff.

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:05:54 +0000

When I was at Cal in the early-mid 1970’s Boalt was a mixture of those who had the idea that they were going to be high-priced corporate lawyers in the Gordon Gecko mold…to some folks who were genuinely interested in advancing the civil rights of people who were generally unable to obtain legal advice. I lived (and was an RA) in the Unit 1 dorms and the law students who had their own dorm would take food service in ours. You got to meet them in all their variety and splendor. Mind you, these were predominantly male Graduate students immersed in a situation where there were a lot of naive Freshman and Sophomore women. We also had the pleasure of housing the first-year and transfer football players.

It’s been a real mix of graduates out of Boalt, so don’t get the idea that it reflected the greater campus. Some of the notorious conservatives include:
Dean Rusk, 1940 - United States Secretary of State, 1961-1969; Edwin Meese III, 1958 - U.S. Attorney General; Pete Wilson, 1962 - U.S. Senator, Governor of California; Theodore Olson, 1965 - U.S. Solicitor General, 2001-2004

I have always suspected that Yoo may have been hired as a “replacement” for Phillip E. Johnson (who retired in 2000) – Creationist founder of the “intelligent design wedge agenda” who also was teaching labor law (from a business perspective…i.e. how to foil those evil Unions).

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:34:31 +0000

Perhaps the information did not come from the press, but from someone (perhaps and ex-Cal grad) within the Obama Administration (or even the Bush DOJ).

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:31:35 +0000

Yoo received tenure in 1998…after only three years in residency at UC Berkeley. He was there 1 year in the early 1990’s…then retrurned to Washington after that to serve as Justice Thomas’ ~~lackey~~ clerk. As we know Thomas has written some of the foremost decisions of our time ;-)

Then, instead of returning to Boalt, he took on a position in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Orrin Hatch’s advisor. He returned to Cal in Fall 1996 and the next year obtained tenure. Usually Professors take 5-7 years of active teaching and research in residency to earn tenure. Yoo got “fast-tracked” by someone…violating all standards. In addition, Yoo left in 2001 again…back to Washington in Ashcrofts DOJ. Upon leaving his duties he chose to extend his leave of absence to travel the world, teaching at the University of Chicago, the Frei Universitat in Amsterdam, and in Italy…for two more years.

Now he’s getting yet another leave of absence to teach at Chapman? Usually the deal is one sabattical every ten years…and that’s a year off. Yoo’s been “riding” his Berkeley appointment and status to the point of abuse. It’s discrediting the University, and creating standards that place them in a position in which other faculty can insist on obtaining privileges that would make the system inoperative.

By: cinnamonape

cinnamonape — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:16:31 +0000

IANAL but it seems to me that once a treaty is ratified by the Senate and signed by the President it becomes law. According to the Constitution, treaties are Federal laws… “laws of the land”.

The president cannot a) suspend a law, b) amend a law, c) disobey the law, d) ignore a law, or e) “withdraw” from following a law. He has to go back to Congress to do any of that…unless it’s specifically laid out in the approved treaty under what conditions revocation or suspension of provisions can occur.

These are one more of an avalanche of UnConstitutional activities suggested by Yoo. Didn’t Yoo take an oath to serve the country and protect the Constitution? Or did he also think he swore an oath to the President?

By: macaquerman

macaquerman — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:51:12 +0000

See my original comment at -55-
I’m more interested in burying the opinions that he whored himself to offer, than in focusing on his teaching job.
I hope that a more public forum than some tenure hearing is the venue.

By: perris

perris — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:25:31 +0000

it is was insufficient, as far as bringing yoo to the bar of justice

but it is a step in making certain none of his memos carry the weight of presidential reference

his legal opinions must be rendered moot, they can not be “up for interpritation”, they must be considered less valuable then used toilet paper

By: MrWhy

MrWhy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:14:13 +0000

That should read

3) The President may delegate any required authority to the Vice President as needed.

By: selise

selise — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:57:53 +0000

bad ideas? well at least he didn’t call them policy differences.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:45:56 +0000

Saw Peterr’s old post and it says much better what I was trying to say in my #67. Edley, confronted with the Yoo controversy, basically punted. His response his consumate weaselry. Somehow Edley didn’t find Yoo’s advocacy of torture to be an ethical matter, instead he calls them “bad ideas”. See all better now.