Imperial Declaration Day

Imperial Proclamation:
Instead of an annoying judicial system with its liberal bleeding heart Judges appointed by Ted Kennedy, Emperor Bush will either give a thumbs up for innocent or thumbs down for guilty. Emperor Bush has told the rest of the world that he wouldn’t consider raping us or murdering us if we are unlucky enough to find ourselves in a secret CIA prison, but sadly because of the war on terror, Emperor Bush gets to decide what and what doesn’t amount to torture when questioning us. Oh and habeas corpus is no longer a self evident truth...

Bush signs US terror trial bill
President George W Bush has signed into law a bill that sets standards for the interrogation and prosecution of foreign terror suspects held by the US.
The bill forbids treatment of detainees that would constitute war crimes - such as torture, rape and biological experiments - but gives the president the authority to decide which other techniques interrogators can use.

At the tribunals, defendants will be allowed to see some - but not necessarily all - of the evidence against them. The law also bars non-US citizens from filing habeas corpus petitions challenging their detentions in federal court.

Civil liberties groups say the law does not guarantee detainees' rights, and legal challenges are to be expected.

The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says that although the law says detainees cannot be subjected to inhumane or cruel treatment, it is not clear which interrogation techniques can still be used.