Former U.S. president George W. Bush decides not to travel to Switzerland

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      Former U.S. president George W. Bush has cancelled a trip to Geneva just as some of his critics were trying to have him charged with torture-related offences in Switzerland.

      According to a report in the New York Times, Bush decided not to travel to Geneva because of "security concerns".

      The former president was scheduled to speak at a fundraiser for the United Israel Appeal on February 12.

      Meanwhile, the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights was preparing to ask Swiss prosecutors to file charges against Bush while he was in Switzerland.

      The United Israel Appeal's lawyer, Robert Equey, told a Swiss paper that this had nothing to do with Bush's decision to cancel his visit.

      In his recently released book Decision Points, Bush defended his approval of the use of waterboarding, which simulates drowning, to get a suspect to talk. He claimed that it did not constitute "torture" in a legal sense.

      "No doubt the procedure was tough, but medical experts assured the CIA that it did no lasting harm," he wrote, adding that it was only used on three people.

      Meanwhile, the Georgia Straight reported on February 1 that a Canadian human-rights group called Lawyers Against the War is trying to force Bush to cancel his planned trip to speak at an economic conference in Surrey in October.

      The group's cofounder, Vancouver lawyer Gail Davidson, said that she will send a dossier on Bush to Canada's war-crimes investigation unit in advance of his trip.

      Bush and another former U.S. president, Bill Clinton, are both on the speakers' list for the Surrey Regional Economic Summit.

      Comments

      9 Comments

      Adam Michael Luebke

      Feb 5, 2011 at 10:09pm

      “You mean Bush actually tortured people?” The fat man was bewildered and hurt. I felt sorry for him. “I liked Bush. He was a real American. I thought.” My interview with an ex-Bush fiend:

      http://tinyurl.com/6y64qef

      Bruno15

      Feb 6, 2011 at 8:33am

      I think it most telling that there was only one comment to this story and that seems to be a gonzo marketing effort. GS readers have moved on from the waste of time and space that was George W. Bush.

      Smith8

      Feb 7, 2011 at 7:26pm

      Bush did what he had to do to get this country through a nasty war. May I remind you that the so called "acts of crime" Bush is being accused of is NOTHING compared to what those people did to us on 9/11. It's easy to point the finger, but what if you were the one in the twin towers, the airplanes, or even the pentagon that day, or one of your loved ones? Would you be saying the same thing?

      Philander P. Phiphenheimer

      Feb 7, 2011 at 8:07pm

      If 'Lawyers Against the War' is trying to get Bush into court to answer the charges made against him and his administration, good for you.
      If, on the other hand, you are trying to stop him from spouting his spiel, I'm not on your side.

      Philander P. Phiphenheimer

      Feb 7, 2011 at 8:25pm

      In reply to Smith8.
      What happened on 9/11 was horrendous an roughly 3000 innocent people were killed.
      What happened afterward in Afghanistan and Iraq was equally horrendous; and 50,000 or 100,000 innocent civilians were killed. When will that score be considered settled? Two wrongs do not make either of them right.
      Instead of letting this degenerate into another 'us versus them' situation, would we not be better off asking why? Where does this hate come from that will make someone(s) take a fully loaded plane and slam it into a fully loaded building? Only by asking such a question can we begin to make sense of this.
      I do not think that this question has been seriously looked at.

      Smith8

      Feb 7, 2011 at 8:47pm

      Philander, I agree with the two wrongs do not make a right. The point I was trying to make was that too often do people forget what happened here on our own soil. They forget that during war, sometimes measures need to be taken to put safeguards in place to preserve our every day living in which too many people take for granted. Why do the high and mighty politicians who sit on their butts all day, eating their fancy meals and wearing their fancy clothes make such quick decisions to attack those who have to make the decisions to keep our lifestyle and our country safe? It's because of the hard decisions that had to be made that make it possible for these people to live the way they do. I'm not saying it's wrong to live this way, but they need to look at the bigger picture. They need to not forget why decisions needed to be made the way the did, good or bad, in order to protect the American people. I say leave the man alone already, let him live his life in peace, move on, and put the hatred energy toward good...such as protecting the American people and strengthening our boarders so a disheartening act, like 9/11, wont happen again.

      Philander P. Phiphenheimer

      Feb 8, 2011 at 5:13am

      Thank you, Smith8, you make some great points. Now we are talking!
      The 9/11 attacks elicited a reaction from Bush & Co. which was not a snap decision. But in retrospect it went over the top and ended up going in the wrong direction when Iraq was invaded. By curtailing the 'rights and freedoms' of your own citizens leaves you in a poor position as a champion of those same rights. The US is a signatory to the UN Rights of Man and it has failed miserably to uphold it. To the point where in my opinion some leaders should be taken to the International Court in The Hague. I know that the US does not recognize this Court, but that is my considered opinion.
      As for protecting the American people, this can be achieved much more easily (and much more cheaply) by not antagonizing as many enemies.
      As a case in point, personal though it be, while traveling around Canada, I don't feel threatened by them as would do us harm. But when going through the States there is always this apprehension in the back of my mind. I hate that feeling.
      I wish heartily that the US would be much less belligerent and bellicose in its dealings internationally.
      As for strengthening the borders, this will only tend to make the US into a giant exclusive gated community. Please don't hide from the rest of the world.

      Cheers for now.

      Kevin McAllaster

      Feb 22, 2011 at 4:12pm

      @Smith8 and Philander P. Phiphenheimer

      Look up super thermite, zeitgeist 1, part2 and Loose Change.

      Then tell me if your thoughts about 9/11 change. You people sound intelligent enough to formulate your own opinions so go and discover the facts.

      William Koptke

      May 6, 2013 at 3:55am

      I had completely missed this story when it came out. I wonder if the Swiss authorities have changed their stance regarding M. Bush's "issues", and if he would be able to travel there.

      <a href="http://www.studybenefits.com/" class="www fb_hidden">Foreign students Switzerland</a>