Sen. Leahy: Mass incarceration and indefinite detention ‘tragic failures,’ like segregation

Pat Leahy demonstrates once again why he's a great Senator.



In a wide-ranging speech at the Human Rights First Summit last week, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) spoke out against indefinite detention, mass incarceration, the landmine treaty, torture, and drones.

“As we all know, the history of the United States has been one of groundbreaking human rights leadership, and tragic failures,” he said. “Certainly the Bill of Rights was a monumental achievement that inspired the Universal Declaration and the freedoms enshrined in the constitutions of many other nations.”

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The Vermont senator said he authored legislation in 1997 that prohibited the United States from providing training and equipment to foreign nations that kill innocent civilians and commit atrocities. That law, he claimed, was not being enforced.

Leahy also railed against the “ill-conceived” detention and interrogation policies adopted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

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video of the speech at link:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/12/sen-leahy-mass-incarceration-and-indefinite-detention-tragic-failures-like-segregation/