musings of wrath

by the one who talks the most about protecting our liberties.

I, personally, am outraged, and encourage folks to call their Senators and Representatives about this, and express their own outrage.

http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-turley14aug14.story

From the LA Times:

This week, the government refused to comply with a federal judge who ordered that he be given the underlying evidence justifying Hamdi’s treatment. The Justice Department has insisted that the judge must simply accept its declaration and cannot interfere with the president’s absolute authority in “a time of war.”

WHAT?? Was their a declaration of Martial Law? Why hasn’t FEMA been activated, if that’s the case? What the hell is going on up there in DC?

This is NOT what this nation was founded upon. I don’t care if they ARE suspects in the worst crime against the US in my living memory, they STILL have rights when they are on US soil.. even POW’s get rights, even if other nations don’t give them.

Then you better declare me an enemy combatant, Ashcroft … you fucker. You send some of my friends into a camp, you better fuckin’ believe I’m going with ‘em.

Fuckwit.

POWs get rights because of the Geneva Convention, not because of anything the United States voluntarily decided on their own. We’re not nearly as nice as we think we are.

Firstly, this is a response to an older article, concerning Arab Americans being refused right to council - a good number were taken into custody following 9/11, and many still haven’t been released.

My problem with it isn’t that we’re supposed to be nice guys - my problem with it is the hypocrisy of it all.. When POW’s are mistreated, or their rights are taken away, who are the first to cry foul? Us. And the POW doesn’t even have to be American.

Then there’s the Declaration of Independence - something we celebrate the signing of each year. Is it not a hypocrisy to state:

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal…

Only to later say that someone, because they attacked the US in some manner, loses their equality?

Terrorists, when not domestic, are part of a foreign army now, according to current policy, and we’re at war with that “army”. I can understand POW treatment if a foreign terrorist is captured; however, I believe Hamdi was a naturalized immigrant. I could be mistaken.

Don’t take my statements as anti-patriot; far from it - I just want to make sure that people, even the most horrible people in this nation, still have their rights. After all, where do we draw the line, if we’re going to start choosing what crimes do or do not justify a loss of rights?

BTW - I took a look at your profile, and noticed that we know some of the same folks - do I know you? I don’t recognize the username.

You should, considering that you’re the person who introduced me to them…

Personally, my take is that we shouldn’t accord Geneva convention treatment to those who defy the Geneva convention and the Hague Accords by violating the law of land warfare and attacking a purely civilian target..
But that’s just me.