Supporters defending George W. Bush's decision to keep torturing prisoners despite the international rules of law and the recent U.S. Supreme Court's decision keep saying that somehow these prisoners do not deserve the right of habeas corpus or other basic rights to a trial that U.S. citizens automatically have because said prisoners are from foreign countries and because they are said to be (paraphrasing) "despicable monsters who support terrorism". What about the fact these prisoners are human beings who should have the right to fair trials which includes access to attorneys and the right to defend themselves? True, some must be guilty as charged but many appear to be hapless victims of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and are only guilty,perhaps, of being representative of a certain segment of Muslims sympathetic to Bin Laden and probably anti-American in their sentiments which by the way may be a sentiment held by more than a few billion or more people around the world. Even the likely guilty ones are humans who deserve a fair trial, Those in the know all seem to accept that Guantanamo is a place where prisoners are routinely tortured. This is the reason that so many of the incarcerated (43) have attempted suicide.
I heard Diane Feinstein ( 6/15/08) saying to her Senate colleagues that despite the fact that top of officials and former officials of the Bush establishment have gone on record saying Guantanamo should be closed and now the U.S. Supreme Court for the fourth time has gone on record against Bush, it does seem outrageous that nothing has changed. Let's face it, under Bush we are nothing but pawns of an awful tyranny that even the Democrats are unable or unwilling to bring to a conclusion, perhaps, out of fear of not looking patriotic enough or worse yet for crass political reasons which equate to make Bush look bad and they gain from this somehow during election season. History will have something to say about how politicians on both sides of the aisle lost their moral anchors and left the American rule of law and fairness denigrated and those Americans seeking a better image abroad and at home a kick in the pants.
New Thought: The more I think about it the more I wish the progressive and more liberal Democrats would leave the Democratic Party to start a new Progressive type Party or force the more conservative members out which is unlikely. The fact we only have two realistic choices is wrong. Of course, if this were to pass, it would weaken the Dems but perhaps, the same thing could happen to the Republicans with the more moderate and liberal types leaving the ultra conservatives and religious crazies to their own devices. In this case, we would have 4 major parties and might have to move to a parliamentary system where at least there would be more ideas floating around and the need for constant compromise and centralness of purpose and consensus less imperative. In this case, whoever was in charge might have to really think about what she or he was doing.
mmmmmmm? In all fairness, I must say the parliamentary system was no help to Toni Blair who acted same as Bush when it came to overruling the electorate.
