It's Official: Despair!
It's offical now. My waivering between hope and despair is over. Despair prevails. President Obama has signed and appropriations bill including a provision that forbids the release of GTMO prisoners into the United States and requires the approval of Congress to release them to other countries. Let us not forget that the Bush Administration discreetly released approximately two-thirds of all Guantanamo prisoners. Obama stated his intent to close the facility, and Congress has pushed back. It has now, in effect, passed a law requiring all prisoners there to be held forever, without regard to innocence or guilt.
A few hold out hope that the Supreme Court will strike down this abomination, but I fear it is unlikely. Congress has now made it official. Scary Brown People have no rights that the white man is permitted to respect. Acknowledge any such rights at all, and the terrorist will murder us all in our beds.
Given that we are stuck with mandatory prisoners for life regardless of innocence or guilt, is it asking too much for Obama to at least allow outside access to the prisoners? Given the constant reassurances we keep getting that everything there is so wonderful, what harm in that? Disinfecting power of sunlight and all.
A few hold out hope that the Supreme Court will strike down this abomination, but I fear it is unlikely. Congress has now made it official. Scary Brown People have no rights that the white man is permitted to respect. Acknowledge any such rights at all, and the terrorist will murder us all in our beds.
Given that we are stuck with mandatory prisoners for life regardless of innocence or guilt, is it asking too much for Obama to at least allow outside access to the prisoners? Given the constant reassurances we keep getting that everything there is so wonderful, what harm in that? Disinfecting power of sunlight and all.
Labels: habeas corpus, Separation of powers, War on Terror
posted by Essayist-Laywer at
10:35 PM
1 Comments:
There is actually a broader issue in question here, the lack of a framework to deal with international terrorism. We have an extradition process for criminals, and a framework for their return but it's much more difficult dealing with non-state actors and terrorist from defunct states.
Canadian, Australian and British suspected terrorists have been released, and we trust their governments to keep an eye on them. But how does one deal with minor players in gitmo, who could become the major players in the years to come.
That our surveillance state will grow is inevitable, what's important is that the secrecy or randomness of it not perpetuate. The legal framework to do this within our current laws is non existent. As we create it; debate and sunlight is what Obama is proposing.
Once we are done closing gitmo, my proposal would be to set up clandestine terror units within the CIA to track down and eliminate terror cells. No trial, No arrest - just sniff them out and take them down in the field.
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