Innocent GITMO Detainees (Political)

[R. Richard]

So if an al qaeda person points to your photo [maybe because you're such an effective agent against evil], you have no problem with being detained for a year, outside the federal court system, without a lawyer or without charges?

(a few months back, since the SC was getting involved, Padilla was transferred into the court system) so why do none of the charges now--after 3 years, iirc-- involve a 'dirty bomb'?

Pure, despite what you may think, federal agents do not go around looking for excuses to give US citizens free room and board. Clearly said federal agents had reason to suspect that Padilla was up to no good. Although the story does not say so, I would assume that the al Qaida person was shown several photos, including people who were suspected of nothing at all. When the al Qaida agent picked Padilla, said al Qaida agent did so because he expected something in return. Picking an innocent citizen would not have gotten al Qaida anything nice in return.

Probably the reason that the charges did not involve a 'dirty bomb' was bacause there was no 'dirty bomb.' The fact that Padilla was arrested made sure that there was no 'dirty bomb.' Would you have preferred that the federal agents waited until there was a 'dirty bomb?'

 

[Huckleman2000]

Breaking news!

[AP] DNA tests have determined that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the father of Anna Nicole Smith's child. Reaction to this news was swift. Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, announced the enrollment of his subjects into the Coalition of the Willing. At press time, the number of troops available to the Prince was found to be ten, making his principality the fourth-largest member of the Coalition.

 

[R. Richard]

Everyone seems concerned with the rights of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. It is assumed, without a shred of proof that confessions were tortured out of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Alll right, let's assume that we give Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the same rights we would give a US citizen who is not an enemy combatant.
1) [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer] Exactly how was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed captured? [Result: The methods used to capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would never work again. If there were informants who supplied information used to help capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the release of their names would be a death sentence for them. There would be no more help from informants.]

2) [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer] I demand that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be permitted visitors while he is incarcerated. [Translation: "I demand that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be allowed to run his terrorist operations from his prison cell.]

3) [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer] I demand that Sheikh Mohammed be allowed to face those who claim he committed a crime. [Translation: "I demand that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's organization be given a list of people to be assassinated.]

4) [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer] I demand that Sheikh Mohammed be given all details of the process that led to his capture. [Translation: "I demand that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's organization be given the structure of the US anti terror organization, including covert agents in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, etc. None of the covert agents will live.]

Yes, there are reasons why the likes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are handled a bit differently from US citizen's who are not enemy combatants. However, the reason could be easily overcome. First, the UN will do on-site monitoring of the activities of the 'insurgents' in Iraq. Second, the UN will do on-site monitoring of the activities of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Third, the UN [which is charged with the operation of Gaza and the West Bank] will do on-site monitoring of the activities of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and end the flow of illegal weapons into the area. In the process, the UN will discover the source of the illegal weapons with the aim of ending the flow of said illegal weapons into Iraq and Afghanistan. Fourth, the UN will end the fighting in Darfur and the illegal exploitation of refugees [mostly by UN officials.] The methods the UN uses in Darfur will be published, in detail, and supplied to the coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fifith, the UN will send officials into the Waziristan area of Pakistan and apprehend Osama bin Laden [No such official would survive, which, carried to its conclusion would eliminate the problem of an entirely ineffective UN.]

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

RRichard, I think you are a little off the mark here. You seem to be saying whatever was done to KSM is ok because he's a terrorist and we have to protect ourselves and the rest of the world from him. Right?

Wrong! Dead wrong! That is the same reasoning that the goon squad in the White House used when they got us into the Abu Grabe(sp) mess which incited riots and increased insurgent activities in Iraq and throughout the middle east.

But this guy's a terrorist and a foreigner. He has not rights, you say?

Wrong again! The man was kidnapped (crime in every civilized country) and spirited away to another country and tortured (ever hear of the Geneva Convention?) to gain information (of dubious value). Now he's being held prisoner in an American Military prison, without "Due Process" and in violation of, at least, three articles of the Constitution, which the US Supreme Court guaranteed to foreign nationals years ago.

Meanwhile, the Goons in the White House hide behind the thin vail of a section of the "Patriot Act" which really needs to be examined by the Supreme Court, itself.

Given his "druthers" Mr. Goon Bush would suspend the Constitution entirely and crown himself King of America, invade those terrorist countrys of Canada and Mexico and change the name of this country to EXXON.

You have to make up your mind, RRichard. Are you going to blindly follow a Goon Squad rhetoric or continue living in a country ruled by laws?

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Think Jenny's a bit off the mark. Anyone who has any connection with corporate oil will understand that the US is not playing in the world league anymore. Halliburton are moving their HQ to Dubai. Apart from Exxon, you speak of BP (UK), Shell (Holland) and Total (France).

The gripe about US oil companies controlling politics is so last century. Ask Beijing.

 

[R. Richard]

RRichard, I think you are a little off the mark here. You seem to be saying whatever was done to KSM is ok because he's a terrorist and we have to protect ourselves and the rest of the world from him. Right?

But this guy's a terrorist and a foreigner. He has not rights, you say?

Wrong again! The man was kidnapped (crime in every civilized country) and spirited away to another country and tortured (ever hear of the Geneva Convention?) to gain information (of dubious value). Now he's being held prisoner in an American Military prison, without "Due Process" and in violation of, at least, three articles of the Constitution, which the US Supreme Court guaranteed to foreign nationals years ago.

Are you going to blindly follow a Goon Squad rhetoric or continue living in a country ruled by laws?

Wrong! KSM is an enemy combatant. He was captured due to his participation in a war. He was not uniform [nor did he poassess a uniform] nor did he possess an identifying insignia. The failure to possess a uniform and/or identifying insignia while conducting war activities lands KSM in what is referred to a 'bandit' status. Since the beginning of organized warfare, a bandit has no rights, NONE! Normal treatment of a bandit is execution after a drumhead courts martial. If a bandit is suspected of having militarily useful information, custom with the force of law has been to extract said information from said bandit buy whatever means are available. [Whazzat? No, they do not threaten to withhold desert.]

If KSM was indeed tortured in another country, then the UN should reassign some of the assholes who are forcing young girls to have sex in order to feed their Darfur refugee families and send then to investigate said contires where said torture is alleged to have taken place.

In the case of KSM, due process would have been execution. He is an enemy combatant. He is being given the rights of an enemy combatant [almost none.]

As to living under the rule of law, the UN allows Palestinians, under its rule, to attack Israel. The UN allows it own personnel in Darfur to sexually abuse young girls. The UN has cut and run from Iraq rather than try to enforce the Geneva Convention and laws against what are often foreign combatants. Yes, I would like to live under rules of law, so long as the rules apply to everyone.