http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
So the next thing Republicans want to do is put Dems on the spot for aiding the enemy, thats the basic jist of their argument. I don't get it. I dont see how people fall for this crap. I only know that they will. Accused terrorists right now have no rights. A military tribunal would be a kangaroo court. Our society is built around two very important principles. Do not have blind faith in government and do not have blind faith in the military. How is it that giving them the basic right to a trial, to defend themselves against accusations of an out of control administration and bounty hunters in their home country, how is that giving them "special" treatment. Do we not believe in justice here in America. The guilty may go free, The innocent may be put in prison, justice is not perfect. It only strives to be and thats all we can do to keep our society free. We must at least try.
It seems to me that giving accused terrorist the right to trial is merely a step up from nothing at all and more in line with removing special treatment. A lifetime in prison during a never ending war on terror. A war that cannot be won since terrorism will always exist so long as one person has the overwhelming desire to make a point and is otherwise impotent in this lopsided world.
Terrorism is a word, a concept, and it cannot be defeated through warfare. Parse it how you will. I know the games fascists might try to play with my words. Defeatist attitude blah blah blah. Its called reality.
"It would be good politics to have a debate about this if Democrats are going to argue for additional rights for terrorists," said Terry Nelson, a prominent GOP political strategist
Additional rights? As if they will have MORE rights than American citizens. That semes to be how they want to phrase it. Its not a lie, its a deception. Special treatment? No, special treatment is what they are getting now. You get a dose of waterboarding if your neighbor decides to point the finger at you. This is a modern day witch hunt, with the exception that in this case there really are a few witches (the guys in Miami dont count).
I hope Dems don't bow down like they have in the past. Like they tucked tail when the words unpatriotic got thrown at them. I dont want them suckered into a two party solution that is really a way of saving face and in the end supports Bush's vision of the world. I want them to fight! I want Dems to stand up for whats right, despite the rhetoric. These people in our secret and not so secret prisons deserve their cases to be heard by people that aren't out to hang them, to make a partison victory out of their bones. Some, maybe even many, were turned over just to make a buck for Afghan warlords. Tell me how a soldier on the battlefield, which Afghanistan was, deserves to be in prison just because he may have shot or shot at one of our soldiers. Its called ti for tat, they had the right to defend themselves against us. Maybe a prison of war camp, but not terrorists. Sorry, an Afghan army cook does not need special treatment. He needs to go home. Others that have real evidence against them need a chance to vindicate themselves. If they are guilty and its a crime, not simple warfare, then so be it.
Mob rule must end. The linching must stop. Prisoners of war should be treated as such. Let the republicans spin it with all the vile poison they wish but make sure Dems know they have the ability to stand up for whats right despite the tendency of some to rally blindly around the flag. I want Dems to see they can have strength of conviction as their weapon against these Bushites. We need to give accused terrorists American justice and that does not mean Bush's vision of justice by a six shooter.
One important thing Dems had better pay attention to in this next verbal dance is to preface terrorist with the word accused. None of these men have faced trial. The second they try to defend a terrorist Dems will face real problems. But to defend the accused, thats a different story and they better make that clear.