I really believe the US military are shooting themselves in the foot on this one. They may very well have captured actual terrorists, but sham trials and Kafkaesque jailings without being charged with anything do nothing for their credibility. If, at the end of the day, they can actually prove that they've captured a real terrorist, who will believe them?

I think it's a travesty. Charge them or let them go. They're hostages otherwise.

Kangaroo courts deligitimize the U.S. justice system.

The typical portrayal of lawlessness is of some kid tossing a Molotov cocktail at riot police, but this type of lawlessness is tame compared to tyrannical lawlessness, lawlessness dressed in the vestments of law. Lawlessness masquerading as justice is far more dangerous.

They're a drain on resources, and they are being held as prisoners of war. The war is over, and is now nothing more than a peacekeeping effort (which Canada now has the most sizeable portion of forces at over 5000).

But if you let them go... they may cause more trouble.

Quite a quandry.

After over two years of dehumanizing incarceration...

If I were guilty of nothing more than defending my homeland from foreign invaders, you bet I'd come out swinging.

If I were guilty of nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, you bet I'd come out swinging.

This is lose/lose. We're holding hostages who probably have every right to be pissed at us.

You maybe a crack smoking Liberal, but you are 100% correct on this subject.

We, as a nation and as a culture, can not tolerate the holding of any person in a military complex without a trail. There is more involved than we can imagine, but there is no excuse for human rights abuse. If the people at Gitmo are criminals on any level, then they must be given a fair trial. This is not because we love those who wish to harm the citizens of this country, but because we love the System they wish to harm. The System says that all persons have an inalienable right to due process. These are not just Rights to citizens of this county, but to all persons, even active enemies of this country.

If we ignore this, then on September 11th, the terrorists won.


PS> Wow, the greatest slam and the greatest praise in a single post! A new SG record!

You think Guantanamo will eventually be regarded similarly to manzanar, except with religious overtones as opposed to racial ones?

I wish your President could get this through his head.

You don't have to become the enemy to fight the enemy.