The Hamdan Decision…

Posted on Sunday 9 July 2006

The Gitmo Fallout in this week’s Newsweek is full of quotes like this:

"This has opened up a can of worms," says Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican. "You could have a situation if we don’t bring some restraint where anybody who has done anything to an Al Qaeda suspect that’s harsh could be prosecuted."

That’s the point of the Geneva Conventions with regards to Prisoners of War – which is why we signed the Geneva Conventions. It was agreed that P.O.W.’s have the right to humane treatment in a civilized world. Our Administration said they didn’t want to be part of the civilized world and weren’t. Now there’s alarm that Mr. Bush’s decision to ignore them might have consequences. That’s what happens when you think you’re God, sooner or later someone’s going to have to pay the price for your arrogance. This is the darkest piece of this Tragic play – The United States of America actually opposing the right to trial; actually condoning torture and unlimited internment without due process; actually conducting secret surveillance of our citizens with no probable cause and no judicial review.

It’s not the Supreme Court that opened up this can of worms. It was George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and David S, Addington when they decided they were above the law… 

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