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Democrats accused Republicans of rushing to pass a legally suspect bill to score political points. Within an hour of the vote, the House GOP leadership put out a statement accusing Democrats of being weak on national security.
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) issued a statement after the vote accusing Democrats of voting in favor of "more rights for terrorists."
"So the same terrorists who plan to harm innocent Americans and their freedom worldwide would be coddled, if we followed the Democrat plan," he said.
A fatal human flaw in the Jihadist cosmology is the notion that an Infidel is not a human being, but a thing to be conquered, converted, or killed. An even more perverted idea is that the Jihadist himself can achieve some higher status by dying in the service of God – killing Infidels. This is not a central tenet of Islam, any more than the ravings of the Westbury Pastor who pickets at military funerals represents the message of Christianity. Certainly, people who follow such abberant ideas are "brainwashed" or get caught up in some kind of crazy group hysteria, much as combat soldiers in some units get caught up in some kind of crazy group insanity.
An example closer to home involves those people of the Religious Right who have been lead to believe they are doing God’s work by voting only on a limited number of issues – abortion, stem cell research, homosexual marriage, etc. and end up ignoring their responsibilities as American citizens or even the teachings of the religion they propose to be serving. But they question at hand is how does one deal with a person who has gotten caught up in this kind of craziness?
This is not a rhetorical question. The answer is known. It was called "deprogramming" in years past. It has to do with handling a phenomena called "cognitive dissonance." An example: Pedophiles usually believe that what they are doing is okay, some kind of higher "love." The problem is that the rest of the world just doesn’t "get it." In trying to treat them, step one is to put them in groups with other Pedophiles who have realized that these rationalizations are crazy. The "newbie" is usually driven a bit crazy by such a confrontation.
An even more regular example is the new patient in an alcohol treatment facility. The alcoholic usually puts up a grand fight with, "I can stop any time I want to! I just don’t want to. Leave me alone!" Thay doesn’t happen to be true, but the staff in such places, while confrontive, knows that it will be a while before the alcoholic can get their mind around the fact that they are addicted and causing an enormous amount of havoc to themselves and the people around them – cognitive dissonance. They’re not "coddled," they’re allowed to go through the fight that is required to realize that one is deluded. And they are treated with respect. It helps them to see people who have been through what they’ve been through – and who have made it to the other side.
So, should we open rehab centers for Terrorists? I kind of think it would be a better and more productive idea than what we’re doing now. But no, I wouldn’t advocate that. I would, however, suggest that humane treatment of war prisoners is a better idea than torture and abuse. The latter simply confirms what the Jihadist has been taught, and is not likely change much of anything. But, more than that, humane treatment of all human beings is a hallmark of something called civilization. And civilization is what we’re about. Certainly, the Jihadists are messing with it, sliding in the cracks and trying to get us to come down to their level. It’s what they want. It’s their "recruitment tool."
So, the Senate is about to vote for another "Terrorist Recruitment" bill, similar to the one they voted on in the closing days of 2002 that gave this same President of ours the power to start an unprovoked and unwarranted war in Iraq. Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results…
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