So the Supreme Court recently decided a case, Boumediene, regarding the rights non-citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay have to challenge their detainment in court. Pretty basic habeas corpus stuff, and I think the decision was made correctly: the Supreme Court ruled that in fact our government does not have the right to hold people indefinitely without charge. Western civilization has acknowledged this right for at least the past, what, 800 years? (Wikipedia says since the 12th century) and I'm glad we're not going to throw it out just yet.
Of course the neocons are freaking out. Glenn Greenwald has a nice bit on John Yoo's take on the case; the best quote is "It takes an indescribably authoritarian mind to believe that one's own Government should have the power to put people in cages for life without having to provide them any meaningful opportunity to prove that they did not do what they are accused of." Yoo, apparently, like the rest of the Bush administration, is just that kind of authoritarian mind.
McCain, too, disagrees with the Boumediene decision. Here's Time's reproduction of his campaign's official statement. The core of it is this quote: "The United States Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."
John McCain's America is one where the government can put people in prison for life without any kind of trial or court action. His statement against Boumediene is a statement against the founding principles of the Constitution and is against everything our nation stands for. Maybe its hyperbole, but I'm strongly tempted to say that anyone who votes for this man is a traitor, and I find it greatly distressing that he is a major candidate for President.
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2 comments:
Well spoken, Tayi. Unfortunately, some of the candidates for President are quite willing to suspend or repeal whatever bits of the constitution they don't happen to agree with. Your voters should be vamiliar with the term "tyrant."
Unfortunately, our Canadian Prime Minister Herpes - er, Harper wants nothing more than to toady up to Dubya, and acts just like him. This is a Bad Thing.
Good luck with your election this year, Tayi. With the makers of the electronic voting machines on the Republican side, you've got a real problem.
Oh man, did you have to remind me about Diebold? Sometimes I wonder why I even follow politics, its so depressing and there's so little that can be done to change things.
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