[quote]
“I think that what we are seeing is a rehash of allegations that have been made by lawyers representing some of these detainees. We know that these are dangerous terrorists that are being kept at Guantanamo Bay. They are people that are determined to harm innocent civilians or harm innocent Americans. They were enemy combatants picked up on the battlefield in the war on terrorism.”
You know they’re dangerous how? Based on evidence you say?
WELL THEN TRY THEM IN A FUCKING COURT YOU ASSHATS!
Why is this it difficult to realize that Gitmo is an albatross around our neck?
I think there will come a time when we should just release these people for the foreign relations and PR benefit it would represent.
To a large degree eventhough a good chunk of them* are probably “bad guys” we probably can’t ever prove it and we’ve kept them separated from the movements they were in for so long they aren’t of any use to us and won’t be a major threat if released.
Anything they might do after release is something that another terrorist would do in their place anyways.
*We’re all aware of the report that a U.S. Academic made based on released DoD figures. I can’t consider any of his estimated numbers relevant one way or another because it is not based on complete information.
Furthermore I wouldn’t put much validity in such an analysis whether it said 100% of them were terrorists or 0% when it is an analysis basesd purely on what the DoD wants the public to know.
World Eater: I considered starting this thread myself, I’m glad that you did. Hopefully if the UN lights a fire under us we’ll finally do the right thing (hah, and hah.) And just in case the folks reading this thread haven’t seen this one, they really should.
This has no meaning, you obfuscatory apologist shitstain. It’s not ‘individual concerns’, whatever the fuck that means. It’s the rule of law. It’s justice. It’s releasing falsely imprisoned, innocent men who are held in cages. It’s called ‘having principles’’.
Martin, i’m going to let others respond to the total lack of empathy and shortsightedness you’ve shown in this post, because I find myself unable to respond to it without getting angry.
Instead, i’d like to ask you this: your post seems to imply that you certainly do believe that there a good many innocent people at Guantanamo. Am I reading too much into your post?
I think he meant to write: “The human rights of other people and the integrity of the American legal system don’t matter to me, at all. I don’t have an iota of the virtues of compassion, empathy, honor, or justice. As long as it’s not me or someone I care about, I couldn’t care less what abuses the United States commits in my name.”
It’s a shame he didn’t just post more honestly, we could avoid having to do this whole song and dance while asking what he ‘really’ means.
Spoken like a true degenerate cancer upon the Republic’s honor. You are aware that a defining characteristic of sociopaths is that they lack compassion and empathy, yes?
They certainly are not vices, and if they can lead you do do the right thing, who cares if they are virtues or not.
It’s so sad that the US administration, and a lot of the US public, just does not get it. Gitmo was wrong from the start, and gets more wrong the longer it goes on. (And if it wasn’t wrong from the start, why weren’t the prisoners brought onto American soil rather than to a base in Cuba?)
Showing compassion often costs you something for nothing tangible in return. Likewise, us feeling empathy for another can comprimise our objective decision about that person.
However; if the US could show some compassion, it might gain a bit more respect abroad - something it desperately needs at this point in time - and as always with such “nice” attributes, a compassionate, empathic person is going to be liked, and as such be given slack in a future situation ( “This situation looks fishy - that bastard must be to blame” versus “This situation looks fishy - but that guy can’t be involved, he’s such a nice guy, let’s look elsewhere”. Compassion and empathy can, indeed, cause problems for you - but they can on occasion have tangible benefits.
Also, could you answer my question from upthread, please?
Well, it ought to be a PR war, because only hearts and minds can stop terrorism as we see it coming today from the Middle East. However, the US isn’t fighting it as if it’s a PR war: it seems to be fighting it like a conventional war, when there isn’t a conventional enemy.
Justice is a virtue. Buddy, you’ve been kicked around a bit lately. Most of it was deserved. I guess there are lots of ways to react to that, but your way is just to dig in your heels, and up the anti with ever more inflammatory statements. You need to take a break and get some perspective.
Ironically, while keeping folks prisoner for questionable reasons isn’t a virtue, it DOES satisfy all 7 corporal works of mercy!
Feed the hungry prisoners
Water the thirsty prisoners
Shelter the prisoners (in concrete bunkers)
Keep the prisoners clothed
Visit the prisoners when they’re sick
Minister to the prisoners (and later jail the minister)
Bury dead prisoners
