Every time I see these unfortunately ambiguous wire story headlines — “Key US lawmakers assail Obama on detainees” — I think some American lawmakers are finally standing up to the executive-run torture-state and its gulags. A closer look is always disappointing. They’re not attacking Obama for his attacks on our liberties, they’re bitching that he isn’t stealing and undercutting them enough.
The representatives, all Republican, are upset that Somali national Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, imprisoned for months on a US Navy ship “somewhere in the Gulf region,” could be given a real criminal trial in New York. Warsame is accused of belong to militant Muslim organizations deemed “terrorists” by the United States. Increasingly, the GOP expresses its dislike of the ancient Anglo-Saxon legal concept of habeas corpus as well as its utter lack of faith in the ability of the American system of justice to operate competently. They don’t even want terror suspects to touch American soil to be tried.
In a recent breathtaking admission, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell unironically proclaimed that the trial of Casey Anthony, a mother who probably accidentally killed her daughter but was found not guilty of premeditation and walked free, is evidence our justice system isn’t fit to try terror suspects. McConnell, and many other Americans lately, seem to think intimation — she like, totally did it, come on, duh — can be admitted as actual evidence used to convict someone of murder.
What they’re saying is that the courts don’t produce enough guilty verdicts. Do we need to point to other countries that decided to “remedy” this “problem”?
Antiwar.com of course agrees Warsame shouldn’t be tried in the United States. Or by the United States. His alleged “crimes” — “providing material support,” a nearly meaningless charge that can include giving someone a ride or buying textbooks for children in “enemy” madrassas — had nothing at all to do with this country. Al-Shabaab are a Somali problem (caused by previous US intervention), and “al-Qaeda” in Yemen is also a local issue America’s military nonetheless loves to bring home. Warsame should be immediately released, compensated for his suffering, and his kidnapping should be considered an international crime.
And these lawmakers should be immediately removed from office for willful violation of American bedrock civilizational concepts.
Ergo, the US is no longer a nation of law. Oh no and thank you very much. The US is a nation of expedience and if the glove don't fit, well, you must EXECUTE!
How in hell does a demagogue shrike the likes of Nancy Grace get away with media persecution of Casey Anthony? Off topic and I concede that…
Seems a mite queer that Itchy McConnell would shill for Nancy Grace.
Nancy Grace, like Janet Reno, ought to be horsewhipped.
Grace was a lying, unscrupulous prosecutor. Check out William R. Anderson's column "Nasty Nancy Nation" at LewRockwell.com:
http://lewrockwell.com/anderson/anderson317.html
Bill Hicks' description of a demon in human form comes to mind.
No one hates freedom as much as these Republicans. In fact, its impossible to do so because they've built their reputations, political careers and apparently their own self-worth upon hating freedom more than anyone else. So, if anyone dares to challenge them as the all-time champ of freedom-haters, then they of course have to re-raise themselves up to some unheard of level of freedom hating that once again insures that they'll be remembered for eternity as the greatest freedom hater in the history of the world.
This is how people eventually give the order to imprison and murder millions. We ain't there yet. But the road we are walking has at least a turn off that leads in that direction. People like Hitler and Stalin at one point walked where we are walking today, and then eventually decided to take that turn off.
I suggest we stop immediately, and as quickly as possible go back to where we were when this country was founded. Or, at least where we'd have been then if we had enough sense to treat everyone as the wealthy white men of the day wanted themselves to be treated then.
"What they’re saying is that the courts don’t produce enough guilty verdicts."
What …. 99.9% isn't enough?
Most cases don't make it to trial. To get a trial, the defendant always has to risk a worse outcome than whatever plea deal is offered. Thus, only a small percentage of cases reach trial. Most are intimidated and railroaded into prison before that ever occurs. Then, when someone actually gets to trial, its almost certain that the 'judge' in the case is a former prosecutor. The game is stacked heavily against the defendent, even if the police don't lie or manufacture evidence or if the prosecutor doesn't give some convict a reduced sentence in exchange for perjuring themselves in court to say that the defendant confess to them in prison.
Unless you are rich. That changes everything.
This just goes to show the Tories really won the American Revolution over the long haul. Most of Washington DC these days prefers the justice of King George III, over the justice of Thomas Jefferson. They'd prefer the King and the government just have the right to execute anyone they decide is guilty, and oppose any ability of the defendant to mount a defense to a jury of their peers.
Asswipes in Armani.
What else is new?
I imagine one must feel dirty when those highly manicured sick worthies are on the same table as oneself.
What I'm wondering is why they even bothered putting him on a boat at all, when they run a black site in Mogadishu. The GloboGestapo likes to lavish their detainees with ocean cruises? I'm missing something here…