We defended our democracy against terrorism by destroying the rule of law.
Posts Tagged ‘Guantanamo’
Shorter Wiki Guantanamo
Monday, April 25th, 2011How The Rule Of Law Doesn’t Work In The US
Monday, March 7th, 2011Back to military tribunals, which are terrible, and not closing Guantanamo, which is terrible, and why?
Because the Congress of the United States, possibly the greatest collection of frauds and cowards in our history, is so afraid of the Constitution that it won’t allow civilian trials and/or the imprisonment of convicted terrorists in the US.
They might murder us all!!!
They might use the trial as a platform to recruit terrorists!!!
We’re so afraid of our own shadows that we’d rather give up our rights, set up some kangaroo courts, and invite our government to spy on us!!!
Gorilla says: “What Ben Franklin said: if you don’t know, look it up, and ask yourself why we bother fighting and dying for anything?”
So Why Is Guilty Not Justice?
Thursday, November 18th, 2010A civilian jury has decided to convict a terrorist and he’ll be sentenced to 20 years to life.
But they threw out lots of other charges, so fearful idiots around our country will think there’s something wrong with the American justice system.
Presumably, what the Administration wants, when not closing Guantanamo, not stopping surveillance of Americans without warrants, and continuing to engage in extraordinary rendition and torture, is a poll driven kangaroo court that will say: “See, forget about the rules of evidence, we’re not soft on terror!”
Gorilla says: “The lunatics running our asylum care little more for the rule of law than the people they want to convict!”
It’s Still Illegal
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Detention without trial, that is, the sort of thing you find in police states and other thuggocracies.
President Obama’s task force on Guantanamo is supposed to complete its report today.
Of the roughly 250 remaining “detainees” in Guantanamo, the task force reckons there are fifty that fall into the category: “can’t be tried, can’t be freed, can’t be returned, can’t be let go”.
Of course, this conclusion is being released on a Friday, the better to be buried by the banker story, or the health care story, or the Haiti story.
And it’s dead wrong: America is a country of laws and the rule of law must be observed.
So, everyone at Gitmo should be either released to their home countries (or offered asylum if they have a well founded fear of persecution upon their return) or tried in US civilian courts (not bogus military tribunals), and Gitmo should be shut down.
Federal prosecutors have a 90-plus percent conviction rate when it comes to terrorism, so there should be no fear of prosecuting.
We won’t be releasing those found innocent to wander the streets of America, conducting jihad, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
On the other hand, holding these people without trial means there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to stop any regime anywhere in the world from doing the same thing to Americans they may consider dangerous, and not just Americans who are captured on or near the battlefield: every American would be endangered.
As a county, we must accept that defending democracy means practicing democracy, no more and no less. That’s what the sacrifice of our soldiers is all about.
Gorilla says: “A mature democracy is as old as habeas corpus and it’s time our country grew up!”
TGIF And Predictions
Friday, November 13th, 2009These were the events that mattered in Gorilla’s world this week:
Afghanistan: A deal is in the works, despite all the posturing, or rather the indecision, about sending in more troops. There’s no public support within NATO for an endless occupation, so the window of opportunity (cut deal, train troops, peace with honor) is at most 18-24 months. Gorilla thinks we’ll be on the way out in the next 12 months.
The Asian Two Step: President Obama again pleads with the Chinese to let the yuan appreciate. The Chinese again make noises about protectionism and the dollar. Since both sides prefer this outcome, both will claim victory. Gorilla suggests the dollar will fall further and the yuan will begin to rise over the next 12 months.
Elections Do Not Peace Make: The Palestinians, yet again, cannot find a way to unify Hamas and Fatah, whose positions on peace are fundamentally opposed. So the election can will be kicked down the road a few months, sufficient to guarantee no progress for at least a year. Gorilla believes this is the outcome all sides want, so he’s not particularly worried about how unserious the Israelis and Palestinians decide to be.
Trying The Mastermind: The 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, will be tried in the US after all. All the Guantanamo detainees could have been tried in the US and/or released by now, but politically it’s much better to continue cowering, increase middle class jobs programs like the Pentagon, and pretend that the fate of the civilized world depends on defeating a handful of fifth-rate terrorists who occasionally get lucky. Gorilla is certain Guantanamo will close in 2010, only 8 years behind schedule.
The Dollar Carry Trade Goes On: Will Ben Bernanke at last decide that bubbles are not the only thing America consistently produces? It’s a tricky question. Raising interest rates would show resolve, whatever that is, but not doing so demonstrates conclusively that big US commercial banks remain zombies. Gorilla foresees a few more years of deleveraging, living standards declining, and unemployment, sans another large stimulus package, won’t recover for a decade. Gorilla thinks the writing is on the wall, but the oracle of Maiden Lane isn’t interested in reading the message. Much better to be defending one’s turf near the barn door while the next horse bolts for greener pastures…
All Aboard For Jellyfish Lake
Thursday, September 24th, 2009A country that does not fear the rule of law would do the right thing: try or release all those still being held at Guantanamo, Bagram, and elsewhere.
Allow sentences to be served either in the United States or the home country of those found guilty (assuming they won’t be tortured).
Allow those who are released without trial to live in the United States or return to their home country (assuming they won’t be tortured).
But a country of cowards ships ‘em out to Palau!
Seems only right for us quivering, spineless, and fearful Americans to give the Palau Visitors Authority a plug. They provided the picture above and the courage of our failure at convictions.
Gorilla says: “Be sure to wave to our brave politicians when you see ‘em at Jellyfish Lake!”
Cash For Bunkers
Monday, August 3rd, 2009Ginning up car sales temporarily through bribery is one idea, but what better way to help the woeful Michigan economy than to fix up a prison there to try and house Guantanamo detainees?
This arises because, yet again, the President really doesn’t want to take on the mantle of leadership when that might lead to accusations of being soft on terrorism. It has yet to be explained why a country with as many first-rate maximum security prisons as the United States cannot find a way to house a couple of hundred bad guys, even supposing there was evidence to convict them.
We’d all have to hide under our desks if these frightful men were released and not immediately put on flights to Bermuda and Ireland!
So, we remain short on terror and long on screwing around with the Constitution. Our allies merely laugh and harden their negotiating positions. Our enemies continue to use Guantanamo and the denial of human rights as both recruitment tools and pretexts for the next bombing.
Gorilla suggests: “Why not simply include Guantanamo detainees in the Cash For Clunkers program? For every car sold, a writ of habeas corpus will be included, enabling non-surviving local dealers to blame al-Qaeda for the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler while attracting stimulus money for a refit of the ever-profitable service department?”
I Mean, It’s Only Been 8 Years…
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009We’ve had Guantanamo going a while now, and Bagram, and extraordinary rendition, and warrantless spying on Americans, but our leaders can’t quite bring themselves to do anything, except commission endless studies that miss endless deadlines.
A President who was a leader would say: “We’re releasing those who are innocent or not a threat and closing Guantanamo immediately. We hope they’ll return to their country of origin, but if they can’t we’ll take ‘em in. The rest we’re putting on trial in civilian courts in the United States. Those found guilty will serve their sentences in maximum security prisons. Those found innocent will be released, either to their country of origin or to the United States. We are not a cowardly nation, and we therefore have nothing to fear from the rule of law”.
But the one we’ve got likes to kick cans down the road, when he’s not getting rolled by his fellow profiles in courage.
