Posted by Bill on 08/13/07 13:03

> Whoever is in Cuba sbould be there. There is a reason they are there
and you and I arent. They are
> most likely tied to the terrorists. I seriously doubt they are your
typical barber down the street...

Wow. That's an incredible statement. It's stunning! The government
steadfastly refuses to put these people on trial and prove they have
committed any crimes. They have simply locked them up without the
slightest regard for judicial process, the law, the constitution, or
even the slackest intrepretation of justice. And you don't mind.
George Bush tells you that they should be there and that's good enough
for you.

So I guess it's like I said: all those things that everyone admired most
about America, rule of law, freedom, the constitution-- all just pretty
words you like to recite at public events while saluting the flag. All
Bush has to do is frighten you a little and you cave.

In all the years that Britain faced the real threat of IRA terrorism--
real bombs going off, real kidnappings and attacks, they never once
suspended a single constitutional right. There has not been an attack
in America in five years (and if you check the stories about the
so-called terrorists that have been arrested before committing any
crimes, the evidence is pretty thin), and you blustery patriots are
still quaking in your boots. Don't you ever feel ashamed?

One last point-- does anyone believe that if the police were brilliantly
effective that there would be no murders anymore? Not likely, don't you
think? They would just be much better at catching them after the fact.
Do you really believe that the Bush administration is so absolutely
brilliant that they have been able to stop every single terrorist attack
on U.S. soil before it even happened?

Some reasonable people might come to the conclusion that there haven't
been any real planned attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11. But then, a
reasonable person, saluting the flag and exercising real patriotism
would love the constitution and would never support a government that is
so quick to abridge constitutional guarrantees of privacy and
presumption of innocence and due process.

Terrorism is not new. There will always be some outside threats. The
Bush administration panicked, lost their nerve and their courage, and
obviously never placed much value on civil liberties and justice.

My own country has also disgraced itself, with the Mayer Arar case. It
knowingly allowed U.S. authorities to ship a Canadian citizen to Syria
be tortured. Then it tried to use "national security" as an excuse to
conceal their role in his rendition. Then it tried to censor documents
that proved they knew he would be tortured. That is what, in the end,
"national security" will always be used for: to cover up government
ineptitude and malfeasance.

And I promise this is my last word on the subject. Sorry for the
off-topic stuff... civil liberties are important.

Tony wrote:

>

> or avon lady. Freedom has a price. Our freedom has cost us the luxury of feeling safe. Overall, we
> are free. We do not get our heads cut off for saying negative things about the president like they
> did in countries like Iraq and other shit countries like them. If we did, there would be no
> Hollywood. Maybe that would be a good thing. And like that shithead Raed Jarrar who was forced to
> cover his shirt with the phrase We will not be silenced written in Arabic on the Jet Blue
> flight..... he better remember that this is OUR country and we dont have to take crap like that. Of
> course America is sensitve to that stuff. If it makes us uncomfortable, we will stop them. We have
> to stop catering to these foreigners.
>
>

[Back to original message]