This may just be some of my innate libertarianism speaking, but President Bush said that extending the Geneva Convention rights to suspected terrorists would hinder the war on terror.
If the people we're holding are terrorists, we should expose them and try them in our courts and put them in our jails. President Bush says we should bring them to justice. We let murderers and rapists go free because their own individual rights are violated in the ensuing investigation. It gives no sense of revenge to the victims, but it is one of the base points of our justice system. I don't feel sorry for terrorists, of course not, but if we want them to face justice, shouldn't we make them face justice?
If we are indeed holding war criminals, should we not formally declare war? We have a war on drugs, but should we imprison all suspected drug users until we win the war on drugs?
Again, if they're terrorists, put them in jail forever, but I want to know. Even Republicans are starting to cross the aisle on this issue.
Do we want vindication and revenge, or do we want justice? I'm not entirely sure which is right, but do we even know where that line is anymore?
War criminal rights... would hinder the... war...
I feel like someone already thought of that...
Article comments
1 - diana hartman
I am pleased to tell you this article is being featured in the Culture Focus today, September 20th.
Diana Hartman
Culture Editor
2 - Dave Nalle
Which raises the question of why it is even IN the Culture section when it's so obviously a political article.
Dave
3 - Christopher Rose
Isn't politics part of our culture though? I find the politics section to be where the eternal minutiae of (mostly) US politics is endlessly diced and discussed, whereas culture has a broader, more big picture frame of reference, such as Mr Guilfoil considers here. I guess it's capable of being categorised either way...
4 - Nancy
But if politics & culture are the same subset, then why are they differentiated in the headings here?
5 - Christopher Rose
I'm not the one to ask for a definitive answer but my understanding is that Culture covers a wider range of topics, of which the broader aspects of Politics are a part.
Or, the Politics section is where we corral the really boring nerds and
wankswonks ;-)6 - Nancy
Or the really opinionated and cantankerous ones.
7 - John Guilfoil
I don't think this is a political commentary. It's a commentary on our culture. It's not about Republicans and Democrats; it's about people who have lost their definition of justice. I'm asking the question of Americans, do we want justice or do we want revenge, AND do we know the difference?
8 - Nancy
Revenge first, then justice.
9 - STM
Wrong Nancy ... revenge is not a dish best served cold ... it's actually a dish best NOT served at all.
We need to eradicate a threat to our way of life, and the best way to do it is in the cold, hard light of day and with reasoned thought ... a process best served without the notion of revenge muddying up that resolve.
10 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Boy STM,
You hit that one on the head. War is a murderous business engaged in for the sake of survival. Stupid things like vengeance need to be taken care of in a court of law or chancery.
11 - troll
*War is a murderous business engaged in for the sake of survival.*
...or profit