Sitting back on the sidelines is relatively easy and cheap too. I mean think about it for a second. You are able to see lots of the field and have none of the burden of making a decision in a split second that could alter the lives of many. So yes, it is easy indeed to sit back and just blast away at decisions, but then too, is five years not enough time?
I suppose the lines often get blurred in wartime, between the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, but blurred doesn’t mean they get erased either. It has been nearly 5 years since 9/11 and finally the United States will follow the Geneva convention in its treatment of those captured and being held in Cuba at Guantinimo Bay military base.
Five friggin years?
Take a small trip backwards, to the 1940′s and since. Look back at how so many prisoners were mistreated by the Japenese in WWII and the War Crimes Trials that were held after the surrender of Japan? Look at the charges and you will notice a great many of the so-called war crimes dealt with the mistreatment of prisoners in the Japanese camps. Yet today, a modern moralistic society such as the United States needed a Supreme Court ruling and increased pressure to finally agree to abide by the Geneva Conferance on the treatment of combatants.
It amazes me why there aren’t a dozen or so Impeachment Bills before the House right now, but then again, these are the same race of people who’s Attorney General supports the use of torture on prisoners. Remember, Gonzales is the one who wrote the infamous memo supporting the White House concept of what is humane treatment and what constitutes torture of prisoners.
I don’t know, sitting back here, it is a wonder that there aren’t more bombings happening in America. I mean what makes people the Good Guys isn’t some texas millionaire spouting off saying so, isn’t some egomaniac control freak from New York calling America the Greatest Democracy Ever that makes it so. It is simply, the rule of law.
Either you follow it or you don’t. Choosing to ignore it doesn’t make you any better than those who oppose you. The Islamic Terrorists of Bin Lauden aren’t nice people, but we all know that going in. They value hate and death, but what is the difference between them and the United States?
Rule of Law.
It is deplorable that the United States took five long years to finally accept that a civilized nation must follow laws in its treatment of the enemy. Still the fact is, they at least have finally come to that decision.
That is what separates the Good from the Bad. America is far from perfect but at least for now it is finally going back to the right path of Justice. It has taken too long and lots of damage has been done in the supposed name of defending Freedom, but finally adhereing to the Geneva Conferance is at least one major step forwards. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, given how the world is reeling from yet another Terror attack. ( see India Story ).
Until we accept that we need to stay the course, being true to our real principles of democracy, terrorists will continue to make gains. Yes it is harder, but then who said it would ever be easy? It is a lot easier to simply lock people up than cure the problem that helped make them who they are.
As Jean Chretien pointed out, until we solve the unbelievable poverty the majority of Arabs are facing, we will continue to have people strapping bombs to their chests and blowing up innocent people in night clubs.
Abiding by the Geneva Convention at last, is one step forward. Can we have more Mr Bush? America? ( see Geneva Story )
