Original subject was Re: Iraq vs. N Korea
On Tue, 21 Jan 2003 "Bastiaan Edelman, PA3FFZ" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > <snipped - referred to prisoners in Guantanamo> > > Are the Taliban fighters among them really criminals... they were > defending their country, invaded by US forces. Ah, here's the sad truth, Bastiaan. The Taliban government wasn't recognized by the UN or most of the individual member countries. At the time of the Taliban fighters' capture, the 3 UN members that previously had recognized the Taliban had already withdrawn their recognition. The officially "recognized" government was that of President Rabbani (who was living in exile). And THAT government invited the foreign militaries to *come and assist the Afghani people*. (That, BTW, was very similar to how Panama became separate from Colombia). So, by decision of all the members of the club, the Taliban wasn't a government and their fighters weren't part of an (internationally recognized) army. Neither were they civilians committing ordinary crimes. They were, therefore, illegal combatants. Not that I necessarily agree or disagree with the outcome, but that's a fact. I called this the *sad truth*, because the legitimacy of a government can be decided by those who are not citizens, and the citizens would have no choice or vote. It's just a simple matter of the UN making a decision. Perhaps this sheds some light on why I protest so strongly to what I've previously called *the European voice* in this ongoing debate. It's a dangerous precedent that I do not want to leave unchallenged. If WE (as the UN members) have the authority to take away the government from those whom we dislike, what would happen if everybody else decided to take away the authority of my elected leader (currently Bush)? Doesn't this violate my personal and individual rights as a "member of the human family"? Not if the UN decides I made the wrong choice. Maybe this is a remote threat to the USA, but that was the exact situation for Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The UN didn't like Slobo's style, so they suspended Yugoslavia from the club. I didn't much like Slobo either, but I also dislike idea of the UN having that authority. So, those guys who are jailed at Guantanamo are there because of a UN decision - a vote originally cast in 1648 in Munster, West Phalia. The long arm of colonialism - UN style. Hey, Bastiaan. Maybe we can share a cell in the (future) dissenter's prison (also known as The UN Center for the Education of Progressive Governmental Concepts). (And the American voice in the background mutters, "After they pry my gun from my cold, clinched fist"). Bob - ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com
