We are making reparations to Japanese Americans who were unjustly imprisoned, as decided by Congress. George Bush, our current president's father, wrote letters of apology when he was in office in 1990. Putting American citizens in camps based on their ancestry was wrong then and it is wrong now. It was excused by claiming that all of the West Coast was a restricted military area -- how could we possibly make a claim along those lines with respect to today's terrorists?
This isn't just my head saying this, it's my heart. My neighbors are Japanese; my best friend's in-laws were in the camps during WWII. People lost homes, jobs, friends, and most of all, freedom to which they had a right as citizens. If we're not fighting a war on terrorism to defend *liberty*, then we are not pursuing justice. We cannot be defending liberty if we don't respect it. We are only justified to the extent that we stand for freedom; otherwise, we run the risk of being correctly criticized for defending our own wealth and power, rather than the principles this nation stands for. The terrorists' goal is to take away our choices, to steal our liberty. Let's not forget that as we decide how to respond. Nick > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of Alberto Monteiro > Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 5:49 PM > To: Brin-L > Subject: Re: balancing civil liberties and security. > > > > Doug wrote: > > > >> As for reason: In time of war some freedoms are always traded > away for > >> security; but even in WWII be managed not to suspend the Bill > of Rights. > > > >Except where it concerned Japanese Americans. > > > How evil were those concentration camps? Were there any extra > atrocities besides the reclusion? > > Alberto Monteiro > >
