----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gautam Mukunda" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 6:43 PM
Subject: Re: christian dreams of murder...


> --- Dan Minette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Yes and no.  I've seen Rumsfeld state that no trials
> > are needed....they can
> > be held indefinitely without trial until the war on
> > terror ends. The
> > problems with this, compared to a war like WWII, are
> > obvious I think.  The
> > war on terror will not end until there are virtually
> > no more terrorists.
> > So, the Rumsfeld is claiming the right to hold
> > people without trial
> > indefinitely.
> >
> > Dan M.
>
> And this is a real issue.  There are a lot of people
> in that camp who have dedicated their lives to killing
> Americans en masse.  I think there's a real
> possibility that they are going to be held for a very,
> very long time.  I don't see another solution to the
> problem.

Let me understand then.  You have backed off the idea of military trials,
and now think that because people were thought to be AQ operatives, and
because of the risk that AQ operatives pose, the risk of them being set
free after they are found not guilty in a military trial is too high, so we
will decide that they just stay locked up as long as the people who are in
charge sees fit.

But, you just said that you preferred military justice.  So is your
position also in opposition to the governments, and are you willing to take
the risk of a military court setting AQ operatives free?

I see an obvious problem with Rumsfeld's position; a lack of internal
checks and balances. If people are not brought to trial because the defense
department thinks a military tribunal is likely to that there is
insufficient evidence to convict someone, then I do not see that as
reasonable grounds for holding someone. Further, as pointed out by others,
terrorism is a much more nebulous war than any declared war, or any police
action, etc.  It seems that the logical conclusion from the above is that
any non-citizen who is interned by people following the orders of the
President has no recourse from any part of government; even military
courts.  That their only recourse would be threats from other countries
against the US.

Balancing this against the risk that AQ operatives who we aren't sure of
fighting us again after release, I'd rather take the risk of that than have
a government that feels the right to take any foreign citizen and lock them
up forever without any standard of evidence at all.


Dan M.


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