[Winona] Military Tribunals

[Phil Carlson]

To understand the concern many people have over military tribunals in Afghanistan it might be helpful to change the perspective.  Consider that many people in the world believe that some U.S. actions in Viet Nam crossed the line into war crimes or crimes against humanity, and have targeted Henry Kissinger as the chief architect of these actions.  Analogous to the situation of the United States in Afghanistan, would it have been okay for the North Vietnamese to send special military forces here to kidnap Dr. Kissinger and try him in secret and execute him?   It matters a great deal how we handle the situation in Afghanistan, and how we treat the people we believe are responsible for the horrendous terrorist acts against the United States.  We should not be seduced by the cheap thrill of swift vengeance, but rather keep the calm resolve of careful deliberation in our courts of law.  Military tribunals may constitute the exact type of awful justice our Founding Fathers were guarding against when they formulated the Bill of Rights.  We may not be required to treat foreigners in the same manner as U.S. citizens, but we should think twice about the ways we would treat them differently.