We say we are at war. Our President demands extraordinary powers due only to a President at war which is defined as “a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation”
The Taliban was the government of Afganistan. We went to war against Afganistan. Anybody we picked up in the desert is simply a prisoner of war. These people didn’t do 9-11, the 9-11 guys were Saudi.
Sadaam was the leader of Iraq. We went to war with the government of Iraq. Anybody we picked up in the desert is simply a prisoner of war. These people didn’t do 9-11, the 9-11 guys were Saudi.
We won those wars against the nations of Afganistan and Iraq. Those nations are no longer ruled by the Taliban and Sadaam. Who are we at war with now? According to us, the governments of Iraq and Afganistan are now run by friendly people who were elected by democracies. The governments of Iraq and Afganistan are our pals so we aren’t at war with nations.
We are at war with an old man in a cave, a criminal who plotted to fly airplanes into buildings. This is a crime in New York. It’s a crime anywhere. He’s a criminal without a nation. We are denying the people of the state of New York due process while we house and feed one mastermind of 9-11 in Guantanamo. By denying the prisoners the right of due process we are denying the people of New York the opportunity to bring the criminals to justice. We are denying the people of New York the healing which could come with justice. Shouldn’t the police in Pakistan be seeking Bin Laden for extradition to New York to stand trial for premedited murder?
Crimes have been commited by individuals, not acts of war.
Who is our enemy? Our president demands extraordinary powers because of a constant state of war. Bin Laden is an old man in a cave. He’s a convenient ghost.
With whom are we at war? Al Qaeda, a group of criminals? These guys are crooks. We didn’t send the military after Al Capone. We sent the police.
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