Taliban prisoners in Cuba

by Abaddon 62 Replies latest jw friends

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  Abaddon

  Does this trouble anyone?

  It seems semantic tom-foolery to declare a WAR on terrorism, and then to say that prisoners of the WAR are not prisoners of WAR.

  It also seems very suspect keeping them of proper USA soil, as where they are they are out of sight, mind, or appeal by civil-rights factions.

  DO NOT GET ME WRONG.

  I am not saying, "Ah, poor ickle terrorists".

  But in a war against terror, surely taking each and every opportunity to distance yourself from your enemies is the wisest and best course of action?

  Why do anything that is even remotely dodgy or underhand?

  These people could be punished without the USA appearing to make the rules up as they go along.

  What do you think?

  People living in glass paradigms shouldn't throw stones...
• 

  rekless

  The news report is that the RED CROSS has taken station Cuba, this is to observe the treatment of the captives.Kinda like a watch dog organization.
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  JanH

  Abaddon,

  It's a legal issue. One can wage war against someone, but that does not require that one considers the opponents to be soldiers as defined under the Geneva convention. Military personal has to wear uniform and weapons openly to be recognized under the Geneva convention. Obviously, many of those taken prisoner in Afghanistan did not (but, I guess some might). Yet, the US is required to follow the minimum standards of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, which will apply to all human beings.

  We'll see how this plays out. Some people in the UK are already concerned since a number of the prisoners are British citizens (though they are not proud of them exactly).

  - Jan
  --
  
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  julien

  I don't think war was ever legally declared. What else should they do with these prisoners? Existing procedures are probably not appropriate for these type of person. What is necessarily bad about making up rules as you go along? Some times you have to, as in a case like this; the USA has never before taken upon itself to wipe out a terrorist group.
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  Abaddon

  JanH; The UK prisoners will be visited by British diplomatic staff in the next day or so, according to the news.

  rekless; mmmm... I don't think that is severe risk of the prisoners being treated badly... it's that they are being kept of US soil for specific reasons, to allow them to be dealt with OUTSIDE normal law, to control press access, and I cannot see why the US has to resort to tactics that the US would critisize if employed by another power against peope they had an interest in.

  julien; "Existing procedures are probably not appropriate for these type of person" What, like hebeas corpus, due process and the right to a fair trial? I thought even war criminals had those rights. I say again, in a war against terror, surely taking each and every opportunity to distance yourself from your enemies is the wisest and best course of action?

  In the 'Falklands Conflict' (United Kingdom vs. Argentina ostensibly over the Falklands but actually over associated Antartic land rights), no war was declared, but the prisoners had full rights as POW's, so legal technicalities do not impress...

  People living in glass paradigms shouldn't throw stones...
• 

  Seeker

  The USA has never before taken upon itself to wipe out a terrorist group.

  Nope, but the USA has taken upon itself to declare war on drugs. That's certainly gone well...

  Fifty years from now, when the "war" on terrorism is till going strong, and terrorists are as numerous as ever, and people keep dying in their attacks, and the rights of U.S. citizens have been reduced to approximately the rights of airline passengers in terminals, then perhaps we'll be able to look back and see what might have been done differently.

  Right now, they are making things up as they go along, and I'm sure I would make plenty of mistakes if I were in their shoes too. The way I see it, there are two ways to wipe out terrorism, neither of which will work:

  1. The iron hand: Kill all the terrorists -- oops, a new one was just born! Oh well...
  2. The enlightened hand: Work to help free the world from poverty and want -- oops, religious hatred rears its head anyway! Oh well...

  Terrorism works because it is so effective. Not that it gets results, but it provides a semblance of power to the powerless. Since this world will always be set up with those in power and those out of power, terrorism will never end. Not as long as there is even one pebble on the ground to throw at someone in power.
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  Commie Chris

  One of the alleged fundamental differences between the U.S. and regimes such as the Taliban is that the U.S. stands for the rule of law and the right not to be deprived of liberty without due process. Only dictatorships casually dispense with fundamental human rights through such preposterous and duplicitous technical excuses as "they're not really soldiers so we don't have to apply the rules of the Geneva Convention to them, and they're not U.S. citizens so we don't need to accord them the rights of due process". The U.S. either believes in fundamental freedoms or it does not - you can't have it both ways.
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  Seeker

  The U.S. does not believe in fundamental freedoms -- when it suits them. If an "enemy" country oppresses its citizens, then the U.S. gets all righteously indignant about how awful it is that they don't preserve basic human rights for its citizens. When a "friend" country does the exact same thing, the U.S. covers it up as best it can. Pragmatic to the end.

  Not just the U.S., of course. This is typical of most nations. "Power corrupts" -- that phrase means something.
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  Hairy Harr

  Hey...Castro will find a way to send them to Miami!
• 

  rhett

  Call me cruel but I really couldn't care less about their human rights. Remember, these people are from the same group that caused the death of 3,000 people and brought down the WTC. Any one of them would probally do the same if given the chance. They're being monitored by the Red Cross and the treatment they're getting is much more humane than they would have gotten if handled by the Taliban. Personally, I think some laxatives should be added to their food to make things just a little more interesting for them.

  I don't need to fight
  To prove I'm right
  I don't need to be forgiven.