Detainees in the States (OR: Do bad apples spoil American Pie?)

[perlslacker]

qft

He would have done it, too. The Iroquois Indians called him Town Destroyer for a reason.

 

[toucanlamp]

I think nothing has really tarnished America's ability to hold the moral high ground than arbitrary detention.

All this effort spent trying to come up with reasons why they shouldn't follow the Geneva convention, so they can hold people for however long, no trial, no charges, and then torture them and call it "enhanced interrogation".

In days past the idea was - the enemy tortured your people if they caught them and mistreated them - but you took care of them and followed all the rules when you caught them, and as a result you could stand tall and confidently say - we're better, we don't sink to their level.

Now, so that they can keep 14 year old kids who were sent by their parents to fight in Afghanistan imprisoned for years without charge or trial and torture people to get the useless information it results in, they throw all the benefits of previous high standards into the garbage and now nobody on Earth looks at America in as positive a light as they did 20, 30, 40, 50 etc. years ago.

You either charge these guys with something and put them on trial, or you cut them loose. Arbitrary detention is the pratice of countries that don't believe in the rule of law. And the people who justify it by saying "oh well they don't wear uniforms so we can do whatever we want" are just reaching for the easiest technicality and throw their morals out the window.

The way America has always ended up on top before is by not stooping to the level of enemies, but now it has and it's a huge shame.

 

[psychlopath]

After invading Iraq, the U.S. forces were paying rewards to Iraqis who turned in "bad guys". Now, if you have a grudge against your neighbor, owe him money or something, what better way to get rid of him than accusing him to the Americans? You get rid of him and pick up a nice chunk of change. Furthermore, if someone's only "crime" was fighting against the foreign (American) troops who have invaded his country, what should be the punishment for that? Wouldn't you do the same thing if China or whoever invaded the U.S.? We need fair trials to sort out the guilty from those who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time or whatever. And don't tell me how "nice" the prison is. To be snatched up, taken away from your familoy anf friends, and locked up for years with no chance to speak out is a horrible abuse of human rights, anyway you cut it. And I don't give a damn if evidence is "classified". Too often classifying things is just a convenient way to hide wrongdoing.

I mark this as the point where this turned into mud slinging fueled by ignorance and closed mindedness.

Obviously this person knows more about detainee proceedures at point of capture than anyone else here, especially me.

I'm stepping back to just watch now.

 

[SRock]

I mark this as the point where this turned into mud slinging fueled by ignorance and closed mindedness.

Obviously this person knows more about detainee proceedures at point of capture than anyone else here, especially me.

I'm stepping back to just watch now.

And I mark it as the point in which this thread is now closed.

Thanks all who contributed, lets move on.