We, the People

I am not sure what's wrong with the Iranians. Don't they know we are a civilized nation and will not stand for mistreatment, let alone holding prisoners against their will? Making that poor woman wear a black scarf over her head, how dare they! We would never do or even think about such things! Or.. would we?

A British resident released from Guantanamo Bay after being held for more than four years has said that the US failed to observe fair legal processes at the detention camp.

Bisher al-Rawi, an Iraqi national and British resident, had been held at the US military base in Cuba since 2002, but was reunited with his family this weekend in England.

"Allegations are made against you that are laughably untrue, but you have no chance to prove them wrong. There is no trial, no fair legal process," al-Rawi said in a statement on Sunday.

(snip)

"[Al-Rawi] has been held in Guantanamo Bay in total isolation – lights on, 24 hours a day, in a six-foot by eight-foot cell," he said.

Al-Rawi said in his statement issued through Reprieve that he wanted to advocate for the remaining British citizens held in Guantanamo Bay.

"I hope everyone who believes in justice and the rule of law will join with me to work for the release of Jamil and the other British residents," he said.

Britain has secured the release of all nine of its citizens who were held at Guantanamo but says the release of nine others who were resident in Britain but not nationals is not it's responsibility.

Responsabitity. Now, there's a word bushco doesn't understand. Accountability is another.

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Guantanamo detainees who want challenge their five-year-long confinement in court, a victory for the Bush administration’s legal strategy in its fight against terrorism.

A victory? Fight against terrorism?

A federal appeals court in Washington in February upheld a key provision of a law enacted last year that strips federal courts of their ability to hear such challenges.

At issue is whether prisoners held at Guantanamo have a right to habeas corpus review, a basic tenet of the Constitution that protects people from unlawful imprisonment.

We demand the Iranians release the fifteen prisoners they have. Yet, we do not. Some at Gitmo have been held for five years.

We call the Iranians terrorists. Yet it is we who terrorize nations.

We celebrated the hanging of Saddam. Yet bush & co. has more blood on their hands than Saddam did.

We wave a flag and swear to God. Yet, we advocate torture. We murder, we lie, we judge, we hate. We allow spying on American citizens without just cause, without warrants. We do not care about others less fortunate, if it means using our money to care, yet we have no objection to using billions of our future children's tax dollars to murder in the middle east.

We are 28% of a country. We are the last remaining sheep of the bush administration. We care not. We are afraid. We are told to be afraid, therefore we are. We are told people want to kill us. Therefore they do. We do not bother to look back at the days leading up to 9/11. We place blame on the Clinton administration, because we are told to. We do not learn from past leaders mistakes and knowledge. We are afraid. We are civilized.