Habeas Corpus in Guantanamo

June 14, 2008 -- This week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prisoners held at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to challenge the legality of their confinement in federal courts. The very reason that the prison was set up outside the country was due to an effort by the administratation to avoid access to U.S. courts. That now having been invalidated, it is likely the prisoners will be transferred to the U.S., and the prison there will be closed. The government has claimed that prisoners of war have never been given access to civilian courts. But unlike previous wars, this one is not against any recognizeable foe; and unlike other wars, it may well never end. Keeping prisoners the rest of their lives without proving that they have done something wrong is against everything our country stands for. This hopefully closes a dirty little chapter in the history of U.S. justice. Sean Hannity, in Thursday's radio broadcast, labeled the majority "five radical Supreme Court Justices", and said they were "trying to run the country". He looks past the fact that three of the five in the majority are Republican appointees.

President Bush and his political advisors have milked fear for every drop of political advantage, over the last several years. They have justified taking away civil liberties, torturing prisoners, and increased government secrecy as necessary to protect the citizens from all kinds of fanciful threats. Finally, the pendulum may be swinging against them. It is sad that I am more afraid of my government than I am of foreign terrorists.

Are you afraid too of what our country has become? Join my efforts to take back what is ours. See my website and previous blogs for ideas on how to get involved.