Nuggets in Hamdi
I think I have seen a bit of faith restoration in the government as of late, and now I can see where it started. In her opinion, Justice O'Connor writes: "We have long since made clear that a state of war is not a blank check when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens...." (Hamdi V. Rumsfeld)
As of late, we have seen the Bush White House and its policies lose American support, and since the democratic party victory last year, we have seen more problems with the Presidents policies come to light. This attempt by the petitioner to attain a speedy and fair civil trial highlights the short-sighted policy of this armed conflict. Militarily, one can argue that it has been well run, and in fact, it has thanks to our troops. Politically, this may be the BIGGEST blunder since Vietnam. The reason we are failing domestically and internationally is through the lack of foresight, oversight, and, well, any sight period.
Take for example the current issue with the FBI and the over-steps it took under the Patriot Act. So intense and devisive was the action that it set up nothing that would be able to justify or sell it whole-heartedly to America, other than through scare tactics. This left the ability for abuse wide open, as goes the saying: "Absolute Power Corrupts" The same can be said for the issues at Abu Garaib prison, and for other areas of terrorist suppression. One can say the intent was right, and the intent was good. I can certainly agree with that, however, failure to have the funds to back up the blank check that Justice O'Connor mentions can leave the account low, or worse yet, bounce the check. The check that bounced was the faith of the people, and the low funds were levels of political oversight and control. The court wisely rules that Hamdi does have the right to an impartial judge, something he didn't have earlier, and he does have the right to argue his status as a United States citizen. Slowly, through proper correction, that blank check has been torn up, and while we need to use some of those funds, certainly, we cant bankrupt our Rule of Law for our protection. A nation that suspends all of its rights to defend itself is not a nation at all....
As of late, we have seen the Bush White House and its policies lose American support, and since the democratic party victory last year, we have seen more problems with the Presidents policies come to light. This attempt by the petitioner to attain a speedy and fair civil trial highlights the short-sighted policy of this armed conflict. Militarily, one can argue that it has been well run, and in fact, it has thanks to our troops. Politically, this may be the BIGGEST blunder since Vietnam. The reason we are failing domestically and internationally is through the lack of foresight, oversight, and, well, any sight period.
Take for example the current issue with the FBI and the over-steps it took under the Patriot Act. So intense and devisive was the action that it set up nothing that would be able to justify or sell it whole-heartedly to America, other than through scare tactics. This left the ability for abuse wide open, as goes the saying: "Absolute Power Corrupts" The same can be said for the issues at Abu Garaib prison, and for other areas of terrorist suppression. One can say the intent was right, and the intent was good. I can certainly agree with that, however, failure to have the funds to back up the blank check that Justice O'Connor mentions can leave the account low, or worse yet, bounce the check. The check that bounced was the faith of the people, and the low funds were levels of political oversight and control. The court wisely rules that Hamdi does have the right to an impartial judge, something he didn't have earlier, and he does have the right to argue his status as a United States citizen. Slowly, through proper correction, that blank check has been torn up, and while we need to use some of those funds, certainly, we cant bankrupt our Rule of Law for our protection. A nation that suspends all of its rights to defend itself is not a nation at all....
posted by Ian S. Crawford at 15:59
1 Comments:
Ian,
Good point about the govt's ignoring of the other branches leading to further questioning of govt. Ultimately the govt's attempt to gain more power backfired, then.
2
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