Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Gitmo Detainees

I was just reading the story at Yahoo News, concerning the Supreme Court ruling Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay may challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts. This is an important day for those who worried that extra-legal means were being used to keep these detainees at Gitmo, and is a setback for the Bush administration.

In its third rebuke of the Bush administration's treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government is violating the constitutional rights of prisoners being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The court's liberal justices were in the majority.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

Kennedy said federal judges could ultimately order some detainees to be released, but that such orders would depend on security concerns and other circumstances.

link to full story

Prisons Are Breeding Grounds For Insurgency

Even as there is proof that the surge has been a success militarily, there is a report that a backlash may occur, due to all of the detainees that are being held. The news report that follows indicates the mini-insurgency that the huge numbers of detainees may be creating.

American officials have detained thousands of insurgents in the months since the surge of forces began this spring, in an effort that most agree has improved security in Iraq. But now the commander of the American detention facilities in Iraq is wondering aloud if holding all those detainees is breeding a "micro-insurgency" and asking whether it's time to begin releasing thousands of people.

The two main detention facilities operated by the US military in Iraq, at Camp Bucca near Basra and Camp Cropper in Baghdad, have swollen to hold nearly 30,000 detainees. That's not the 40,000 individuals Army Gen. David Petraeus allotted for when American forces began to implement the Baghdad security plan this spring. But it may be too many, says Marine Maj. Gen. Doug Stone, who oversees detainees for the US-led force.

Let us not go so overboard in holding detainees, to the point that we create more problems than we started with. It seems that we are walking the fine line between security and rebellion, and I hope we can get something right in this war, as past decisions have not been very wise. May they please listen to the General, and find a way, to let the detainees go, and lessen the likelihood of creating more enemy combatants, as it would seem that we have a sufficient force to work against already!!


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Israel Supports Detainees Rights

In a "weird" story it seems that one of the only "democracies" in the Middle East, Israel, is coming in as a friend of the court for the detainees at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to take up Guantanamo detention policy again when its new term begins next month, the justices have received some unusual advice from a friendly corner of the war-torn Middle East. Israeli lawyers and military law experts have filed a brief that supports detainees in their quest for the right to have their cases heard in American courts. The Israeli lawyers argue that the Bush administration is making a mistake by trying to prevent the suspected terrorists being held at Guantanamo from filing cases in regular civilian or military U.S. courts.

Perhaps we should rethink our policies toward detainees, because if a country such as Israel, that is under constant daily threat of terrorism, can give these people "rights", it looks like we can take the "chance" as well in my estimation!

I would like to hear if you agree with Israel's position, or the United States current "no rights' position!! Thanks!


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