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• Tuesday, January 13, 2009 12:03 PM

  @bernbart

  Give me a break. They are not holding U.S citizens. They are holding terrorist suspects from other countries. I do not agree with torture, but some of you act as if this will happen to just anyone. If they have any proof of wrong doing, they be an international court not U.S. military courts with ACLU defending them. I thought the ACLU purpose was for U.S. citizen's civil liberties. This is a national defense and international issue.

  If I knew of a way, in all seriousness, to disabuse you of almost all of the notions you just expressed, I could truly say I had the key to ending human and civil rights abuses. I'm not picking on you, but what you said encapsulates the difficulties with ending torture and illegal detention so very well.

  Here goes, but I think this is one that needs a Glenn:

  • Can't give you a break. People are suffering.
    
  • Human beings have human rights, everywhere. Many civil rights in the U.S. Constitution are understood to be for everyone, not U.S. citizens.
    
  • In this country, the length of time you could hold a 'suspect' used to be 48 hours. Does 7 years seem enough now?
    
  • It can happen to anyone. Ask al Marri or Mahar Arar.
    
  • What international court? The U.S. removed its signature from the Rome Statute, and nobody has convened an International Criminal Tribunal on this.
    
  • The ACLU defends civil liberties of everyone in the United States. Have you ever heard of Sacco and Vanzetti?
    
  • Why is holding someone on a rumor or because they were named by a person being tortured a national defense issue?
    
  • Finally, you got one right. It is an international issue. The issue is the United States obeying international law.

  As I said, bernbart, I'm not picking on you. You are sometimes like a mouthpiece for all the pent up fears that otherwise good people are holding inside after these 8 years. But what you said just isn't right. And human rights are for everyone, everyone in the world. Thanks for listening.

  —ondelette Read ondelette's other letters
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