Today's Event Details can be found below italicized.
A verdict without a trial. A hearing without a jury or judge. Imprisonment without a charge.
These are the fruits of the so-called “war on terror.”
Although the government has decided to waste millions more tax payer dollars on re-trying the Holy Land Foundation case, at least these charitable men, the defendants, are free men and, but for the grace of God, have the means to launch an expensive defense on their own behalf.
The men and boys imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay prison are less fortunate. They have been deprived of the most fundamental principles this country was founded on: the right not to be imprisoned without a charge and the basic rule of law.
Kept for years in this offshore prison, which is apparently not quite within United States constitutional jurisdiction, these prisoners are subjected to some of the least civilized treatment seen in the so-called “developed” world.
These fellow human beings have never been charged with a crime. The government has side-stepped the 2004 Supreme Court decision that allowed them a fair trial by classifying these men, many the victims of foreign warlords’ greed, as enemy combatants. Hundreds have been released without having had any evidence brought against them, only to re-enter the world with the scars of war crimes.
None have been allowed to see any evidence that may have been collected against them (with or without torture), nor have they been allowed to mount a defense that proves their innocence.
Several of these men and boys have attempted suicide when faced with the ever-narrowing tunnel of their undefined imprisonment. At least four have succeeded. Their blood is on our hands.
I want to feel proud to be American. As long as Guantanamo prison exists, I struggle to do so. However, people like Thomas Wilner, who has defended many of the so-called “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo, gave me hope when he said in his Washington Post editorial,
“There is and can be no acceptable legal excuse or explanation for denying people a fair hearing.”
I thank God that Mr. Wilner remembers what it means to be American. Defending the Constitution is one of our most important duties, as citizens, especially in the face of adversity.
If you are wondering what you can do to change this situation, consider joining a group of concerned activists on Friday, Jan. 11 from 3 to 6 p.m. Sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center, the event will take place in front of the Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St. in downtown Dallas.
Some brave members of the group will be wearing black hoods and orange jumpsuits to visually express their solidarity with the political prisoners in Guantanamo. Others will simply wear orange ribbons or clothing. It’s time to say enough is enough. We must ask ourselves, are we willing to sit back and watch as our leaders commit war crimes? Or are we willing to stand up and say, “Not in our name”?
This is a democratic republic. It requires an active, informed citizenry to function. Together, let’s make it work.
To find out more, visit www.dallaspeacecenter.org.
