INDEFINITE DETENTION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS We were disgusted when Bush introduced this idea but astonished when, instead of rolling it back as promised, President Obama doubled down... But what’s wrong with indefinite detention is not a matter of the logistics of national security or military resources. What’s wrong with indefinite detention is that it is an eradication of a fundamental right upon which American democracy has stood from its founding days — namely, the right not to be incarcerated without evidence, the right not to be summarily “disappeared” on the say-so of one person or agency, the right not to be denied justice. If the President himself is not willing to embrace as sacred the right to due process for Americans, if he is not willing to risk everything to protect that fundamental constitutional guarantee, if he really believes you can compromise on this basic value, then why should we be surprised that the nation itself is floundering? How hard would it be for the President of the United States to face the nation and tell it clearly, once and for all, and without any qualms: “It was absolutely wrong to consider making Guantanamo a permanent reality. And it is a further — and unacceptable — violation of the very premises of our democracy to expand the Guantanamo concept of indefinite detention to include Americans.” Only when a President leads the nation with the reminder that America’s identity as a nation is not subject to compromise will the long-term wounds of 9/11 begin to recede. Susan Greenberg New York Daily News
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 22:59:18 +0000
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