Judges cite nonsense poem in Guantanamo case

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court is comparing a military decision at Guantanamo Bay to a nonsensical 19th-century poem by Lewis Carroll.

In the first court ruling to analyze a decision to hold a detainee as an enemy combatant, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit questioned some of the government logic. It ordered that a Chinese Muslim held for years be released.

Monday's opinion chided the government for insisting that a piece of evidence was valid because it appeared on three documents. The court said all three documents apparently came from the same dubious source.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_go_ot/guantanamo_chinese_detainee;_ylt=AodNyeJZ_j.UEUj6bu.UJY4NJ_wE

[jimshoes]

1. In case anyone was wondering, as was I,

which Lewis Carol poem was cited,

The judges compared the argument to "The Hunting of the Snark," an 1876 poem that includes the line, "I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true."

[aspergris]

3. We're truly through the looking glass here n/t

[knitter4democracy]

4. Great reference!

That's a really great line from a really great poem. :)

[redqueen]

2. Nice.

[iverglas]

5. truly excellent

I absolutely love that.

And the best part: "The court ordered the detainee to be set free."

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hom-2w-dF_LD7cdcmepO4aRnbsKg


It's a very long thing, and in fact has been made into a musical! Here's the wiki summary/commentary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunting_of_the_Snark

Heh heh:

Gardner points to the similarities between the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Trial by Jury, another spoof on English courts, and the trial in the Barrister's dream {in The Hunting of the Snark}:

Though all my law is fudge,
Yet I'll never, never budge,
But I'll live and die a judge (Gilbert)

No Gilbert & Sullivan judges those!

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Is The Banker Karl Rove?

[iverglas]

12. good one ;)

but does he dance?

[iverglas]

13. and how 'bout that Butcher?

a passing resemblance.

[tomg]

6. This looks like a great twofer:

the return of law: "it ordered that a Chinese Muslim held for years be released."

and the return of intelligence and wit: "Lewis Carroll notwithstanding, the fact that the government has 'said it thrice' does not make an allegation true," the court wrote."

[Sam Ervin jret]

7. "The US does not want to send him to China for fear he will be tortured"

Are they F-in' kidding with that line?

We used to be able to say things like that with somewhat of a straight face. Now it just sounds delusional.

[hootinholler]

8. The best line in the whole article.

Sadly they are not kidding.

-Hoot

[Supersedeas]

9. key stone cops in charge of a detention and torture facility?

[Supersedeas]

11. Scalia Thomas Alito and Bush boy Roberts will not like this one bit