Toronto Star: An image of U.S. lawlessness

[bpilgrim]

Nov. 30, 2003. 01:00 AM
An image of U.S. lawlessness

RICHARD GWYN

"Guantanamo Bay must be one of the lowest points in the distinguished story of United States jurisprudence."

Lord of Appeal Johan Steyn speech in Ottawa, Oct. 2.

President George W. Bush's Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad was a brilliant, and stylish, exercise. He was signalling that the U.S. is not going to cut and run. He was boosting the morale of the troops. And, of course, he was discomforting the Democrats.

Now Bush needs to do something much more difficult. He needs to go to the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Some 600 Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners are being held there, most for two years, and all without trial or charge or legal counsel or any visitors except the occasional Red Cross representative.

Bush doesn't need to go there physically and obviously will not. He needs to go there imaginatively and intellectually.

Democracies are slow to go to war. But once engaged they often fight not merely as hard as their enemies, but like their enemies.

By the end of World War II, the Allies, in the firebombing of Dresden and of many other German and Japanese cities, were undoubtedly guilty of war crimes. The U.S. in Vietnam, the French in Algeria, the British in Northern Ireland committed comparable crimes.

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peace

[ClintonTyree]

1. Two of the most.............

blatant mistruths I've ever heard.

"Bush doesn't need to go there physically and obviously will not. He needs to go there imaginatively and intellectually.

Democracies are slow to go to war. But once engaged they often fight not merely as hard as their enemies, but like their enemies."

Bush to go there imaginatively and intellectually? Puuuhhlleeeezze. The man hasn't an ounce of either trait.

Democracies are slow to go to war? Again, this does not describe Chimpy McWarhardon. He was full tilt bozo to attack Iraq, no waiting, not lettng the inspectors do their jobs, he had to attack NOW!

The author is correct about the image of U.S. lawlessness though. Some of his descriptions of the Bush administration are flat out fantasies.

[Interrobang]

2. Well, Gwyn is a bit of an apologist...

He tends to be more conservative than most of the rest of the Star's writers, and therefore is more inclined to transfer moderation (in the sense of "being a moderate") onto those who haven't any.