The Pankian Metaphor 3109

John Ahlstrom

Perhaps in theory, but perhaps not in practice. Some people in this group are even expressing views that say they do not expect this to apply.

For example, in this exchange between BAH and Greg Menke, we have:

...but not for non-citizens?

It's called "fundamental human rights".

There we have it, from Greg, who talks a lot of sense in this group.

Why would they want to do that, if it made no legal difference?

Then there is the case of Hamdi, who got out of Guantanamo, and access to the US judicial system, because he was a US citizen. Other detainees have no recourse to justice.

Then you have the illegal immigrants, who, by all acccounts, are vital to the US ecomomy, but who formed the vast majority of those detained in the great round-up after 9-11. Why? Because they lacked the legal right to challenge their detention. By all means deport illegals if you want, but subjecting them to indefinite detention until their innocence can be proved by the FBI is not the way to convince people of your even-handed justice. Hardly any of the hundreds of people detained were ever charged with terrorism-related offences.

The last time I was in the US (October 2003) I met a man who had been thrown into the cells on arrival at JFK. Why? Because his valid pbuttport was not machine readable! He was lucky, he got out after a few hours, and was permitted to enter. How? He was European royalty, and after complaints by his country's embbutty, the State Dept intervened with the INS-Homeland Security.

--brian

-- Wellington, New Zealand

"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh."