I think we are expressing the frustrations we all feel, when faced with an attack upon innocent civilians by a group that is not acting at the behest or is part of an identifiable monolithic entity such as a country. They are nameless and faceless, the only traits they have had in common is they are between 14 and 60 years old and claim to be Muslims, and Islam is about as monolithic as Christianity, three main branches and many sub sects.
Some seem to have no qualm about killing all the Muslims, but to me it would be like killing all the Christian anti-abortionists because Eric Rudolf claimed he is a Christian, and bombed clinics.
Not defending any ones right to murder innocents, but before we begin executing the “Godless ones”, it might be nice to allow for some form of due process, aside from a personal assessment of whose faith is God based and whose is not.
Presently there is a man, Jose Padilla, being held as an enemy combatant. He is a US citizen and was arrested in the US. He has been held in custody for about 3 years now. He has not been, found guilty of a crime, or charged with one, nor has even been slated for trial; he has only been accused of possible being involved in a plot to detonate a “dirty bomb” in the US
He very well might be guilty of everything he is accused of, who knows, I guess thatÂ’s why we have trials. He is not a sympathetic figure, in my mind, but if a US citizen can be denied his rights and imprisoned without being convicted of any crime, or trial or due process because one person, the President, has declared him an enemy combatant, without any foreseeable recourse, then what prevents a future President from determining that YOU are an enemy combatant.
Ignoring the very document, that is the foundation of this country, only seems to say we no longer have the courage of our convictions.
I find it quite vexing trying to find the balance between stopping a terrorist while maintaining, the rights and freedoms “guaranteed” in the Bill of Rights.
Here is an odd one, the Second Amendment, I think it is an absolute, that makes me conservative, I also think the First Amendment is an absolute that makes me a liberal, and in the case of Padilla I think the Fourth Amendment is an absolute, so according to some I would be supporting terrorism.
Either the Bill of Rights is a statement of constitutionally protected rights all the time, or it is just another piece of paper with meaningless words on it.
Life is no joke but funny things happen
jon