Let the Constitution Work on Terrorists For Our Sake

November 17, 2009

Obama wants to close GITMO and that is good. The prison serves to remind us and the rest of the world that the Constitution does not apply there and the people we hold are not worthy of due process. This makes the United States look like a hypocrite in terms of human rights.

This is not good. We have always prided ourselves that American justice is better. That our way of doing things is better in general. GITMO shows we have not meant what we have said.

Certainly the terrorists locked up there are bad people and probably involved with the 9/11 attacks and possibly others. However our Constitution and the legal institutions that go with it can handle them. They are just men so treat them that way.

We have adjudicated thousands worse than they, but it's their label of “terrorist” that strikes fear into Americans. Do not give them mythical power over us because to do so continues their victimization of us. It’s not right.

It did not help when the Bush administration hyped terrorism for political gain. We believed their rants and our fear from 9/11 validated our feelings about terrorists. Incredibly this cycle of fear has escalated to the point where we are timid and some horrified about using our Constitution to seek justice.

Let’s use our Constitution to properly try and hopefully convict those who harmed America. It will be a defining moment for our national psyche when we put our unreasonable fear of terrorists to rest and treat them like what they are... criminals.