Global Spin

I’ve been trying to come up with a decent summary of why this article on the release of a “suspected terrorist” five years after his arrest depresses me, but I can’t seem to get beyond the obvious “Sixth Amendment in tatters” or hand-wringing “what are we doing here?” arguments.

What really gets me is how accepting we (or at least the media) have been of suspending our core values indefinitely because we’re A Nation At War. A man was arrested and held without any charges for five years, and there’s hardly a peep when he’s released. Have we really become a nation of cowering victims, willing to accept the “protection” of a police state no matter what principles it violates? Better yet, what can we do to get past all the war-talk and start treating crimes like crimes, subject to the rule of law?

Posted by Chris in Crime, Law on August 15th, 2006 Edit this page's grammar and spelling with Emend.