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Spin-man, with all due respect, and I mean that sincerely, I think you're missing something really important here.
The fact that people have an attitude towards people who are different doesn't really rank on the scale of injustices. It turns out that they are enjoying their freedom just as much as you are. Their ability to openly express their opinion of you is wonderful. They may be ignorant intolerant assholes, but they are allowed. They can look at you sideways, treat you with disrespect, etc. but both sides retain their choices and their freedom.
It is exactly that openness that infuriates the enemy. You say you want the ability to raise a child in another religion without experiencing intolerance? Then you want to fight this war hard. You are in favor of civil rights? That's what this is all about. (If you're killed, your civil rights have kinda been violated.)
The idea that they found a flimsy pretense to hold Padilla is, in that way, comforting. Knowing that we aren't perfect about rights to begin with, the most important thing is that we try hard. That means that, in this case, the govt had to construct a reason to keep the guy, and the rest of the country had to be convinced that it was reasonable. Even though chances are damn near 100% that he was specifically trained by the enemy and sent here to be part of the network.
Can one raise a Muslim child in this country? The answer is undoubtedly yes, and that child can grow up to be very prosperous and successful. Can one raise a Christian or Jewish child in radically Islamic countries? Not under any circumstances.
Consider that 10% of the people living in Israel are Arabs, and that some Arabs have been freely elected to the Israeli government. That's a beautiful thing; can you imagine the level of tolerance and understanding needed to get to that point?
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