Excuse me but...

Why the FUCK does AMERICA have a base of al queda prisoners in CUBA???!?!?!!?!?
thankyou

The U.S.A. has had a Nava Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since American occupation in 1898. Why they have a base there is detailed in the official Gitmo website. Originally occupied by military invasion, the U.S.A. now occupies the naval base under a long term lease from the government of Cuba.

The reasons the Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees are being kept there are several, including:

* it is a secure military facility under the unfettered control of the U.S.A. unlike the Kandahar air base, which is subject to the sovereignty of Afghanistan, where the U.S.A.'s occupation and conduct is subject to international law.

* although under American control, the naval base is not sovereign U.S.A. terrritory, so the detainees do not have the protection of American constitutional law, and the administration is free of any potential involvement of the other branch of government, the judiciary, with respect to the rights of any detainees.

Historically, the British had a similar detention island. You know the one. :)

The Guantanamo Bay base is, if I recall, leased from Cuba for $4,000/year. This was under an agreement with the pre-Castro government. The only way the lease can be terminated is if the USA agrees. Castro has wanted them out for quite some time, and does not cash the $4,000 checks, which we've been sending him every year. :)

Originally posted by Nic Name
The reasons the Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees are being kept there are several, including: ...

* although under American control, the naval base is not sovereign U.S.A. terrritory, so the detainees do not have the protection of American constitutional law, and the administration is free of any potential involvement of the other branch of government, the judiciary, with respect to the rights of any detainees.

Our government cannot even defined if we are at war because of this and other nagging problems. Putting those detainees in Cuba makes them subject to neither US nor International law. Does this thread suggest that Americans are finally hearing what has been headline news in Europe?

BTW, notice that John Walker is not in Cuba. Now that the emotion has left some peoples response, get ready for a surprise. If he did not kill anyone, then he has committed no crime. He is not guilty of treason and the case against him is fraut with evidence likely to be thrown out of most civilian courts. Since he asssociated with Al Qaeda, then many (ie Bill Mahr) insist he must be guilty and should be put to death. Fact and emotions are two completely different concepts.

Mariguana salesman get five years. Murders typically serve less time. Football stars and Rabbis serve nothing. At most, John Walker will get a year or two - and even that is probably too long a sentence.

The free press will be there the day he walks out of the courtroom, broadcasting a current
picture of him into every home in America. Justice will follow in about five minutes.

Where's Jack Ruby when you need him?

Brian

With regard to Walker, I find it strange that the American public is almost universally confident in the President's administration to prosecute the war on terrorism, but can't seem to trust them to prosecute one citizen properly.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to weigh in with a talkshow conviction and a sentence for John Walker, without any facts other than CNN soundbytes. If nothing else, any thinking person has to acknowledge that the FBI, CIA, DoD and President know quite a bit more than the man on the street about Walker from their interrogations, and have decided that this is the way to proceed.

If the government can't be trusted to make this decision flawlessly, then why should they be trusted to decide which nation to attack next?

For all anyone knows, Walker could be a valuable CIA operative, whose cover it is essential to preserve. Maybe the video interviews with CNN where he openly espoused support for the Taleban, and the interrogation filmed with CIA agent Spahn, in which Walker wouldn't talk or cooperate with American government interrogators, were staged CIA set-ups to maintain Walker's cover. Would the government delude the media to aid in a cover-up?

Maybe the only way to re-integrate Walker into Al Qaeda is to allow him to "escape" the American justice system. The man on the street wonders why the CIA can't infiltrate the Al Qaeda, if Walker can join up and even get a meeting with bin Laden. Did the American public expect that CIA operatives in Afghanistan would look like Men In Black?

Even in Pakistan, Walker was telling his friends in "the base" that he was from Ireland, to play down his American citizenship. Obviously, he was attempting to blend into the organization. If one were to develop an elaborate long-term plan to infiltrate Al Qaeda with CIA operatives, wouldn't an impressionable disillusioned youth, fluent in Arabic, apparently dedicating his life to Islam and the Taleban, be an ideal CIA operative if he could pull it off? Maybe he did. Many smart Americans would think that bin Laden couldn't be so easily duped ... all the while, believing themselves that Walker is a traitor.

Maybe Walker is much more valuable to the government if he eventually walks on all charges. Even if they have to retire him from active service, because his cover may have been compromised, it may be essential for the CIA to ensure that Walker's associates in Al Qaeda continue to believe that their security wasn't breached by association with Walker. A fair trail where he gets off on American constitutional legal technicalities, with an outraged public, may be the ultimate cover-up.

In Walker's only communication to his parents during his detention he told them not to worry, he couldn't say anything, but that he was safe in the custody of the American military. His parents wouldn't even know if he was a CIA operative.

The American public is generally very naive about the operations of the CIA. It's the CIA's core business to keep everyone in the dark about what they do and how they do it. They've done such a good job, over the years, the American public actually thinks they don't know anything. Perfect.

This may be too far fetched a conspiracy theory to believe. It's just easier to believe that the leaders elected and appointed to run the world's most powerful nation can't make the right decision what to do about Johnnie Walker.

Originally posted by tw

If he did not kill anyone, then he has committed no crime. He is not guilty of treason and the case against him is fraut with evidence likely to be thrown out of most civilian courts.

Well, having a case "fraut with evidence likely to be thrown out of most civilian courts" and having "comitted no crime" aren't quite the same thing.

Based on what he's reported to have admitted, it sounds to me quite likely that he's guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, as are a number of the detainees at Gitmo. Unfortunately, there's a reasonable chance that everything he's admitted to since being captured will get excluded, depending on how well Mirandized the court thinks he was. If it isn't excluded, I think he's quite likely to be convicted on the conspiracy rap.

If he *is* a spook, his cover was *exceptionally* well-constructed.

<i>Now that the emotion has left some peoples response, get ready for a surprise. If he did not kill anyone, then he has committed no crime.</i>

And similarly, since Richard Reid's shoes were wet, and he couldn't light them, he has committed no crime. Right?

'Alphabet guys:' CIA, Special Forces wage secret war in Afghanistan

I was gonna say something like that, Tony, but you pretty much hit the nail on the head.

As far as him being in the US instead of Cuba - this has been explained numerous times. He's an American citizen. As such, he's granted the rights that all American citizens have - a trial with a jury of peers. Do you think we're going to get those in a military tribunal? No. Hence his trial in the US.

I haven't made up my mind yet - I am not one to judge his innocence. Though I do find it disgusting and absurd that he would espouse the hatred for the US that he has, that's still free speech. We'll see what happens. Signed affidavits may be difficult to refute.

Originally posted by Undertoad
And similarly, since Richard Reid's shoes were wet, and he couldn't light them, he has committed no crime. Right?

If I am a wise guy in a room full of wise guys, and my wise guy friends at the other table shot the waiter in cold blood, then am I also guilty of conspiracy to kill that waiter? That same question must be asked of John Walker. Just because he associated with terrorists does not make him responsible for terrorist activities.

Richard Reid was in possession of a deadly weapon, was in possession of that weapons in violation of international security and transportation laws, was in possession (we think) of stolen property, was in possession of that weapon with intent to use it in the act of a crime, attempted to use that weapons to kill, attempted to use the weapon to destroy an international transportation vehicle (is that a violation of the Warsaw accords?), and how many more crimes is he accused?

John Walker's only crime, according to investigator leaks to the press, are the things only he claimed. Richard Reid tried to murder people. John Walker was just in a room of undesireable people. As Maggie notes, those facts against Walker may be thrown out as a violation of his constitutional rights. There is no other evidence that John Walker committed any crime other than be in a room with other criminals. Is that a crime?

I suspect Cheney is guilty of more serious crimes than John Walker. But, of course, Cheney is the VP and we know how politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes; yet prosecuted for morality reasons. Do we now convict a man because we don't like his associates? In which case, Enron means a serious problem for George Jr and much of his staff.

A dirty little problem with John Walker's case is that he really commited no crime - just claimed to conspire - and then without a lawyer. John Walker appears to be nothing more than a dumb kid - a Symbonese Liberation wanna-be who could not even get that right. Patty Hearst is a bigger criminal than Walker. At least she could drive a get-away car successfully.

some of the english-speaking prisoners liek the one form austrlaia have made thier position very, very clear and have therefore implicated themselves in terrorist activties but walker is an interesting case, we'll see.

Cherney should a: be foreced to relaose EVERY meeting tape from the energy bill, then absed on teh evidence i'm sure is on there, shot.

Similarly, because you're so far left, you should be hanged. Right?

Remind me not to vote for you as President of the World. Your domestic policy would be killer.

Funny how jag doesn't have a problem with US firearms when they're enforcing *his* policies. :-)

I *would* like to see Cheney have to FOIA the records of his energy task force, just like Hillary had to do for her health-care task force.

Cheney is guilty until proven guilty. I bet if the records totally exonerated him of any wrong doing, one of the far-leftist monkeys would find <b>some</b> reason to order a death sentence.

Originally posted by dhamsaic
As far as him being in the US instead of Cuba - this has been explained numerous times. He's an American citizen. As such, he's granted the rights that all American citizens have - a trial with a jury of peers. Do you think we're going to get those in a military tribunal? No. Hence his trial in the US.

There is one school of thought (which I'm somewhat sympathetic with, and which nobody in the government seems to be interested in trotting out), that taking up of arms as part of a foreign army to do battle against the United States amounts to a renunciation of US citizenship, in which case he is NOT an American citizen and should be treated exactly the same as his al-Qaeda colleagues.

<i>John Walker was just in a room of undesireable people.</i>

This is a peculiar and telling understatement. From the accounts I've heard, he was in a flooded prison basement (tw's "room") of Taleban and possibly al Queda (tw's "undesireable people"), who were armed, resisting, and conspiring to kill (tw's "just in") US forces.

I'm not willing to try and convict him on the basis of what little we know. But what little we know is pretty damning.

I think he's a pathetic case, a combination of youthful energetic idealism and pure stupidity.

Originally posted by kbarger


There is one school of thought (which I'm somewhat sympathetic with, and which nobody in the government seems to be interested in trotting out), that taking up of arms as part of a foreign army to do battle against the United States amounts to a renunciation of US citizenship, in which case he is NOT an American citizen and should be treated exactly the same as his al-Qaeda colleagues.

I've wondered about that, too. I'm not sure what the rules are for revoking an American's citizenship. I guess Walker didn't bother to read the small print on the fourth page of his passport. For those who don't have one:

Loss of Citizenship Under certain circumstances, you may lose your U.S. citizenship by performing any of the following acts: 1) being naturalized in a foreign state; 2) taking an oath or making a declaration to a foreign state; 3) serving in the armed forces of a foreign state; 4) accepting employment with a foreign government; 5) formally renouncing U.S. citizenship before a U.S. consular officer overseas. For detailed information, consult the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or contact the Office of Citizens Consular Services, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-4818, or call (202) 647-3444

I'm not clear about the circumstances of Walker's capture, or the nature of his activities before he was captured. Has anybody heard for certain that he was "under arms", as the saying goes?

Originally posted by tw

Putting those detainees in Cuba makes them subject to neither US nor International law. Does this thread suggest that Americans are finally hearing what has been headline news in Europe?

The detainees in Cuba are still subject to all the US treaty requirements with respect to prisoners of war.

ADVICE ABOUT POSSIBLE LOSS OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND FOREIGN MILITARY SERVICE

Excerpt from the official website of the Department of State of the U.S. Government.

Although a person's enlistment in the armed forces of a foreign country may not constitute a violation of U.S. law, it could subject him or her to Section 349(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act [8 U.S.C. 1481(a)(3)] which provides for loss of U.S. nationality if an American voluntarily and with the intention of relinquishing U.S. citizenship enters or serves in foreign armed forces engaged in hostilities against the United States or serves in the armed forces of any foreign country as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer.

Loss of U.S. nationality was almost immediate consequences of foreign military service and the other acts listed in Section 349(a) until 1967 when the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Afroyim v. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253. In that decision, the court declared unconstitutional the provisions of Section 349(a) which provided for loss of nationality by voting in a foreign election. In so doing, the Supreme Court indicated that a U.S. citizen "has a constitutional right to remain a citizen... unless he voluntarily relinquishes that citizenship."

Further confirmation of the necessity to establish the citizen's intent to relinquish nationality before expatriation will result came in the opinion in Vance v. Terrazas, 444 U.S. 252 (1980). The Court stated that "expatriation depends on the will of the citizen rather than on the will of Congress and its assessment of his conduct." The Court also indicated that a person's intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship may be shown by statements or actions.

Military service in foreign countries usually does not cause loss of citizenship since an intention to relinquish citizenship normally is lacking. Service as a high-ranking officer, particularly in a policy-making position, could be viewed as indicative of an intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship.

They may not consider him to have served in the armed forces of a foreign state, simply because the US did not recognize the Taliban as a government (and of course, it didn't recognize al Qaeda either). So what we have may just be the equivalent of some dude kicking a cop, but doing it on foreign soil.

As for Tony's comment... I think a lot of it has to do with religion and the ridiculous ideals which it promotes. Think about how many deaths religion has been responsible for... and then think about why he joined up with al Qaeda in the first place.

I'm not saying Islam is worse than any religion, nor am I saying it's any better. Just something to think about - religion is responsible for the 9/11 catastrophe and millions of other deaths over the course of human history. Pretty awful...

originally posted by russotto
The detainees in Cuba are still subject to all the US treaty requirements with respect to prisoners of war.

The important moral concern is only whether the detainees, by whatever legal characterization, are being treated humanely in accordance with the standards of international law, including the Geneva Convention.

Reading the Geneva Convention, it seems to me to be quite inapplicable for the detainees to be designated PoW for all the purposes of the GC, in the context of the current conflict. The Geneva Convention is not natural law, but a contractual agreement between signatories that provides mutually binding rules that govern how each will treat the opposing armed forces captured during a conflict. There is even a provision that non-signatories should be afforded the rights for their forces, if they agree to reciprocity with the signatory nation. This is clearly not the deal with the Al Qaeda or the Taleban. Afghanistan is a signatory to the GC, of course, but the UN recognized only the Northern Alliance as the official government, in any event.

There are clearly many "rights" of PoWs in the GC that should not be extended to these detainees, especially the right to release and repatriation, and the right to financial compensation while imprisoned.

I don't think the GC should be read loosely, or interpreted broadly, to advocate greater entitlement for these detainees than generally humane treatment, which they should be afforded even without reference to the GC. Not that Allied forces would be given the same, if captured.

Everyone is entitled to form their own differing opinions, and opposing international lawyers might debate the fine points of interpretation of the Geneva Convention, but it's certainly worth reading.

Powell is pushing for POW status, understanding the importance of clarifying the detainees'legal status and helping the US maintain some semblance of high ground. How would such a designation further muddle the declaration/nondeclaration of war? Do you think he can sway the Cheney and the rest?

I don't think he can, and its such a loss. Firstly because it will really piss off many member of the fragile "war agains't terror" group, secondly from a broader perspective of international legitimicy of what the US is doing.

Originally posted by Undertoad
From the accounts I've heard, he was in a flooded prison basement (tw's "room") of Taleban and possibly al Queda (tw's "undesireable people"), who were armed, resisting, and conspiring to kill (tw's "just in") US forces.

He was in a basement prison and being held by Northern Alliance when his peers started an armed uprising. He was found, still in that basement prison and without weapons. To make a case against him, we must prove he participated in the uprising or at least was in possession of weapons. Neither has been proven nor even stated. From his own testimony, he apparently did not participate in the uprising nor takeup weapons.

John Walker was simply a soldier in a civil war when others in his 'army' attacked the US. We have no reason to believe that John Walker physically supported or participated in any military or terrorist action against the US. That's the rub. Regardless of how we may emotionally feel, emotion is irrelevant. Logic must prevail. Until we have evidence of crimes, John Walker is innocent. That is the problem. Too many people have convicted him only based upon emotion or based upon who his peers were. There is a severe shortage of incriminating facts.

As things stand today, it is likely that John Walker is guilty of no crimes against America. That's the logic of it when the emotion is removed.

Originally posted by warch
Powell is pushing for POW status, understanding the importance of clarifying the detainees'legal status and helping the US maintain some semblance of high ground. How would such a designation further muddle the declaration/nondeclaration of war? Do you think he can sway the Cheney and the rest?

Powell is in company with some very scary right wing extremists. These are people who are not what George Jr represented himself as during the election. It is why cooler head were necessary to avoid a possible armed standoff with China. It is why we have been discussing unilateral and unprovoked attacks on Iraq. It is why we are wasting massive funds for a nuclear tips missile attack from Indonesia when the forces necessary to prevent another WTC are under equipped - something like 48 out of 50 in the world. It is why we will spend $800 million to convert $222 million luxery liners for a miliatary that does not want or need them.

Why do we call it 'Homeland Security' as if is was a department of the Third Reich? It does not stop there. These extremists now want to create a military joint command for domestic security. Are the FBI, US Marhsall service, US Secret Service, ATF, State Police, and local authorities sufficient? Not according to right wing extremists who now want to bring the military into crime fighting.

It was bad enough that MBA concepts were enacted to solve what was really a management problem in the Attorney's General office. This Homeland Security is just another layer of bureaucracy created because information was not being properly exchanged by various law enforcement - a White House and Justice Dept problem at highest levels.

The military has many joint commands such a Southern Command for operations in South America, Central Command for military operations in central Asia, space command for military operations in space, AND now a military command for domestic operations? This could be a violation of the Constitution. But these same right wing extremists are no longer worried about the Constitution now that they are in power.

It is scary that Powell appears to be one of only a few moderates in an administration so right wing that Powell appears to be a left wing liberal.

Remember many of the people responsible for the political fubar that permitted Saddam to massacre his rebels are also now the same people calling for a unilateral attack on Iraq. Scary that Ashcroft is only another right wing extremist in this administration. A man who even makes curtain decisions based upon his religion rather than upon the secular requirements of his job.

Originally posted by tw

Powell is in company with some very scary right wing extremists...

Ya know, I'd be careful about flinging the term "right wing extremists" about so much in this context. Hanging out in right-to-keep-and-bear-arms (RKBA) space as much as I do, I know a lot of people who I consider to be "right wing extremists". But a lot of them find ATF and the "Office of Homeland Security" to be scary too. "Right wing extremists" seems like too mild a term sometimes.

Maybe "Nightwatch" and "Ministry of Peace" would be better...:-)

Originally posted by MaggieL
Ya know, I'd be careful about flinging the term "right wing extremists" about so much in this context. ... But a lot of them find ATF and the "Office of Homeland Security" to be scary too. "Right wing extremists" seems like too mild a term sometimes.

That is also characteristic of extremist groups. They find anyone who thinks differently to be scary. Michigan militia, for example, who thought everyone would be against them. Extremists have intolerance. They fear others who think (and sometimes others who look) different. It is this intolerant attitude in George Jr's inner circle that almost got us into a military standoff with China. Thank goodness there were a few moderates, voices of tolerance, in George Jr's administration.

BTW, because of those moderates, George Jr will be visiting China soon in what is expected to be a warm welcome.

Tonight we have another example of problems created by the intolerant. First a parallel example: Since the US is a primary source of IRA arms, then the US an enemy of Ireland? Of course not. But because Iran is a source of arms for some terrorists, then Iran is an American enemy?

We have our mafioso and Iran has their's. But tonight, George Jr painted Iran with a broad brush. He is undoing years of slow careful fence mending with Iran - a country we really do need to find common and friendly ground with. Ditto with N Korea - a country that was slowly being brought back into the world as a contributing nation.

Extremists paint everyone either black or white. Iran is neither. Work to open N Korea has been destroyed. Until we get more moderate thinking from our current White House staffers, we will see a slow degradation of relations with all Arab nations. But then the Saudi crown prince was trying to tell us that when he offered a $10million check to the WTC fund. Did anyone here what he said?

Extremists will not see what the Saudi Crown prince said in an interview in yesterdays NY Times. Extremists see enemies everywhere. Therefore extremists are so dangerous.

What contibuted so much to our VietNam fiasco? Another extremist called McCarthy (R-WI).