Senate Set to Vote on Detainees. Where Do the Democrats Stand on Terror?
The House of Representatives has passed a bill commonly called the Detainee Interrogation Act. This bill was mandated by the Supreme Court decision saying that Congress had to okay the establishment of military tribunals to try the terrorists. The more conservative members of Congress voted for creating the tribunals while most Democrats voted against it. Today the Senate is set to vote for this important legislation.
The legislation would establish a military court system to prosecute terror suspects, a response to the Supreme Court ruling in June that Congress’ blessing was necessary. While the bill would grant defendants more legal rights than they had under the administration’s old system, it nevertheless would not include rights usually granted in civilian and military courts.
The measure also provides extensive definitions of war crimes such as torture, rape and biological experiments, but gives the president broad authority to decide which other techniques U.S. interrogators may use legally. The provisions are intended to protect CIA interrogators from being prosecuted for war crimes.
This legislation is necessary to protect state secrets from making their way into US courtrooms and thus open to the public. This bill lets the rest of the world know that this country does not engage in torture to gain information. This bill certainly gives the terrorists more rights than they gave those they beheaded. This bill is necessary because of one undeniable fact: this country is at war. And that is a fact the Democrats are trying to run away from.
After Wednesday’s mostly party-line vote in the Republican-run House, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said in a statement that Democrats who voted against the measure “voted today in favor of more rights for terrorists.”
He added, “So the same terrorists who plan to harm innocent Americans and their freedom worldwide would be coddled, if we followed the Democrat plan.”
In response, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Democrats feared the House-passed measure could endanger U.S. soldiers by encouraging other countries to limit the rights of captured American troops, and be vulnerable to being overturned by the Supreme Court.
Dennis Hastert is right. These terrorists are not Americans, so they do not have the same rights under the law as American citizens have. These terrorists are not uniformed soldiers, so they do not have any rights under the Geneva Convention. These terrorists could care less what this nation’s laws say about the treatment of detainees. They will still kill and torture Americans and American soldiers at any and every opportunity. Changing the law in favor of the terrorists will not protect the American soldiers. As to Pelosi’s argument that this legislation would endanger American soldiers captured by other countries is specious at best. If our soldiers could be so lucky as to be treated with the same deference this country treats captured soldiers from other countries. Among our many wars, the United States has been the only country to have followed the Geneva Convention.
Lost in this argument is that these detainees are terrorists. They brutally kill people with glee. They torture with impunity. And they want to kill us. This is a war we must win. The United States is a civilized society. As such our soldiers do not kill those who surrender. Part of winning includes taking those who surrender and trying them in a court of law for their crimes while maintaining our soldier’s ability to continue fighting. Another part of winning this war is understanding just who it is that the US has locked up in Gitmo. John Weisman writing for Military.com says it best.
And yet, many in Congress, as well as the obstructionist lawyers running our armed services’ JAG Corps, are pushing to treat al-Qa’ida’s murderers as if they were shoplifters, embezzlers, or Martha Stewart. No rough stuff. No threats. No demeaning tactics. No tricks. White hat treatment all the way. Oh, and by all means, supply their defense attorneys with any of the sources and methods that led to their capture.
I really wonder where the Democrat’s loyalty lies in this war on terror. It does seem they are more interested in defending the rights of terrorists than protecting the American people. After watching the way Democrats are going after George Bush and defending terror suspects, it is little wonder why the terrorists think they can win.
I found this letter from Fredericksburg.com in Virginia in which in a letter to the editor, a reader summed up the Democrats this way:
You should remember that you can’t trust Democrats, especially with homeland security and the war on terror.
Some Democrats may say they are for the war on terror, but then criticize every aspect of the war on terror. The Democrats obviously oppose the war in Iraq, even though it is an important part in the war on terror.
This is the place where we overthrew and captured the dictator who tortured his own people, sponsored terrorism, and works with various terror organizations, including al-Qaida.
It’s also the place where many terrorists were captured or killed, including Jordanian al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The Democrats also call for the closure of Guantanamo Bay. This is the place where the U.S. detains suspected terrorists who want to kill Americans.
The detainees there continue to hate America and throw feces at their prison guards.
The Democrats also oppose the Patriot Act, which has been vital to protect this country. The Patriot Act enables the FBI and CIA to work together (which was not allowed in the Clinton administration).
The Democrats also oppose the NSA wiretaps, which listen in to foreign calls that have al-Qaida connections.
Do the Democrats support the global war on terror? The Republicans surely do, which could be the reason that there have been no more terror attacks in the U.S.
I do not understand the Democratic reaction to the war on terror. At every turn they seem to be more interested in protecting the rights of those who would kill us than with protecting Americans. I would just like to know why. Why are Democrats so interested in protecting the terrorists? Why are they so interested in tearing down the President and our troops? Let’s win this war and then, and only then, we can continue politics as usual.
Another worthy blog writing on this issue:
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