Guantanamo - 2008-07-17 12:00
We, the Coalition, got authority from the United Nations to go to Afghanistan
and oust the Taliban . Anyone who fought against us was considered an illegal
enemy combatant.
Many of them are in Guantanamo, held without charges, without rights.
Reaffirming its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolutions 1378 (2001) of 14 November 2001 and 1383 (2001) of 6 December 2001."Adopted
unanimously by the Security Council at its 4443rd meeting, on 20 December 2001Many of them are in Guantanamo, held without charges, without rights.
The Security Council
As you may notice , if you check out the link, the resolution doesn't actually say anything about 'illegal enemy combatant,' or make a case against people defending the country they live in. That's all us -- and the way we chose to see it.
This is our new standard for war and the way we treat those who fight against us -- and like any standard, it can and will be used against us in the future. We no longer have the moral high ground to point to as our justification or rationale for anything. The only way we are allowed to complain about how our people are treated in other countries is by the use of force.
What we can do, others can do,-- unless we are bigger than they are and are willing to beat them if they don't cooperate with us.
As a nation we have always believed that might does not make right, rather that it is the force of our ideals and good intentions that made us great -- and democracy, as evidenced by the way we practice it, was always something others should want to emulate.
In a war that can almost by definition never end, perhaps it is time to put away the things of our youth and act like the bad motherfuckers we are. Maybe the problem is we are apologizing too much.
I just hope my grandkids don't have to pay for this, too.
Comments