1. All accused terrorists will be indefinitely imprisoned by the military rather than given civilian trials. Because if you are accused of terrorism you must be guilty. If you don’t believe me, write a letter to Justice Franz Kafka and he’ll fill you in.
2. U.S. citizens can be treated the same way, although they don’t have to be, which likely means that if you are a clean-shaven (and I mean that literally) white guy who speaks unaccented English, and particularly if you have reasonably photogenic and well-spoken relatives who are white and speak unaccented English (most particularly, a mother who is white and speaks unaccented English and who can say things like “My boy is a good boy!” like she means it), you may get a jury trial, just like they did back in those long-ago days when we had not only a Constitution but constitutional rights.
3. You can be declared a terrorist if you “substantially support” Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or “associated forces.” Who defines “substantially support” and “associated forces”? Guess what? It ain’t you.
4. If you’re in Guantanamo, your chances of getting out will fall from 1/10999998 to 1/10999999. Sorry! Serves you right for getting caught on trumped up charges contrived by unscrupulous politicians bent on short-term electoral gain! You’re lucky you aren’t dead, even though you may wish you were.
Why are we so terrified? The McCarthy period really lasted from 1950-1954, and largely in response to the Korean War. Once American troops stopped dying, the fear level went down. But now, the further the bloodletting recedes in the past, the more hysterical the politicians become. It’s easy to see why the Republicans are doing this, and why they Democrats are cowering in fear: the public responds. Why is the public responding in this manner? I’m sorry, but I’m baffled.
Afterwords
The Obama Administration is saying that the President will veto this piece of crap unless it’s made slightly less shitty—saying that the bill shouldn’t apply to American citizens on American soil. But, in case you thought that meant the President is a sissy, no way: As Glenn “Achin’ Fingers” Greenwald again reports, the President has proved his manhood by having his Administration publicly endorse his unlimited right to murder anyone around the globe, with the possible exception of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. So, dude, don’t travel.
Frankly, I don’t know how Glenn can write about this stuff so much, because the more I write the more depressed I become. We are living in a synthetic firestorm of hysteria, fanned by leaders of both parties, who feel they must one-up each other in cruelty and ruthlessness. Is the public that scared, and that bloody-minded? The one politician with the nerve to call a murder a murder is Ron Paul. He didn’t go to Harvard Law, but if this be Harvard, give me Texas A&M.*
*Ron went to Gettysburg College (in Pennsylvania, which is where he’s from) and Duke Med School, but I like to end these things with a rhetorical flourish. A small pleasure, perhaps, but these days that’s all I can afford.
