RoverPundit

Tali-boy, the delicate flower

Tali-boy, the delicate flower
I was going to post this at Scott Rubush's site. However, it got too long, and the comment section puked. So, here it is. If you wish to see the original quotes, go here.

Ok, I've got a few bones to pick.

It is a tragedy that many countries such as China, Saudia Arabia, and other middle eastern countries do not respect the rights of their prisoners, POWS or otherwise.

No, it is a tragedy that these countries do not respect the civil rights of their citizens, let alone their prisoners! I think that most prisoners in those dictatorships would count themselves lucky to be treated as humanely as Walker.

However, If America starts treating people like John Walker the way he depicted in the picture, than we become worse than those other countries, because we know better.

"We become worse." What a leap that is. Please, read up on the conditions of prisons in the countries you listed at the top. Like I said, John Walker got off very mild.

Did you stop to think about the reason for his being transported in that condition? Maybe because his friends vowed to kill Americans anywhere they found them, and have a penchant for insane suicide attacks? As much as it's been bandied about, I don't buy the theory that he was kept like that to humilliate him. A simpler explanation is that he was kept that way to protect the American soldiers from him. Remember the Taliban troops that started the prison riot and tore Mike Spann limb from limb, even biting him? That is why John Walker, and a significant percentage of the people who were transported with him, were stripped, blindfolded, and bound securely. The safety of American soldiers is more important than Walker's "dignity."

Why do you insist on making these countries unaccountable for their actions? "We know better?" Are you suggesting that only Americans understand the concept of right and wrong? That residents of the middle east are either too stupid or too infantile to understand that torture and murder are bad? The lowest form of apologist is the one who insists that "they just don't know any better." Come off it.

Our soilders fought and died so that we can enjoy those civil rights, you so carelessly take away.

Like I said before, the safety of our soldiers trumps the civil rights of a traitor. Where are we when we allow the civil rights of our enemies to endanger the lives of our soldiers?

To play devil's advocate, if he "effectively" renounced his citizenship, shouldn't he just be deported, rather than tried for treason?

If you were to deport him, where would he go? Back to the Northern Alliance? He would be summarily executed. Is this better than humiliation? I would agree that it is no more than he deserves.

Further, "civil rights" are guaranteed to every citizen (and mostly, to every resident) of this country, regardless of their beliefs. It is wrong, quite simply, to argue that they can be taken away because of a man (or woman's) opinions, even if those beliefs are antithetical to the precepts being exercised.

When did this become a matter of beliefs? He was an armed combatant who was captured in battle against American and allied soldiers. He was an enemy soldier. That's enough to hang him for treason. This has nothing whatsoever to do with beliefs.

Saudi Arabia doesn't give the "lawless and the violent" civil rights, and just look how well that country turned out.

As I stated in the first response, Saudi Arabia does not give ANYONE their civil rights. That's a better explanation of why that country is the way it is.

Let me clarify my position. I don't like the picture. I don't like looking at it, and I don't like knowing that things like that happen. However, I would rather see a thousand pictures like that than one obituary of a soldier who died because we didn't take every possible precaution.

Wow. That was long. Sorry to ramble on, but ya'll just pushed so many buttons I couldn't help myself.

Posted by Dork at April 3, 2002 05:35 PM | TrackBack