October 17, 2006

How bad is the state of civil liberties in the US?

Well, this guy has been held for five years. He is `not charged with a crime, not suspected of a crime, not considered a danger to society.'

Oh yeah, and he was `abused'. Remember: in this context, `abuse' means `torture'.

But it's not just one guy. Today habeas corpus was repealed. Lindsay highlights some rather appaling subtleties.

Last but not least: being a citizen doesn't matter a bit to this lot.

To answer the question, then, the state of civil liberties in the US is terrible.

I think it would be absolutely unconscionable for any eligible voter not to make throwing out the officials responsible for this travesty of justice a high priority over the next two elections. I'm not a fan of the Democratic party, but given the political context, there seems to be a clear moral imperative for Greens, Libertarians, and even sane conservative Republicans: the Republican party must be removed from power, and the Democrats put into their place.

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