Conspiracy theories take too much mental energy. Especially when real issues are right out in the open.
One of the most important issues of our lifetimes went before the Supreme Court today. The issue is whether a President has the power to have people captured and held without charge or trial, forever. By declaring "war" without a state or army or organization to fight, the President has in effect given himself war-time powers all the time, not just during the extraordinary circumstances such as WW2 or the American Revolution.
Whether or not you support President Bush, this case sets historic precedence that any future President will use. If the White House prevails, future Presidents will have the power to capture people from anywhere in the world, declare them as "enemy combatants" (few of the Guantanamo detainees are actually from a "battlefield"), and keep them imprisoned for as long as they want with no legal recourse. You may trust President Bush, but do you want to give this kind of power to any future president?
NPR has a number of audio clips of the Supreme Court session today. Im trying to find a recording or transcript of the entire thing although it seems unlikely since CSPAN cannot get anything either.
Im not a lawyer so much of the debate is over my head but the debate is good to hear. Especially since it has taken YEARS to hear anything.
Supreme Court Debates Military Trials for Detainees
March 28, 2006
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case testing the validity of the military tribunals set up to try accused terrorists now being held at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The case involves Osama bin Laden's one-time driver, a Yemeni citizen named Salim Ahmed Hamdan. The U.S. government says Hamdan was a confidant and bodyguard of bin Laden and helped transfer weapons from the Taliban to al-Qaida. Hamdan claims he was just a chauffeur. He says he was trying to return home in 2001 when he was captured by the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and turned over to the U.S. military for bounty.
At issue is whether the president has the power, on his own, to set up military tribunals to try Hamdan and others on war crimes charges, or whether the other two branches of government, the Congress and the courts, have a role to play.
