A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often….

The Geneva Convention only applies to legitimate POW’s meaning soldiers in uniform fighting for a natio

Even if that is true (which, from my understanding, isn’t entirely so), the US is a signatory to other treaties outlining the treatment of POWs/detainees/prisoners (uniformed or not).

Additionally, we have domestic laws regulating the treatment.

So, it’s not just the Conventions that limit US actions re these detainees/prisoners (whatever one calls them).

Then I realized I really couldn’t stand looking at that chimp long enough to get a glimpse of Kelly.

The Geneva Convention only applies to legitimate POW’s meaning soldiers in uniform fighting for a nation..it does not include terrorists or spies…

JKotthoff on June 13, 2008 at 1:51 AM

This is wrong. The GC provides the means to differentiate between POWs, legitimate combatants, partisans, and illegal combatants…the Conventions as a whole apply to all of these, they just set out different rules for the treatment for and rights of each category.

Of course, it’s not so bad for you to not know this as it is for RMC, who as a Guardsman was SUPPOSED to have had Law of Armed Conflict training and know the difference between POWs and imprisoned illegal combatants.

The United States Constitution and Bill Of Rights apply only to United States Citizens and Legal Resident Aliens

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on one’s view), that is no longer true.

Justice Kennedy in the majority opinion recognized this. He said:

“It is true that before today the Court has never held that noncitizens detained by our Government in territory over which another country maintains de jure sovereignty have any rights under our Constitution. But the case before us lacks any historical parallel.”

And why is there no parallel? Because the war “is already among the longest wars in American history.”

But why is length of a war – determined by the ferocity of the enemy – a factor that throws away 230+ years or rulings or thought?

Kennedy doesn’t explain it.

There really is, it seems from my limited understanding of these issues, no logical explanation for extending these rights to aliens held overseas.

The Court – or more precisely the 5 person majority – is simply exercising raw judicial power. In other words, they want to do to this even if the Constitution doesn’t require it.

1. The Geraldo problem – Cut off Puerto Rico from ties to the US. Since I can remember in my life, PR has voted twice for statehood, but PRs shoot it down. Treat them like any other foreign country, get papers to in, no more immediate citizenship status – no more problem
2. The Gitmo problem – Shoot everyone on the battlefield. TAKE NO PRISONERS. “Being British” about the whole compassion issue is bad policy. There shouldn’t be POWs in this fight.

Problem solved.

silverfox on June 13, 2008 at 2:43 AM

Bolton would break that lib’s ass nose again. And he would do what that wrestler did on TV, beach slap him.
BTW, how about Bolton for VP? or at least sect. of State?

Enjoy the sharks.

Geraldo has no concept of what a war is. I hear Jerry Springer has a job opening for an intern.

I already know who is going to win and she’s much better looking.

In his visits to Iraq and Afghanistan he was known as a bullet magnet. I wish the Insurgents or Taliban thugs would have been better marksmen.

Why don’t people understand that the CONSTITUTION IS FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS? The Constitution has nothing to do with non-citizens.

Illegal aliens don’t have Constitutional protection. American citizens are the only one’s who have CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.

ThackerAgency on June 13, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Do the detainees get to vote? do they get to pay taxes or apply for social benefits? Why then would they get the same legal protections that Americans do? This is an awful ruling and undercuts our sovereignty at least as much as the open borders does.

ThackerAgency on June 13, 2008 at 12:03 AM

Excellent points…

ThackerAgency on June 13, 2008 at 12:02 AM

Good call.

blatantblue on June 13, 2008 at 12:09 AM

How very gracious of you.

I wanna do Megyn now just for giving it to this bastard.

Illegal aliens don’t have Constitutional protection. American citizens are the only one’s who have CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.

Watching Geraldo was my first mistake; reading RMC comments was my second. Waiting until 9:57pm Eastern for someone to remark on the remarkable beauty of that lovely creature is my third and final mistake.

Good day to you, sirs. I said Good Day!