Still fighting the important battles, I see.
As Jaffer said, this is more about Bush than it is about human rights. My path has intersected with a handful of military types who have deployed to Gitmo in the past, including one Air Force tech sergeant who helped transport detainees to their nation of origin (including one C-17 trip to Libya, surprise surprise) for trial and an old roommate from the Virginia Military Institute, who spent a full year guarding Camp X-Ray as part of a Virginia National Guard deployment. Both mentioned that the handling rules for prisoners were as humane as they were strict, and that the harshest discipline at the prison was reserved for those MPs who violated those regulations. Neither agreed that the left’s reaction to Gitmo matched the reality of what was actually occurring at the camp. One thing you’ll notice when listening to human rights activist complain about the detention center in Cuba is that they focus on overall accusations instead of specifics. In this case, it’s “the Bush administration has flouted the Constitution and run roughshod over the international human rights system that the US itself helped build,” in lieu of detailed violations of the Constitution and “international human rights system,” whatever mysterious legal entity that may be. So go ahead and wear orange tomorrow. If nothing else, it highlights the absurdity of protesting Gitmo while tyrants in Iran, North Korea, and China hold their collective peoples under real oppression. HT: Michelle Malkin
