It’s not special rights, it’s universal rights. The two newest justices, Roberts and Alito, swore an oath to the Constitution. One can but hope that that includes not being able to stomach the creation and sanctioning of an unfettered, slanted and truncated ‘judicial’ system as a slapdash and poor substiute to the one that has prevailed for over 200 years.

Two foreign prisoners at the United States “war on terror” detention camp at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have asked the US Supreme Court to rule on their legal rights under the US Constitution.

Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen and Omar Khadr of Canada have asked the nation’s highest court to decide their status, according to a court document filed late on Tuesday and obtained on Wednesday.

[snip]

“As the war on terror enters its sixth year, this court’s guidance is needed on whether the judiciary can be summarily removed from its traditional role in safeguarding liberty and preserving the balance of power,” said the prisoners’ petition filed with the Supreme Court.

The nine-justice Supreme Court twice has ruled in favour of Guantanamo detainees, finding in 2004 and 2006 they could use the US court system, but each time with only a single-vote majority. Article

Related, and “ridiculous” is a more than apt description of the plan to substitute the trappings of justice for its legitimacy (and that of its purveyors).

Defense Secretary Robert Gates downsized a planned compound for war-crimes trials, telling Congress he thought the initial Pentagon plan for a $100 million facility was “ridiculous.” Article

The whole worlds is watching to learn whether the U.S. walks the walk or merely talks the talk.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour on Wednesday expressed grave concern that the US continues to illegally detain prisoners in Guantanamo detention centres.

“I am very concerned that we continue to see detention without trial and with, in my opinion, insufficient judicial supervision,” Arbour told a press conference here.”

[snip]

She expressed “hope that we will see the American Judicial system rise to its long-standing reputation as a guardian of fundamental human rights and civil liberties and provide the protection to all that are under the authority, control and jurisdiction of the US”. Article

Hats off to you, Mr. Ramieri.

…in what way is our treatment of these human beings better or different from any other despotic regime throughout history including those we currently label as “Islamofascist” or repressive?

I fear we are no better and have lost the moral high ground both with this unbelievable corruption of constitutional tenets and our unwarranted and unjustified invasion of Iraq.

No need to look elsewhere to see a government’s abuse of power and flaunting of the rule of law. You simply need to look right where you are standing. Article