It's always strange when one sees an event like this happening. Jose Padilla is stuck in a Navy brig in South Carolina, devoid of his constitutionally guaranteed rights as an American citizen because he was labeled an enemy combatant by President Bush in 2002.

Then Attorney General John Ashcroft said Padilla wanted to set off a radiological dirty bomb. Now, he's been indicted by the current AG, Gonzalez, and the charges have nothing to do with dirty bombs. It's about conspiring to murder individuals overseas. He was held for three years in a military prison in South Carolina. The new indictment doesn't even mention the dirty bomb.

So what does this say about our country? What does it say about the administration? Should the president have unlimited authority in a situation like this? The answer is a resounding NO.

The current administration has consistently worked to strip away the rights guaranteed to us by the constitution. That document guarantees us certain rights and Bush, Cheney and others seek to undermine. Sure Padilla may not be quite the upstanding citizen. He's got a record of being a gangbanger. But this type of thing needs to end. Every time we do something else, it's a more dehumanizing. I used to think we were slowly eroding our rights. Now it looks to be moving along rather speedily.

I make no bones about it. I'm an idealist and an optimist. Perhaps it makes me a bit naive as well but government's don't have to operate like this. We can protect our nation without stripping away the principles we were founded on.

posted by Stithmeister @ 8:49 AM
 
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