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| Pleased to be home | |
Well, it seems that it's not just in the communist world that some are more
equal than others. Even the great U.S of A. is prone to the same view of
humanity, or at least of American Citizens. The Americans are using an 'offshore solution' to their Taliban and Al Qaeda storage problem, which far outstrips Australia's 'Nauru' solution, for
keeping the detainees out of their court system. Detainees are kept at
Guantanemo Bay - technically part of Cuba, but on a long term lease to the
USA. It is not technically part of the US, so the courts don't have
jurisdiction, and no bleeding-heart democrat supreme-court appointee can take
pity on them and unleash them on a frightened US public. Johnny (24-and-still-going-strong) Walker, the US citizen who was
caught fighting with the other psychos in the Taliban during the US invasion of
Afghanistan, had been detained in Guantanemo Bay along with the other psychos.
However he has now been cut a deal which sees him returned to the US, and put on
trial in the technicality-prone US legal system. Who knows - he might walk
free with one of those 'fruit of the poisoned tree' rulings so popular on the
American courtroom TV programs. Apparently an American fighting with the Taliban must be seriously deluded, and
in need of professional help, whereas a man from, say, Australia would be just
operating as part of an axis of evil. Australian David Hicks who was also
caught fighting with the Taliban has to remain detained in his Guantanamo Bay
cell indefinitely without trail. And unlike Australia's offshore detainees
he doesn't have the option of changing his mind and
going home. While it may surprise and dismay some people that Australia has not pushed
harder for Hicks to receive the same treatment as Johnny Walker, a little
thought will reveal the danger of protesting too strongly. The Americans might
actually give him back. Imagine the outcry if we had to detain him with all the
other Muslims in Topside Nauru? Now that would be cruel and unusual punishment!
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