I therefore could never reconcile myself to the bill I send you, which is expressly provided to remove all inconveniences from the establishment of a mode of trial which has ever appeared to me most unjust and most unconstitutional. Far from removing the difficulties which impede the execution of so mischievous a project, I would heap new difficulties upon it, if it were in my power. All the ancient, honest, juridical principles and institutions of England are so many clogs to check and retard the headlong course of violence and oppression. They were invented for this one good purpose, that what was not just should not be convenient. Convinced of this, I would leave things as I found them. The old, cool-headed, general law is as good as any deviation dictated by present heat.

That’s Edmund Burke, in 1777, defending Americans against the suspension of habeas corpus by the English Parliament in 1777. Read the whole thing.

Just a short note — commenting “New thread” rather irritates me because sometimes a submission deserves large discussion. In this case, I think the quality and length of Reddhead’s contribution is cheapened by declaring “New thread.”

Why not simply let threads have their own life and scope?

I make a plea to please refrain from attempting to artificially control the discussions.

Thank you,

If this is any indication of the situation at Guantanamo Bay, then it is likely that many detainees are being held to conceal the lack of justification for their detention.

It is fear-inducing to see the UK contemplating holding detainees for 90 days; has the neo-con agenda now corrupted a formerly reformed imperialist nation? This is a serious flaw in the neo-con agenda; as the world’s sole superpower, the US sets the tone for all other nations’ foreign policies towards us and towards others. Moving to usurp an enumerated right grants similar permission to those countries whose leanings towards democracy are tenuous — undermining substantively the objectives of the neo-con agenda (strengthening ties to allies and promoting political and economic freedom).

Unless, of course, the real neo-con agenda is the spread of corporatism — greater rights and freedoms for corporations than for individuals, regardless of the country of origin. This is a point upon which progressives must hammer going into the next election year, that the founding fathers intended this: humans have God-given rights, not corporations, and not the military-industrial complex to which corporations may belong.

Bush will have a rough 06. He will sometimes rise above 40% in the polls and then sink back down again.

He will discover that his “agenda” is blocked by goopers seeking re-election- and he won’t get much down.

In the meantime, he will have to navigate through an Iraq war that won’t get any better, a bursting housing bubble, release of videos of torture, a growing defict, the Rove mess, and growing turmoil within the gooper party.

In 2006- goopers will lose seats in both houses- but probably maintain nominal control in both- perhaps a two seat margin in the senate and a seven seat margin in the house.

In 2007- the gooper run of presidential candidates will bring a prez who is already a lame duck to his knees. He will be a laughing stock.

The political action will be mostly on the gooper side as the party tries to chose between McCain who is a likely winner and George Allen- who will be the darling of the snakehandlers.

The primaries will be a repeat of 2000- with South Carolina giving Allen the nomination.

Dems will flirt with Hillary- but will go with Warner in the end- as the deficit will be choking america.

Warner will soundly defeat Allen in an all Virginia race and bring a new dem congressional majority with him.

Goopers will be screaming that they need to re-design the Gooper party- and the whole cycle will begin again.