We Used to be the Hare

There are 385 detainees at Gitmo, and only 10 have been charged with a crime. After more than five years,

"(N)one has yet had a hearing in a civilian court challenging his detention, even though two earlier Supreme Court rulings extended legal protection to them."

Coverage this week stresses that all of these detainees may go to federal court to challenge their "indefinite confinement" ("Court Nixes Guantanamo Detainees' Appeal".) Here it is again, the free pass.

How can imprisonment with no charges possibly be construed as "confinement"? It is illegal imprisonment, plain and simple.

How can a civilized nation accept the fact that 385 people are guilty of a crime, without charges or proof produced in court of law. American justice does not operate in that manner.

"Despite the obvious importance of the cases, it would be premature to intervene" wrote Justices Stevens and Kennedy. Clearly the Court is taking direction from the U.N. Security Council Resolution handbook on how to define the term with all due speed and diligence.

If the court moves any faster, we can add whiplash to the list of U.S.-approved torture methods.