Nonetheless, how does it help the situation the least little bit for the citizens and non-citizens alike to be badly misinformed about and incited to wrongfully deny the true history of the Constitution's authorization to suspend the writ of habeus corpus?
How does it help to wrongly condition the public into thinking a prisoner of war must be put on trial in a criminal court where doing so is a blatant and inhumane violation of the laws of armed conflict and a war crime?
How does inciting the disallowal of indefinite detention and mandatory trial in a criminal court for a prisoner of war, whether or not a lawful combatant, do anything helpful to protect our own prisoners of war in the custody of the enemy, especially when doing so is itself a war crime with regard to lwaful combatants?
How does inciting the disallowal of indefinite detention and the beginning of mandatory trial in a criminal court for a U.S. Citizen help to protect that U.S. Citizen against false prosecution, unfair, and unjust trial conducted by a rogue government better than immunity from trial pending the end of domestic hostilities?
We all know the suspension of the writ of habeus corpus is a potentially dangerous power for any government to possess. However, it must not be forgotten nor disregarded that there are also great dangers and risks involved when you mandate that a government must either allow the freedom of an enemy dedicated to causing death and destruction or deny the immunity from criminal trial of a loyal U.S. Citizen attempting to protect and defend their self and/or the Constitution against the usurpation and abuse of power by a rogue Federal Government.
Eliminating the power and the obligation for the indefinite detention of a U.S. Citizen could backfire and give a usurper the power to say a detained U.S. Citizen has no immunity from trial in a criminal court because of the U.S. Citizen's status as a domestic belligerent in a rebellion.
Given these kinds of realities and risks, the question remains as to how well meaning citizens propose to effect the protection and defense of their own civil liberties and protections without inadvertently destroying them at the same time with the consequences of their efforts?
The Founding Fathers were intimately acquainted with these dilemmas, with so many of them and members of their families having been imprisoned and dying in the rebellion of the Revolutionary War. They incorporated their hard won lessons into the Constitution, authorizing a suspension of the writ of habeus corpus and indefinite detention as understood by the then prevailing laws of armed conflict. The current generation faces the problem of determining whether or not they can do any better or any worse. If any changes are to be made, they must be made with the full knowledge and understanding what the potential consequences of their actions may be.
The latest discussions in the conservative blogs do little to inspire any confidence in the commenters’ willingness to make themselves informed and understanding of the consequences of the actions they propose or demand, much less their smearing of the reputations of conservatives who are at least trying to make well informed and understood decisions.
As you know our rights are , however unalienable, are only as good as the people that protect them. I have no issue with this matter under a declared war and regarding a combatant in arms. It is the “who declares against whom” in a non declared war, or unilaterally defined domestic hostilities where all that is required for indefinite detainment and no due process is a “suspicion”. We have seen things get twisted before by an overaggressive government. How close to the scenario of “Minority Report” do we go in the name of security?
This argument sometimes feels a little like the argument on gay marriage in the context of “ how does it hurt you marriage” tough to argue past that. Your clearly entitled to your “government above the citizen in the name of security” views ( my perception) and neither of us are going to convince the other. I do respect the civil nature of the discourse and your well reasoned attempt to convince. Usually long before this I get a load of name calling hurled in my direction.. Your a good thoughtful person we just think differently on this.
For me the default is “ when in doubt don’t give more power to the government”....