The Supreme Court of the United States has set a dangerous precedent with regard to the case of suspected dirty bomb plotter Jose Padilla. The Court has refused to hear Padilla’s case, thus handing a victory to President Bush and the administration. The government has held Padilla (a US citizen) since 2002 as an “enemy combatant.” The administration has argued that it had the power to detain Padilla (without charge) indefinitely. Last year, however, the government altered its course and brought criminal charges against Padilla in a civilian court. When Padilla was finally charged…did it have anything to do with the dirty bomb plot for which he has been held for over 3 years? No…. Padilla was charged with being part of a terrorist cell operating in the US and raising money and recruiting new members to further its radical mission.
To be certain, there can be no mistaking the need to combat Radical Islam at every turn, there can be no escape from the fact that the war on terror must be waged with unyielding vigor and determination to bring the fight to the enemy as the president has done, but does the war on terror also involve suspending the rights of US citizens?
Some have drawn comparisons between the plight of Jose Padilla and Al Qaeda terrorists housed at Guantanamo Bay. There is one major difference. Those Al Qaeda operatives housed in Cuba are true “enemy combatants” they aren’t US citizens and are NOT protected by the rights enshrined in the US Constitution, Padilla, however IS. Giving the president the authority to determine who is and isn’t a citizen and what rights that person may or may not have is an unquestioned abuse of civil authority and reeks of extra-constitutional tyranny.
While we may not be fans of Padilla and certainly will shed no tear at his incarceration, one must recognize that this is a nation of laws, if we disregard those laws when it is politically expedient then one might as well surrender to Al Qaeda as we have already sold our soul and destroyed the foundation of our republic.
The strength of this nation lies in the fact that we have withstood challenges throughout our existence and maintained our way of life, now is not the time to abandon that way of life. The Supreme Court in refusing to hear this case has erred and the Constitution is the casualty.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/14252525.htm
